March 25, 2018

U.S. Electricity: Natural Gas and Coal Fall as Renewables Continue to Rise

Electricity generation from both natural gas and coal fell in 2017. At the same time, renewables—especially hydropower, wind and solar—continued to rise

By Melissa C. Lott

Illinois Wind Farm.

Tom Shockey Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

While natural gas and coal continued to lead U.S. electricity generation, both declined in 2017. This marks the first time since 2008 that generation from both of these fossil fuels dropped in the same year.

At the same time, renewables – especially hydropower, wind, and solar – continued to rise according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

*Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration,* *Electric Power Monthly*

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Natural gas has been the leading fuel that is used for electricity generation in the United States since 2015 when it surpassed coal in the generation mix. According to data from the EIA, coal power has been on the decline in the US for the last decade, while low-cost natural gas has risen to become the largest source of electricity generating capacity nationwide.

But, in 2017, natural gas joined coal in an overall declining trend as electricity generation from natural gas and coal both fell (by 7.7% and 2.5%, respectively) from the previous year.

At the same time, renewables continued to boom. In 2017, wind supplied 6.3% of U.S. electricity generation and utility-scale solar made up 1.3%. These are record shares for both wind and solar. Hydro also supplied 7.5% of total net electricity generation, maintaining its lead as the top renewable source in U.S. power generation.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American