Solar Passes Coal in Historic Shift for US Electricity Mix (1)

Solar overtook coal in US power generation in May, the first time the renewable source bested the fossil fuel in a calendar month.

Solar supplied 12.8% of US electricity last month while coal accounted for 12.2%, according to a report Wednesday from the clean energy think tank Ember, which analyzed monthly and hourly data from the US Energy Information Administration.

The use of solar is surging just as the US scrambles to add new electricity sources to meet the insatiable power needs of AI data centers. The solar industry has managed to grow even as the Trump administration has taken ...