PD Editorial: US makes big gains in renewable energy

News item: Electricity generated from renewable sources surpassed coal in the United States for the first time in 2022.

That’s not all: Renewables also surpassed nuclear power generation after doing so for the first time a year earlier.

Solar and wind are the nation’s leading sources of renewable energy, accounting for 14% of the electricity generated in the United States last year. Hydro, biomass and geothermal — like The Geysers, a major local power supplier and the world’s largest geothermal field — added another 7% to the renewable portfolio.

Not surprisingly, sunny California is the big kahuna of solar energy producers, accounting for 26% of the nation’s utility-

scale solar electricity. Rooftop solar panels add even more renewable power to the grid.

Texas leads the way on wind energy, also contributing 26% of the U.S. total. We’ll refrain from any snarky comments about political hot air blowing out of the Longhorn State.

The renewable energy data, announced Monday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, is the latest evidence that Americans aren’t just talking about reducing the carbon emissions that are fueling climate change.

But there is a long road ahead. The U.S. still relies heavily on fossil fuels to power the economy. Despite steady increases in renewable energy, gas and coal account for almost 60% of U.S. electricity production.

Indeed, natural gas remains the largest source of electricity, generating 39% in 2022 compared to 37% a year before. Coal fell from 23% to 20% and, according to an Energy Information Administration forecast, will drop to 17% in 2023. Score one for cleaner air.

Fossil fuels won’t go away overnight, and better storage systems must be developed before solar and wind energy are a truly reliable 24/7 alternative to gas and coal.

The challenge ahead is to substantially increase the share of renewable power — and the pace of the transition — while also boosting overall energy supplies to meet rising demand as people shift to electric vehicles and appliances.

California is well positioned to do its share. The Golden State has ambitious climate goals: reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990’s level by 2030, ramping renewable electricity sales up to 90% by 2035 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. On a warm, windy day last May, enough renewable power was generated to meet all of California’s energy demands. Strategies for permanently achieving that benchmark include moving forward with offshore wind energy development off the Central and North Coasts and adding more solar and geothermal power.

The stakes are high, and California cannot go it alone. A report this month from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said industrialized nations need to cut their greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and eliminate them altogether by 2050 to have a 50-50 chance of halting the increase in average global temperatures that already is causing heat waves, atmospheric rivers and other climate-related chaos.

To succeed, the gains in renewable power made in 2022 must continue across the United States and around the globe at an ever-faster pace in the years to come.

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