It’s the latest report to show that coal, our dirtiest energy source, can no longer compete with our cleanest, renewable energy, in most of the country. That means people are paying more for dirty energy from coal plants than from new solar and wind farms. The problem is widespread, as energy 74 percent of coal plants now cost more than wind and solar, the new report finds.

Last week the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that the use of renewable energy has doubled in the US last decade, thanks to the growth of wind and solar power. The Solar Foundation and its solar jobs maps helps show how this growth was achieved and what it’s meant for employment around the country, it introduced its latest interactive map last week. Also, a pot grower in California has resorted to the sun to power its indoor grow operations. 

Since 2008 the amount of renewable energy in the US has doubled, led by growth in wind and solar solar power. Combined with other forms of renewable energy like hydro, renewables produced 17.6 percent of the electricity in the US in 2018, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported. 

To help illustrate how solar is creating jobs in every state in the US, The Solar Foundation has released its solar jobs map, which shows the number of solar jobs by sector in every metropolitan area across the nation. The interactive map allows users, municipalities, politicians and more understand what types of jobs solar is creating locally, from installers to manufacturing jobs. 

The quickest way to grow cannabis is under artificial lights and in a warehouse where growers can control all aspects of the climate through the grow’s lifecycle. Now, California based Canndescent said it’s the first weed-growing facility that’s powered by solar panels in the US. 

After contracting for a year, the US residential solar industry has recovered and returned to growth, this against a backdrop where nearly 20 percent of the US electric generation came from renewables. Meanwhile, Tesla introduced its Model Y SUV and reiterated its commitment to rooftop solar power and energy storage.

Last night (March 14) Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk got onstage to unveil its next vehicle, the affordable crossover SUV, the Model Y. He also discussed Tesla’s commitment to solar homes, calling it the “year of the Solar Roof.”

Renewable energy is now the second largest electric producer in Minnesota, which has helped the state reduce its emissions by 34 percent—compared to 2005 levels. Their growth in the state is likely to continue, and to continue to contribute to lower emissions, as the costs of wind and solar power in the state are now lower than the costs of energy from other sources. 

Across the US 10.6 gigawatts of new photovoltaic solar power came online in 2018—the third year in a row that installations surpassed 10 GWs, but far less than the 14.6 GWs installed in 2016. The residential solar market also saw growth throughout the year, comprising nearly of 2.4 GWs of new solar rooftops installed across 314,600 homes. 

By the end of 2017 renewable energy provided 19.7 percent of the US’s electric production capacity and provided 17.7 percent of its electricity. While the overall majority of that came from hydroelectric generation, the majority of growth came from wind and solar, as it has for more than a decade.