In a plot twist no one saw coming (except maybe the Energy Information Administration), wind energy has officially outpaced coal in powering America. Yep, wind—nature’s invisible, mood-swingy powerhouse—generated 47.7 million megawatthours in single month this past spring, breezing past coal’s 37.2 million megawatthours. The EIA had already predicted that coal was on a downhill slope, with the rise of renewables, cheaper natural gas, and the mass exodus of coal-fired plants. But wind decided to flex its muscles ahead of schedule.
This wasn’t exactly an out-of-the-blue victory. The EIA had hinted that by 2024, the combined forces of solar and wind would dethrone coal. But, wind went rogue and pulled off a solo win. However, the Supreme Court’s recent pushback on tough climate goals and the ever-growing energy demands of AI systems might just give coal a chance to pull off a plot twist of its own. The Washington Post has pointed out that AI’s insatiable power appetite is slowing down the retirement of coal plants, throwing a bit of a wrench into the green energy machine.
Despite these hiccups, the clean energy sector isn’t slowing down. The U.S. is betting big on offshore wind, with plans to splash out a hefty $65 billion by 2030, potentially creating 56,000 shiny new jobs. If this trajectory holds, it could be a game-changer for the planet’s energy mix, tilting the scales towards a cleaner, more sustainable future.
