You are about to read one of the most exciting sentences I have had the pleasure to type at the Sierra Club…
Solar generated more electricity than coal this April in Maryland.
You read that correctly. April 2019 was historic for the entire nation in that it was the first month where clean energy (solar, wind, and hydroelectric) generated more electricity than coal. But this wasn’t some fluke where other states experienced extreme sun or wind and Maryland simply reaped the benefits of clean energy in other states.
Data published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) for the month of April was definitive. Not only did clean energy outperform coal right here in Maryland, but solar alone outperformed coal. Maryland still has SIX coal-fired power plants in the state, but they only accounted for less than three and a half percent of our state’s electricity generation that month while clean energy was nearly sixteen percent.
One thing is abundantly clear. The time has arrived for Maryland to make a full commitment to move beyond coal. The clean energy solutions to replace coal power already exist (obviously). In this historic moment and in the face of a climate crisis, we need leadership from Governor Hogan and our other public officials to commit to transitioning Maryland completely off its remaining coal plants. Maryland must tackle this head-on and plan for a transition that supports impacted workers and communities historically overburdened by coal's pollution.
Other states like New York, Washington, and Colorado (among others) are following these real commitments to moving beyond coal to clean energy with dedicated support to impacted communities and workers. Maryland cannot sit on the sidelines -- it’s time for the state to adopt a coal community transition plan that gets us off of our coal plants and supports our workers and communities.
If you want to get more involved in our effort to move Maryland beyond coal and establish a coal community transition plan, email us! You can get more involved by sending Matt Dernoga an email at matt.dernoga@mdsierra.org.
David Smedick
Campaign & Policy Director
Sierra Club Maryland Chapter
