Here's something to cheer: Our country is expected to generate more electricity in 2020 from renewable power than from coal for the first time on record, a government forecast says. A decade ago, by contrast, coal provided nearly half the nation's electricity. Now that share drops as power companies increasingly rely on wind, solar energy, hydroelectricity (water power), wood, geothermal and even trash to fuel generators.

The latest report from the Energy Information Administration estimates that U.S. coal consumption will fall by nearly one-quarter this year, and coal plants are expected to provide just 19 percent of American electricity. The federal agency also expects energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. to decrease by 11%, the largest drop in at least 70 years.

The balance began shifting long before the coronavirus pandemic, but is partly accelerated by it. Here's why: Electricity use drops sharply as factories, stores, restaurants, schools and offices shut down nationwide to slow the lung virus' spread. Many utilities cut back on coal power first because that source is costlier than alternatives. A similar pattern is seen overseas. "The only thing we have to be afraid of, is that governments can be pushed by lobbyists to bail out sectors that belong to the past. And this is the real danger," says Francesco La Camera, director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency, based in the United Arab Emirates.

Engineer says: "Coal has been pushed to the margins and it's wind and solar that are the cheapest options." -- Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University in Houston

Industry representative says: "The coal fleet is not dead. There is still a significant amount of coal that’s going to be needed in the future to make sure we don’t risk and threaten the reliability of the grid." – Michelle Bloodworth, chief executive of America's Power, a trade group

Clean-energy advocate says: "In some parts of the country, we're now seeing renewable penetration hit 60 or 70 percent on some days." -- Nat Kreamer, chief executive of Advanced Energy Economy, a Washington, D.C., group