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Last Update: 09/19/2026 at 11:33 PM EST
Solar Moves Ahead as Coal Retreats
Coverage from Science, DeSoto County News, and others
Solar supplied 12.
8% of U.S. electricity in May 2026, narrowly surpassing coal at 12.2% and becoming the country’s third-largest electricity source behind natural gas and nuclear. The milestone reflects sustained solar growth, declining coal generation, and rising demand from data centers, manufacturing, and electrification, while batteries and transmission investment are expanding alongside new generation. Growth continues amid federal support for coal, slower clean-energy permitting, legal challenges, and persistent grid-reliability requirements.
Looking Back
159 Day Timeline
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History
09/05/2026
The story broadens beyond the U.S. solar-coal crossover, adding evidence of coal’s weakening output, major Texas grid-development pressures, and a global renewables-over-coal milestone.
07/23/2026
The story now frames solar not just as overtaking coal, but as becoming the third-largest U.S. electricity source, underscoring a more durable shift in the power mix. It also adds more explicit policy and financing uncertainty around permitting changes, tariffs, and tax-credit deadlines.
All Articles52 articles
Important
Germany and China policy and manufacturing advances supported solar-led renewables overtaking coal for global electricity in 2025.
6/25/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Charlie Gay, Hans-Josef Fell, and Li Junfeng are recognized for work connected to renewables surpassing coal in worldwide electricity in 2025.
6/25/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember analysis using U.S. generation data reported solar at 12.8% of electricity in May versus coal at 12.2%, despite Trump administration cuts to solar support.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember electricity data analysis reports Asia solar generation edging past gas in the 12 months to April 2026 amid LNG disruptions and stalled gas expansion.
6/12/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember reported in June 2026 that solar provided 12.8 percent of U.S. electricity in May, exceeding coal at 12.2 percent for the first time on record.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember reported that U.S. solar provided 12.8% of electricity in May, surpassing coal at 12.2% as federal policy shifts and legal challenges affect renewables development.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
EIA forecasts ERCOT in Texas will generate more electricity from solar than coal in 2026 and 2027 based on projected kWh volumes.
5/23/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
EIA forecasts ERCOT utility-scale solar will surpass coal generation in 2026 as Texas demand rises and battery storage expands.
5/17/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In 2026, rooftop solar growth persisted amid Trump-era coal procurement and offshore wind restrictions, despite ongoing federal and state legal challenges.
6/28/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In the United States, policy actions targeting wind and solar incentives contrast with continued rapid solar deployment, supported by permitting feasibility and declining solar costs.
6/26/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Trump administration measures in the USA increased wind project cancellations and reduced solar tax credit access while solar deployment continued to rise through 2025.
6/26/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
NERC assesses U.S. summer 2026 reliability as solar and battery additions improve readiness, while New England, the Pacific Northwest, West Texas, and Saskatchewan remain at higher risk.
5/26/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Interesting
In the first half of 2026, U.S. renewable capacity expanded while coal declined, with solar and storage driving the ongoing power-sector transition.
9/5/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
A Washington delegation studied Texas renewable scaling during visits to ERCOT, Austin Energy, UT Austin, and CapMetro, focusing on faster interconnection and transmission.
5/29/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In 2025, U.S. electricity-sector emissions rose 4% as coal generation increased, while Watershed released an AI emissions estimation framework.
7/22/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In 2025, U.S. electricity-sector greenhouse-gas emissions rose 4% as coal generation increased 13%, according to Energy Information Administration analysis and accompanying policy and measurement updates.
7/22/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
US Energy Information Association reported that California utility-scale solar outpaced natural gas on 82% of days through May as solar and storage capacity grew.
6/18/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember, SEIA, and Wood Mackenzie reported May U.S. electricity generation shifts toward solar over coal, while Nevada and national policy actions influence grid and capacity planning.
6/15/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember, SEIA, and Wood Mackenzie report May solar surpassed coal in U.S. electricity share amid federal coal support and renewable-development restrictions.
6/13/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember reported solar surpassed coal in U.S. electricity share in May while Trump policy increased coal support and reduced affordable solar funding.
6/11/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember reported May 2026 U.S. solar reached 12.8% of electricity, exceeding coal at 12.2%, amid federal policy backing for coal and continued solar deployment growth.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
ERCOT queue data in Texas shows gas generation surpassing wind as data center demand and the Texas Energy Fund increase dispatchable generation planning.
5/7/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
ERCOT interconnection queue data in Texas shows gas projects surpassing wind for the first time since 2016, driven by data center demand and Texas Energy Fund loans.
5/7/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember reports EU solar reached 25% of June electricity, with Spain, Germany, and Hungary receiving over one-third to nearly half and electricity-sector CO2 falling since 2020.
7/25/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Utility-scale solar in the United States is projected to add 42,971 megawatts in 2026 as developers navigate tariffs, tax-credit deadlines, and solar-plus-storage requirements.
7/9/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Federal offshore wind restrictions and solar tax credit changes under the Trump administration met court and state resistance while May 2026 US electricity saw solar exceed coal for the first time on record.
6/28/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In the United States, solar deployment continues in 2025 even as policy actions reduce Inflation Reduction Act solar incentives.
6/26/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In 2026, CAISO reports California utility-scale solar outproduced natural gas on 82% of days from January through May, aided by 16 GW batteries and reduced gas generation.
6/22/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
EIA reported in 2026 that CAISO utility-scale solar outgenerated natural gas on 82% of days, amid rising solar capacity, faster battery growth, and doubled imports.
6/17/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember and SEIA-Wood Mackenzie reports show U.S. solar supplied 12.8% of electricity in May 2026 and surpassed coal on record, amid continued capacity additions and EPA cancellation of Solar for All.
6/12/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember reported May U.S. solar reached 12.8% of electricity, overtaking coal at 12.2% amid administration coal-support policies and renewable permitting disputes.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember reported solar supplied 12.8 percent of U.S. electricity versus 12.2 percent from coal in a prior month, as coal reached a record low while federal orders extended some coal plant operations.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
EIA projects ERCOT solar generation in Texas will exceed coal in 2026 and 2027 while ERCOT reliability remains supported by gas, nuclear, wind, and battery storage.
5/18/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
ERCOT in Texas reported declining summer grid-emergency risk as solar and battery storage additions increased, with U.S. EIA projecting solar to overtake coal in 2026.
5/26/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
BloombergNEF projects tech:solar-pv will overtake coal as the leading electricity generator within six years, with 2026 installations slightly below 2025 levels.
7/8/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Science’s 2025 Breakthrough of the Year honors Charlie Gay, Hans-Josef Fell, and Li Junfeng for contributions enabling renewables to surpass coal electricity worldwide.
6/25/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Spring operations in California, New York, Texas, and New Mexico showed growing solar, wind, and battery contributions that displaced coal and gas generation during peak demand windows.
6/23/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember, SEIA, and Wood Mackenzie report May U.S. solar generation reached 12.8%, surpassing coal at 12.2% despite federal policy favoring coal.
6/13/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember reported that solar generated 12.8 percent of US electricity in May, surpassing coal at 12.2 percent for the first time on record.
6/12/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember reported record U.S. solar output while Texas Governor Greg Abbott proposed data-center rules, with federal funding resuming for a lithium refinery and Holtec considering small modular reactors in New Jersey.
6/11/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
U.S. solar surpassed coal in May electricity share after Ember and SEIA data, amid federal support for coal and setbacks to solar programs.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember, SEIA, and Wood Mackenzie report higher U.S. solar generation share in May and continued coal decline amid federal support for coal and restrictions on solar and wind projects.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember, SEIA, and Wood Mackenzie report US solar generated 12.8% of electricity in May 2026, surpassing coal at 12.2% during a period of Trump coal-support policies.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember data and SEIA and Wood Mackenzie analysis report solar surpassed coal in U.S. electricity generation in May 2026 as solar and batteries dominated new capacity.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Texas expanded wind generation through renewable portfolio standards and CREZ transmission, while Winter Storm Uri in 2021 drove system-wide weatherization policy for grid resilience.
4/16/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember, SEIA, and Wood Mackenzie report solar supplied more U.S. electricity than coal in May, despite federal policy favoring coal and limiting renewables.
6/10/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
EIA Electric Power Monthly reports US renewables reached 30.0% of generation in early 2026 through April 30, 2026, driven by solar and wind growth plus rapid battery capacity increases.
6/26/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
In the United States, residential demand for solar paired with battery storage rose 21% in 23 days after the Iran war began, with EV sales up 17% in a quarter.
6/17/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember reported that solar supplied 12.8% of US electricity in May, overtaking coal at 12.2% despite federal policy favoring coal.
6/11/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Ember and industry analysts reported May US electricity shares where solar at 12.8% surpassed coal at 12.2%, amid rising demand and Trump coal-support policies.
6/11/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
US Energy Information Administration projections indicate ERCOT in Texas will generate more electricity from solar than coal in 2026 and 2027 while maintaining reliability.
5/23/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General
Additional
ERCOT and PUCT report Texas grid change in 2025-2026 as interconnection queues expand for gas, solar, and storage and transmission spending rises for load growth.
4/1/2026 • Clean Energy & Emissions • General