As soon as 2040 solar and wind power are likely to replace coal as the world’s dominant energy source, according to BP’s annual energy outlet, released last week. US states are getting ready for that eventuality as California and South Carolina took legislative steps last week to increase rights to renewables and Arizona’s APS announced plans to greatly increase energy storage and solar capabilities. 

There’s no reason that South Carolina shouldn’t be a solar leader in the southeast US, and the state’s House of Representatives has proved it by unanimously passing The Energy Freedom Act bill (HB 3659). The bill, which now heads to the state’s Senate as SB 332, would modernize the state’s energy market and eliminate current caps on rooftop solar and more. 

Arizona’s got plenty of sunshine and it’s capitalized on that by adding lots of solar power lately. The state’s largest utility, APS, already has more than 1,300 megawatts of solar power installed—including residential solar power. Now APS will further increase its use of solar and renewable energy with 850 megawatts of energy storage and at least 100 more megawatts of new solar power by 2025. 

A bipartisan group of California State Senators and Assembly members have introduced a Solar Bill of Rights for the state that would protect the right of home and business owners to generate and store their electricity without facing charges from the utilities in the state. State Sens. Scott Wiener (D) and Jim Nielsen (R) held a press conference flanked by more than 50 homeowners, farmers and more to support the bill.

In its 2019 Energy Outlook BP anticipated that renewable energy will surpass coal as the world’s major producer of electricity. Under the evolving transition (ET) scenario the outlook assumes that 85 percent of the new growth in energy supply will come from natural gas and renewable energy, even as renewables start surpassing natural gas and coal power. 

Last week two reports came out showing interesting news on the state of clean energy in the US. One report showed that solar jobs are falling, while another showed that carbon emissions increased last year, even as the country’s energy infrastructure is cleaner than ever. Moves in Oregon and Illinois will ensure more clean energy comes online, too. 

When completed the mega-hybrid Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility will consist of 300 megawatts of wind power, 50 MWs of solar power and 30 MWs of batteries for energy storage being built in eastern Oregon. It’s the first for a project of this scale in the US to combine all three energy sources, according to Portland General Electric Co. (PGE) and NextEra Energy Resources, which are developing the project. 

Last year US emissions grew—despite clean and renewable energy accounting for 53 percent of US electric generation. Sounds counterintuitive, but the US consumed more energy in 2018 thanks to economic growth and weather conditions, even while energy costs declined. Without the added clean energy and energy efficiency measures the US would have produced far more CO2 and pollution. 

After seven years of rambunctious growth led by lower costs and consumer demand the amount of people employed by solar power in the US has fallen to 242,343 from a high of 260,077 at the end of 2016. The Solar Foundation, which produces the National Solar Jobs Census, cited the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on solar panels as well as state policies, but it also anticipated that solar jobs will increase in 2019. 

This year Illinois will consider the “Path to 100 Act,” a bill introduced by Rep. Will Davis (D-Hazel Crest) that would move the state to 40 percent renewable energy by 2030. It would also build on promises from Illinois Gov. JB P Pritzker (D) to move the state to 100 percent clean energy and address shortfalls in current policy.