Renewables Account for 30% of U.S. Electricity Generation in First Four Months of 2026, EIA Data Shows

Renewable energy sources generated 30% of total U.S. electricity during the first four months of 2026, marking a significant increase from 27.8% in the same period last year, according to the latest Electric Power Monthly report released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The report shows that renewable electricity generation increased 10.03% year-on-year between January and April 2026, driven primarily by strong growth in solar and hydropower generation. Utility-scale solar generation rose 21.3%, followed by hydropower at 15.7%, small-scale solar at 11.9%, and wind generation at 3.4%.

Combined, wind and solar energy—including small-scale solar installations—supplied 21.8% of total U.S. electricity generation during the period. In April alone, both wind and solar individually generated more electricity than coal-fired power plants, while their combined output exceeded nuclear generation by 57%.

The report also highlighted a continued decline in coal-fired electricity generation, which fell 11.6% compared to the previous year. Nuclear power output increased marginally by 0.5%, while electricity generation from natural gas plants grew 2.8%.

On the capacity front, the United States added nearly 40 GW of renewable energy capacity over the past 12 months. Between May 2025 and April 2026, utility-scale solar capacity expanded by 27.57 GW, while small-scale solar and wind added 6.49 GW and 5.98 GW, respectively. Combined capacity additions across solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal reached 39.88 GW.

The EIA also reported that utility-scale solar capacity surpassed wind capacity for the first time in April 2026, reaching 160.21 GW, slightly ahead of wind’s 160.10 GW.

Battery energy storage also recorded significant growth, with installed capacity increasing by 17.70 GW, representing a 58.1% year-on-year increase. During the same period, coal-fired generating capacity declined by 3.51 GW, while natural gas capacity increased by 7.75 GW. Nuclear capacity additions remained minimal at just 18.4 MW.

Looking ahead, the EIA projects utility-scale renewable energy capacity to increase by an additional 55.98 GW between May 2026 and April 2027. The expansion is expected to include 42.53 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity, 13.15 GW of new wind capacity—including 3.36 GW of offshore wind—and approximately 299 MW from hydropower, biomass, and geothermal sources.

As a result, renewable energy is expected to account for 36.8% of total U.S. utility-scale generating capacity by April 2027, up from 33.8% as of May 2026.

Including projected growth in small-scale solar installations, renewable energy capacity could surpass natural gas as the country’s largest source of installed generating capacity by early 2027. The EIA estimates that small-scale solar currently totals 61.52 GW, and continued growth at current rates could push total renewable capacity above 537 GW, exceeding projected natural gas capacity.

Battery energy storage is also expected to continue its rapid expansion, with the EIA forecasting an additional 22.83 GW of storage capacity by May 2027, increasing the national total to more than 71 GW. Combined with new renewable generation capacity, the United States could add nearly 79 GW of clean energy capacity over the next year, rising to approximately 85 GW when small-scale solar installations are included.