Modules loaded for transport to Dominion Energy’s offshore wind project
US shift to renewables gains momentum
A gradual move towards renewables was already underway, and the pandemic is helping to push coal further out of favour
The US is on course to increase its uptake of renewables further this year. The trend is not new, as it was already playing out some time before the emergence of Covid-19. However, early indications appear to be that the pandemic is encouraging the shift away from coal-fired generation, which is increasingly falling out of favour for multiple reasons. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the country’s renewable energy consumption last year surpassed that of coal for the first time. Total consumption of renewable energy grew for the fourth year in a row to a record high of 11.5 quadrillion Btu for 2019, while coal consumption fell for a sixth consecutive year to 11.3 q
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