Why U.S. Renewable Energy Production Declined 1.1% in the First Half of 2019

Considering that July was the hottest month globally since record keeping began 140 years ago, now isn't the time for zero-carbon energy production to slow. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened in the United States in the first half of 2019. In fact, renewable electricity generation declined 1.1% from the year-ago period, according to newly released data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). 

The observation is far from ideal, but it should be only a short-term hiccup. Besides, there were other promising details in the EIA dataset, including the stunning collapse of coal-fired power plants and the resilience of America's dwindling fleet of nuclear reactors. Here's why the decline occurred and why investors shouldn't panic.

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