2024 was the year that wind and solar power outpaced coal power in the United States.

According to research from Ember, a non-profit focused on advancing the transition to clean energy, from January to November of last year, renewable energy sources in the country provided a record 17% of U.S. electricity, while coal supplied 15%.

In Michigan, several coal-fired power plants have closed, with more set to come. Dan Scripps heads up the Michigan Public Service Commission and believes economics is the largest driver of the shift.

“Coal plants, starting in the 2010 era, needed to start adding pretty significant pollution abatement and reduction technologies in order to continue operating,” Scipps said. “That really did have pretty a fundamental impact on their price parity.”

Many of the nation’s coal plants were built in the 1970s and 1980s, making them some of the oldest power plants in the country.

Looking ahead, utilities are set to retire nearly thirty gigawatts of coal capacity between 2025 and 2027, marking a 12% decrease from earlier projections. Scripps says another major factor in the shift away from fossil fuels is growing customer interest — evident through Michigan’s voluntary renewable energy plans offered by the utility companies.