Wind turbines and a coal-fired power plant in Holland (Shutterstock.com)

Can Renewable Energy Replace Fossil Fuels?

April 22, 2024

Fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal powered America’s industrial rise and helped make the United States a global power. But emissions from burning these fuels have played a large role in causing climate change, which scientists say threatens the planet. The Inflation Reduction Act, which Congress passed in 2022, allocated an unprecedented $369 billion toward fighting climate change, in large part by trying to encourage a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. But is it realistic to think that renewables could actually replace fossil fuels? A researcher at an environmental organization and a spokeswoman for an oil and gas industry group square off.

America is in the midst of a clean energy revolution—one that’s bringing solar, wind, and battery technologies onto the grid and making old, dirty fossil fuel plants obsolete. It’s a trend that’s accelerating as the historic climate law Congress passed in 2022 continues to make renewable power even more competitive.

The reason is clear: economics. The cost of installing new wind turbines has fallen by nearly two-thirds since 2009; the cost of solar panels has dropped by a whopping 83 percent, according to the investment bank Lazard. Renewable energy is already typically cheaper than building a gas plant, which is why solar and wind alone are set to account for 65 percent of the new power capacity installed this year.

Perhaps nowhere better epitomizes this trend toward renewable energy than Texas, a state forever linked in our imagination with oil. Last summer, unrelenting heat caused record demand for electricity, but the power grid was able to keep the air conditioners humming thanks to a huge amount of new solar and battery installations over the past few years, which came on top of the state’s previous wind boom.

The cost of installing renewable energy such as wind and solar has plummeted.

Of course, there will be days or times of the day when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine. But just as our phones have gotten smarter, so has our electric grid. We can pull electricity supplies from different areas as needed, or use increasingly affordable batteries to store power when it’s plentiful to be used later when it’s scarce. As the share of renewable energy increases, our grid will become smarter and more adaptable.

The shift to renewable energy is well underway. We already have the tools to replace fossil fuels: electric vehicles, power sources like wind and solar, improved efficiency, and a more nimble power grid. The good news is that with each day, we get more evidence it’s possible.

—AMANDA LEVIN

Natural Resources Defense Council

When it comes to meeting our current and future energy needs, it’s not a question of whether to use renewables like wind and solar or other sources like natural gas and oil. We need both kinds of energy sources to ensure the world has access to affordable, reliable energy for when you plug in your phone or charge your scooter. And we’ll need them both for years to come.

Currently, natural gas and oil supply about 69 percent of the energy Americans use, while wind and solar furnish 5.7 percent. Nearly 99 percent of the vehicles on America’s roads today are fueled by gasoline. Natural gas, which produces 50 percent fewer carbon emissions than burning coal, is the leading fuel for generating electricity in the U.S. The ongoing shift from coal and oil to more natural gas is part of the reason that carbon emissions are falling in the U.S. Natural gas generates almost 4 times more electricity than wind does and about 10 times more electricity than solar panels do. To meet the power needs of America today and as our economy continues to grow in the future, we need natural gas and oil to be part of our energy mix.

To meet our growing power needs, oil and gas must be part of our energy mix.

It’s projected that the global population will grow by almost 2 billion people by 2050. That means global energy demand will also grow.

Meanwhile, America’s natural gas companies are working on technological innovations to make sure that the natural gas we continue to rely on is as clean as possible. They’re trying to keep more methane, which is a component of natural gas that’s often burned off, in gas pipelines and out of the air. They’re exploring new ways to capture carbon—actually removing carbon emissions out of the atmosphere—and store it safely.

Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are clearly part of our energy solution. But it’s not currently realistic to count on renewables as our primary source of electricity, much less as our only source.

—ANDREA WOODS

American Petroleum Institute

ENERGY By the Numbers

13%

PERCENTAGE of energy in the U.S. that came from renewable sources in 2022; 79% of energy that year was generated by fossil fuels.

^{Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration}

37.7%

SHARE of America’s energy production used for electricity in the U.S.; the second-largest share of energy, 28.1%, is used to power transportation.

^{Source: Pew Research Center}

$40

COST of solar panels per mega-watt generated in 2019, down from $359 a decade earlier.