Key facts
- Solar electricity generation surpassed coal-fired generation in April.
- A significant amount of solar power is generated by rooftop installations and consumed on-site.
- Coal's share of US grid power declined to 12% in April, down from 14% a year prior.
- Solar's share of US grid power increased to 9.4% in April, up from 8.3% a year prior.
- Solar growth is driven by its position as the cheapest way to add generating capacity in most of the US.
Preliminary data suggests that solar electricity generation surpassed coal-fired generation in the US for the first time in April, according to official data from the Energy Information Administration. However, a substantial portion of this solar production came from rooftop installations used directly by the building they are attached to, meaning it did not contribute to the overall grid.
Heading into April, coal use had resumed its decline despite government efforts to support it, while solar continued its rapid growth due to its cost-effectiveness for adding generating capacity. Despite year-over-year growth exceeding 20 percent, solar's share of the US grid was only 6 percent in the early months of the year, compared to coal's 16 percent.
The longer days in April, combined with new solar installations typically completed at the end of the year, boosted solar production. This, coupled with coal's ongoing decline, significantly narrowed the gap between the two energy sources. In April, coal provided 12 percent of the power on the grid, and solar provided 9.4 percent, a notable shift from the previous year when coal supplied 14 percent and solar 8.3 percent.