Solar Electricity Is Poised to Overtake Coal in—of All Places—Texas
Solar energy is set to surpass coal generation in Texas for the first time, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. The state is experiencing a significant increase in solar power development, while coal plants are not being built. This shift highlights the potential for renewable energy to thrive even in traditionally conservative regions.
- ▪Texas is expected to generate 78 billion kilowatt-hours from solar in 2026, compared to 60 billion from coal.
- ▪Solar output in Texas has consistently outperformed coal from March through August last year and is expected to do so from March through December this year.
- ▪The rapid growth of solar in Texas challenges the narrative that coal is a more reliable energy source than solar.
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freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: "motherjones_right_rail_1", slotId: "ROS_ATF_300x600" }); Duke Energy's Pflugerville Solar Farm in East Travis County, Texas.Scott Coleman/Zuma Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. This story was originally published by Canary Media and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The Texas sun keeps rising, as Texas coal wanes. For the first time ever, solar is set to generate more electricity than coal in the power market managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Nobody is building new coal power plants in the state, but developers are adding more solar there than anywhere else in the country.
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