No one agrees on the most efficient energy source, but many will agree that the sun is the greenest energy source. Power companies are creating “farms” to harvest solar radiation to produce electricity, and many homeowners are installing solar panels on their homes. Adoption has been slow, but solar power has finally won a significant victory over one of its main competitors.
Earlier this month, global energy think tank Ember released a report finding that, for the first time, solar power was producing more electricity than coal in the United States. According to Ember, solar panels produced 12.8% of electricity nationally, while coal produced 12.2%. This milestone is the result of increased productivity from solar panels and reduced dependence on coal. In fact, organizations such as the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie have pointed out that more than 90% of all energy added to the U.S. power grid this year (about 7.8 GW) came from solar and storage installations.
Even though the news seems impressive, we need to tone down the hype a little. While coal is now the fourth largest source of electricity in the United States, gas and nuclear power generation still outstrip solar power. Additionally, this news coincided with the time of year when spring begins to give way to summer, temperatures (and the need for cooling solutions) rise, and sunlight becomes more intense. Will solar energy continue this upward trend? This could probably be the case if we stopped relying on fossil fuels (studies show that fossil fuels weaken and ruin solar power), but we still have the rest of the year to find out.
The irony of success is palpable
Analysts from the aforementioned organizations view this recent milestone as a sign of things to come. For example, Nicolas Fulgum, senior data analyst at Ember, said that “markets across the United States are betting on solar power to meet growing energy needs.” However, others see it as a sign that the current administration is out of touch, particularly with its own electoral base.
As outlets such as AP News point out, solar power has finally overtaken coal amid Trump’s attempts to revitalize the U.S. coal industry at the expense of renewable energy. Recently, Trump announced plans to spend about $700 million on the coal industry, including power plants and exports, while his administration destroys solar energy projects and defunds them. And yet, despite these attempts to (what some might call) sabotage solar power, coal continues to lose. As Martin Pochtaruk, CEO of Canadian solar power manufacturer Heliene, told AP News, “Investors will invest their money in what brings the best return. And for solar electricity generation.”
To add insult to injury, states like Texas, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Arizona and Mississippi accounted for 74% of 2026 solar and energy projects – all states Trump won in previous elections. According to Darren Van’t Hof, CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, these numbers demonstrate that customers prioritize the “safety, low cost and speed” that energy sources like solar offer, regardless of political affiliation. Plus, the more solar power plants we build, the more they will reduce our electricity bills thanks to AI (data centers still do a lot of harm, besides utility costs).
