Solar overtakes coal in the US for the first time

On the topic of climate change, people generally fall into five categories, reflected in the following statements:

1. Climate change is happening, but it's a perfectly natural phenomenon.
2. Climate change is happening and it needs to be addressed.
3. Climate change is happening, but I'm indifferent to it (i.e. I don't care about it).
4. Climate change is happening, but I do not have the capacity to do anything about it.
5. Climate change is not happening.

Regardless of whatever statement best reflects your beliefs, the scientific consensus is that Earth's climate is indeed warming and that human activities—especially the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and other greenhouse gas emissions—are the primary cause of the dramatic changes to the climate observed in many parts of the world since the mid-20th century. More importantly, the scientific consensus is that continued climate change and a "business as usual" mindset will have myriad and overwhelmingly negative consequences for society and the environment writ large.

The shift to renewable energy is critical to tackling human-induced climate change, as fossil fuels still provide 80% of global energy supply. In this context, solar-derived energy overtook coal production in the US for the first month on record in May 2026, supplying a record 12.8% of US electricity compared to coal's 12.2%.
 

The US electricity mix has experienced a dramatic shift over the past five years: while coal's share has nearly halved, dropping from 19.7% in May 2021 to 12.2% in May 2026, solar has more than doubled its contribution over the same period, climbing from 5.4% to 12.8%.

These developments follow another clean energy milestone reached in March, when renewables collectively outpaced gas for the first time in the US. Overall, the new records indicate the growing footprint of renewable energy in the US, even if the political climate remains divided and policymaking counterproductive to climate sustainability initiatives.