Since renewable energy sources first became commercially viable, they have been chasing fossil fuels. Last year marked a milestone—for the first time in their history, wind and solar exceeded coal in the total mix of U.S. electricity production.

The global energy think-tank, Ember, released its U.S. Electricity 2025 – Special Report in March. One insight from the report focuses on the total generation from wind and solar compared to coal.

Insight 1 notes that wind and solar overtook coal in 2024 in a “historic U.S. clean electricity landmark.”

According to the report, wind and solar reached a record last year, generating 17% of U.S. electricity. That surpassed coal’s generation of 15%. It was the first time ever that wind and solar accomplished this feat, and an all-time low for coal.

For the year, wind and solar produced 757 terawatt-hours (TWh) of U.S. electricity. That’s enough to power up 9.2 million homes and a 15% increase from their 2023 output.

The 15% share from coal in 2024 was the lowest level ever for that power source. According to Ember, coal generation has fallen by more than two-thirds (68%) since its peak in 2007.

Ember adds that the change has occurred rapidly, especially in the last few years. For example, in 2018, coal’s share was three times larger than the combined total of wind and solar. In six years, coal’s share has fallen by 43%, while the combined generation of wind and solar has doubled.

Ember also notes that the change has been widespread across many states. Specifically, wind and solar have now surpassed coal in 24 states. The pace is accelerating, with half of those states seeing the change in just the last six years. Illinois saw wind and solar eclipse coal last year, and Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Maryland saw the same change in 2023.

Furthermore, migration away from coal has been significantly large in many states. According to Ember, 12 states now generate over a quarter of their electricity from wind and solar, and several have gone even further. In Kansas, Iowa, New Mexico, South Dakota and Colorado, the combined output of wind and solar represent the largest source of generation, greater than coal, gas and all other forms of power.