HOUSTON, April 4 (Reuters) - Fossil fuels accounted for

less than 50% of the U.S. power mix for the first month on

record in March, according to energy think tank Ember on Friday,

driven by a near-quarter rise in wind and solar power

generation.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

U.S. power consumption will rise to

record highs

in 2025 and 2026, jumping nearly 3% this year from 2024's

all-time high, the Energy Information Administration (EIA)

forecast last month amid growing demand from data centers

dedicated to artificial intelligence.

Data center power demand will

triple

by 2028, and consume as much as 12% of the country's

electricity, according to a Department of Energy-backed study in

December.

NextEra Energy ( NEE/PN ) expects a 55% jump in power demand

over the next 20 years versus the prior two decades, CEO John

Ketchum said at a conference last month in Houston.

BY THE NUMBERS

Electricity generated from fossil fuels, including coal and

natural gas, slipped to 49.2% in March, Ember said in an

analysis of hourly data from the EIA, down from 57% on the

month.

More power was instead generated using renewable sources

such as wind and solar, which in March reached an all-time high

of 83 terawatt hours (TWh), or 24.4% share of the total power

mix.

The electric power sector is planning to add 32 gigawatts of

solar generating capacity this year, according to the EIA, which

will drive a 33% uptick in solar generation in 2025.

KEY QUOTE

"The reality on the ground is not one of a return to fossil

fuels in the U.S., it's the continued growth of solar and wind

power that will be the dominant driver of electricity generation

growth," said Nicolas Fulghum, senior analyst at Ember.