https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_of_the_Unit...
The real problem is that we’re still using an incredible amount of coal globally.
A sub-1.5 degree scenario (I initially wrote credible but who am I kidding there is no credible sub-1.5 degree scenario) requires significant energy for both transportation and decarbonisation. This energy needs to be produced without emitting more carbon. That requires massive investment in non-carbon emitting energy production now.
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=55960
In our March Short-Term Energy Outlook, we forecast the wind share of the U.S. generation mix will increase from 11% last year to 12% this year. We forecast that the solar share will grow to 5% in 2023, up from 4% last year. The natural gas share of generation is forecast to remain unchanged from last year (39%); the coal share of generation is forecast to decline from 20% last year to 17% in 2023.
This is a dramatic decline in coal as a percentage of the electricity mix and in absolute consumption terms.
There's a graph of historical American electrical sources here going back to 1950:
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-...
You can see how the big brown wedge at the bottom (coal) peaked and then declined. Replacing coal was financially attractive in the US because the bulk of coal plants were already decades old by 2007 and starting to reach natural end-of-life. It will take longer for global coal consumption to decline because other parts of the world have built more coal plants in more recent years, and the purely financial breakeven point for plant replacement (neglecting pollution externalities) is further in the future.
Of course, I said “globally “ where those market forces aren’t the same.
https://www.worldometers.info/coal/coal-consumption-by-count...
Globally the situation is bad. China and India may decarbonise faster than they are. However, if the world continues increasing how much solar and wind can be installed, hopefully the situation improves.
Whilst it's a drop in the bucket, the previously coal dominated Australia electricity sector is seeing a steep decline in coal generation [2], showing it is possible.
1. https://cms.ferc.gov/media/energy-infrastructure-update-dece...
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_sector_in_Australi...
"Capacity additions of renewables need to triple from 2022 levels by 2030, reaching around 1 200 GW annually, representing on average 90% of new generation capacity each year"