April was the first month the U.S. generated more energy from renewables than burning coal

IEEFA U.S.: April is shaping up to be momentous in transition from coal to renewables

Signs of a tipping point in national power-generation mix

The future of the U.S. electricity generation industry may have arrived, and it is not good news for struggling coal-fired generating plants.

This month, for the first time ever, the renewable energy sector (hydro, biomass, wind, solar and geothermal) is projected to generate more electricity than coal-fired plants, which totals about 240 gigawatts (GW) of still-operating capacity. According to data published this month in the Energy Information Administration (EIA) Short-Term Energy Outlook, renewables may even trump coal through the month of May as well.

As the chart below indicates, the EIA sees renewable generation topping coal-fired output sporadically this year, and again in 2020. The estimates in the EIA outlook show renewable energy generating 2,322 and 2,271 thousand megawatt-hours (MWh/day) per day in April and May, respectively. This would top coal’s expected output of 1,997 and 2,239 thousand MWh/day during the same two months.