In a first, Utah got more power from solar than any other source

According to Grist, Utah achieved a clean energy milestone in May when solar power generated more electricity than any other source for the first time. Photovoltaic panels produced nearly a third of the state's power that month, followed by natural gas at thirty-two percent and coal at just twenty-eight percent. This marks a dramatic shift from twenty seventeen, when coal accounted for sixty-four to seventy-eight percent of Utah's electricity. The transition has been driven by major solar projects coming online—including the Green River Energy Center with four hundred megawatts of solar capacity and battery storage, and the Faraday Solar project supplying six hundred eighty-five megawatts to a Meta data center. The renewable surge also delivers economic benefits: solar supports nearly eight thousand jobs in Utah, compared to roughly twenty-three hundred combined jobs in coal mining and oil extraction. Energy experts say Utah still has room to grow—California reached fifty-one percent solar generation in May, suggesting the state's sunny climate is far from maxed out.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton