RESEARCH
Wind and Solar Hit Record 17% of US Electricity in 2025, Outpacing Coal and Nuclear
US utility-scale wind and solar combined to deliver a record 17% of US electricity in 2025, confirmed by EIA's Electric Power Monthly released March 2026. Utility-scale solar alone surged 34% year-over-year to 296,000 GWh — its fastest single-year growth on record — while wind held at 464,000 GWh. Together they outproduced both coal and nuclear for the full calendar year. Including small-scale rooftop solar, the combined wind+solar share rises to 19% of total US net generation.
Findings
- EIA Electric Power Monthly (March 2026) confirmed wind and solar jointly delivered 760,000 GWh — a record 17% of US net electricity generation in 2025; including small-scale rooftop solar raises the combined share to 19%.
- Utility-scale solar surged 34% year-over-year to 296,000 GWh in 2025, the fastest single-year growth rate of any major generation source on the US grid.
- Wind and solar together outproduced both coal and nuclear power for the full calendar year 2025 — the first time this milestone was reached on an annual (not just seasonal) basis.
- Ember Energy's independent analysis found solar alone met 61% of net new US electricity demand growth in 2025, with Ember's total solar share (utility + small-scale) reaching approximately 8.5% of all US generation.
Delta Engine result
↔ Divergence Detected — Δ 0.2485 (threshold 0.05)
Evidence quality
avg 75 · min 25 · max 95 · spread 70