Coal Takes Its Lumps as Solar Energy Changes the Landscape for ERCOT in Texas

April 12, 2024--Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--It's not just the stars at night that are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas. The sun also shines brightly, with an increasing number of solar facilities turning that sunlight into significant energy for the Lone Star State's residents.

Wind power still tops the state's renewable energy generation, said the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), but solar grew by leaps and bounds in 2023 vs. 2022. And solar surpassed coal in kilowatts generated in 2023 for the first time ever, as solar's increase was almost perfectly mirrored by coal's decrease, said the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).