Solar Energy Outpaces Coal

JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR THE FIRST TIME IN U.S. HISTORY. SOLAR POWER OUT GENERATED COLE FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH. THIS PAST MAY SOLAR ENERGY SUPPLY. 12.8% OF THE NATION'S ELECTRICITY. THAT'S ACCORDING TO AMBER, A GLOBAL ENERGY THINK TANK COLE CONTINUED TO DECLINE IN PRODUCTION FALLING TO 12.2% THE MAJORITY OF THE ELECTRICITY GENERATED STILL COMES FROM NATURAL GAS WITH ABOUT 37% OF THE NATION'S ELECTRICITY. THE LATEST GREEN ENERGY MILESTONE CONTINUES TO SHIFT IN THE POWER SECTOR. AS SOLAR ENERGY BREAKS RECORDS WHILE COAL PRODUCTION REMAINS ON A STEADY DECLINE. >> FOR MORE ON THE FUTURES OF SOLAR AND COAL. I AM JOINED BY NICHOLAS FULL GYM. HE'S A SENIOR DATA ANALYST WITH AMBER. >> MR. FULTON, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY FROM LONDON. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> THE ORGANIZATION HAS RECENTLY RELEASED DATA THAT STATE'S NEW SOLAR RECORDS AND LONGTIME LONG-TERM COLE DECLINED LEAD TO LATEST CLEAN POWER MILESTONE. WHY IS THIS SUCH A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE IN A SIGNIFICANT STATEMENT TO MAKE? >> YES, AND THAT UNITED STATES SOLA OVERTOOK COAL FOR THE FIRST MONTH ON RECORD IN MAY. SO THE GENERATED 12.8% OF ELECTRICITY IN THE U.S. AND COAL GENERATES A 12.2% THAT WAS THE BEST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. BUT IT'S THE CONTINUATION OF THE LONG-TERM TREND OVER THE LAST 2 DECADES. COLE HAS LOST ITS FAST PRIMARY SPOT AS THE NUMBER ONE ACTUALLY SEE GENERATIONS. WILSON, THE U.S. AND TO GAS THEN FELL BELOW NEW CLEAR AND WITH THE WIND FOR THE FIRST TIME AND NOW THE LOWS. SO LOOK FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EQUATION IS THE RISE OF CLEAN POWER, PARTICULARLY FROM WHEN AND IN RECENT YEARS FROM SOLAR AND BATTERY STORAGE THAT I'M MAKING THIS POSSIBLE. >> WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE? >> YEAH. ON A GLOBAL LEVEL, WE'VE SEEN THIS TREND FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW AND 2025 RENEWABLES OVERTOOK COAL IN ELECTRICITY GENERATION GLOBALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 100 YEARS. SO THE GLOBAL POWER SYSTEM IS CHANGING COUNTRIES LIKE AND REGIONS LIKE THE EUROPEAN GOING ALL-IN ON WIND POWER ON SOLAR POWER AND BATTERY STORAGE. TO RID THEMSELVES OF THE RELIANCE ON FOSSIL FUELS HAVE KEPT PRICES HIGH, PARTICULARLY IN MARKETS LIKE EUROPE IN THE U.S. THIS TREND IS MAYBE A FEW YEARS BEHIND, BUT WE SEEING STATES FROM TEXAS TO CALIFORNIA FOLLOWED THIS TRAJECTORY, WEST SOLAR AND WIND UP TAKING A LARGER SHARE, BUT IT RECEIVE GENERATION AND FOSSIL FUELS. I'M MOVING DOWN ANY ELECTRICITY MIX. >> WHERE IS SOLAR ENERGY BEING USED MORE IN THE UNITED STATES AND AND ALSO HOW PREVALENT IS IT IN FLORIDA? >> TYPICALLY IF YOU GO BACK 10, 15 YEARS, THE STATES HE WOULD BE LOOKING AT A CALIFORNIA AND INCREASINGLY DIVIDED. BUT IN RECENT YEARS, THE LOW COST OF SOLAR POWER AND A HIGHER POWER NEEDS EVERY MONTH THAT ITS 6 EXPOUND THE TERM ASKED DRAMATICALLY IN OTHER STATES AS WELL. WE'VE SEEN FASTEN MASSIVE RISE IN TEXAS, WHICH LAST SCALE SO INSTALLATION IS NOW THE NUMBER ONE STATE AND THE UNITED STATES. AND IN FLORIDA, WE SEE THE READING LAW DRIES AND GENERATION AS WELL OVER A PERCENT OF THE STATE SENATE. RACINE NOW COMES TO US SO THAT THAT SOUNDS OF 2025 AND IS EXPECTED TO RISE FURTHER. AND THAT'S UP FROM LESS THAN ONE PERCENT JUST A FEW YEARS PRIOR TO GO BACK 10 YEARS. SO IT WAS BASICALLY A NEGLIGIBLE AMOUNT OF GENERATION. FLORIDA. SO WHETHER YOU LOOK WHETHER IT'S ON THE WEST COAST IN CALIFORNIA OR IN FLORIDA. WE SEE SO TAKE A LODGE AND NOT TO SHOW THE ELECTRICITY MARKET. >> AND ON THE FLIP SIDE, WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN FOR COAL PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE FUTURE OF COAL? QUITE FRANKLY, WHEN COAL GENERATION IN THE U.S. MIXES NEARLY HALVED IN THE LAST 5 YEARS FALLING FROM ALMOST 20% IN 2021. TO ABOUT 12%. NOW. >> YEAH. SO TAKE A NON-STICK LINE IN RECENT YEARS IS THE COMBINATION OFF A CONTINUED INCREASE IN GAS GENERATION, BUT ALSO THEN THAT RAPID RISE IN RENEWABLES, PARTICULARLY WIND AND SOLAR POWER. IF YOU GO BACK, EVEN FIND THE GO BACK. 20 IS TO THE BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURY CALL WAS STILL MORE THAN 50% OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN THE U.S. SO WE HAVE A FAR CRY FROM THAT NOW WAY WHERE COAL IS NOW FALLING BEHIND SOLA AND SOME MONTHS AND WILL OVER THE NEXT 2, 3, IS WE'LL SEE MORE AND MORE MONTHS WHERE THIS IS THE CASE AND COVID CONTINUE TO FALL IN THE MIX GOING FORWARD. NOW, OF COURSE, THAT POLICIES ON THE LINE THIS FOR SEEING A BIT OF A STEP FROM THE U.S. TO SUPPORT SAYING COAL POWER MORE AND THEN OTHER COUNTRIES MIGHT WHICH A LOT TO LOOK IN TO PHASE OUT COAL OR RESTRICT ITS USE. AED'S THAT OR MAKE IT EASIER FOR A NEW LOCALS TO COME ONTO THE GRID. SO THE U.S. IS MAKING A LITTLE BIT OF A STEP BACK ON THE POLICY SIDE HERE. BUT THE OVERALL TREND IS SO CLEAR THAT COLD DOESN'T HAVE A FUTURE IN THE U.S. POLLEN FOR THAT AMOUNT TO AROUND THE WORLD. >> THAT WHY? WHY YOU THINK SOLAR IS BECOMING THE FASTEST GROWING SOURCE OF POWER IN THE UNITED STATES STATES. ELECTRICITY SYSTEM. >> SO IT IS INCREDIBLY US THAT I'LL SO WHETHER YOU LOOK AT LOVE SCALE SYSTEMS, UTILITY SCALE SYSTEMS, YOU LOOK AT ROOFTOP DEPLOYMENT, IT'S INCREDIBLY VESTS TO TELL YOU. WE DON'T TYPICALLY SEE THE DEPLOYMENT TIMELINES THAT WE CAN SEE PERSONA FOR OTHER COAL OIL, GAS UP ON THOSE A PROJECTILE. THE 10, 15, 20 YEARS, A SOLAR PROJECT IN GOAL FROM INITIAL PLANNING TO BEING CONNECTED TO THE GRAND IN JUST A FEW YEARS AND ESPECIALLY DURING A TIME WHEN MANY STATES HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE IN ELECTRICITY THEM ON, FOR EXAMPLE, FROM DATA CENTER IS IT'S CRUCIAL TO GET POWER ONTO THE GRID QUICKLY. AND THAT'S WHAT SOLA AND ITS LOW-COST DELIVERY OF POWER OVER A VERY SHORT TIME FRAME AND READ THE TO WHAT'S LOOKING FOR RIGHT NOW. >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY FROM LONDON, NICHOLAS FULTON.