Solar and Wind Energy Are Surging But CO2 Is Still Climbing Because of Natural Gas Use

image via New Scientist

February 28, 2025, 4:00 PM

• •Wind and solar generation eclipsed coal throughout 2024, marking the first time renewable power outperformed coal for a full year.
• •But carbon emissions from electricity still climbed. That’s because natural gas also set record levels of generation last year.
• •The twin developments highlight the diverging trends in America’s electricity landscape. Renewables have never been more important to the country’s grid, accounting for almost 16 percent of power generation last year. But gas is growing at an even faster clip, reflecting what many businesses see as its importance in meeting rising electricity demand from data centers.

Despite record-breaking growth in solar and wind power, carbon emissions from electricity generation in the United States remained flat in 2024. The reason for this is that natural gas generation also set record levels last year, offsetting the modest carbon declines from coal. The twin developments highlight the diverging trends in America's electricity landscape. Renewables have never been more important to the country's grid, accounting for almost 16 percent of power generation last year. But gas is growing at an even faster clip, reflecting what many businesses see as its importance in meeting rising electricity demand from data centers.

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