In New Record, Solar and Wind Generated More Electricity Than Coal for First 5 Months of Year

*Newly installed solar panels at the construction site of a new solar energy park next to a field of wind turbines, near Prenzlau, Germany on April 6, 2023. Credit: Sean Gallup / Getty*

Solar and wind power generation has set a new record, with more power generated from those renewables than coal for the first five months of 2023, according to Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, as CBS News reported.

It’s the first time solar and wind production has surpassed coal for five months straight, industry publication E&E News said.

“From a production-cost perspective, renewables are the cheapest thing to use — wind and solar. So, we’re going to see more and more of these records,” said Ram Rajagopal, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, as reported by CBS News.

EIA data showed solar and wind out-producing coal for the first three months of the year, but the numbers for April and May are only preliminary, according to EIA spokesperson Chris Higginbotham.

“Our official estimates from the Electric Power Monthly show that combined electricity generation from wind and solar exceeded generation […]