Power produced from renewable sources such as wind and solar panels in 2019 exceeded power generated by coal for the first time since 1885, a time when burning wood was a primary source of energy, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a report on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) Power produced from renewable sources such as wind and solar panels in 2019 exceeded power generated by coal for the first time since 1885, a time when burning wood was a Primary source of energy, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a report on Thursday.
"This outcome mainly reflects the continued decline in the amount of coal used for electricity generation over the past decade as well as growth in renewable energy, mostly from wind and solar. Compared with 2018, coal consumption in the United States decreased nearly 15 percent, and total renewable energy consumption grew by 1 percent," the report said.
According to the report, wood was historically the main source of energy in the United States until the mid-1800s and was the only commercial-scale renewable source of energy until the first hydropower plants began producing electricity then, the report said.
Coal was used in the early 1800s as fuel for steam-powered boats and trains, and also for making steel. In the 1880s, the United States began using coal to generate electricity.
Since 2015, the growth in US renewable energy is almost entirely attributable to the use of wind and solar in the electric power sector.
In 2019, electricity generation from wind surpassed hydro-generated power for the first time and is now the most-used source of renewable energy for electricity generation in the United States on an annual basis.
