Higher Energy Bills That Aid Renewables Push Them Past Coal Usage

It is hard to determine whether to laugh or cry with news stories like this.

Electricity generated from renewables surpassed coal in the United States for the first time in 2022, the U.S. Energy Information Administration announced Monday.

Renewables also surpassed nuclear generation in 2022 after first doing so last year.

Growth in wind and solar significantly drove the increase in renewable energy and contributed 14% of the electricity produced domestically in 2022. Hydropower contributed 6%, and biomass and geothermal sources generated less than 1%.

There’s one small detail left out: the fact that politicians and environmentalists pushed for ending the use of coal destroying many people’s lives. As a result, greens can boast about their so-called alternatives are doing a better job.

However, natural gas is cited by the AP as being a major contributor to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. So one fossil fuel was traded for another yet environmentalists oppose using both sources. Also, don’t forget California’s experience where the Golden State ended up using fossil fuels to provide power to state residents during last summer’s high heat temperatures. Go figure!