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Wind, solar to supply more electricity next year with coal providing less

The nation will get more of its electricity from wind and solar power next year and less from coal, the Energy Department reported.

Combined, wind and solar generated electricity is expected to provide about 11 percent of electricity next year, up from 10 percent this year. Electricity generation from coal will provide about 26 percent of power next year, compared to 28 percent this year.

The share of electricity generated by natural gas, nuclear power, and hydropower will remain about the same next year, with natural gas-fired power plants providing about 35 percent of electricity, nuclear creating about 19 percent and hydropower generating about 7 percent.

The biggest growth area is solar generation, which is expected to generate 303,000 megawatts a day next year, a 13 percent increase over this year. A megawatt is enough to power about 200 Texas homes on a hot summer day.

The solar industry is producing more power as the industry installs tracking systems that follow the path of the sun across the sky, according to the Energy Department.

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