☀️ Solar overtakes coal in US electricity production for the first time

• Solar power supplied 12.8 percent of US electricity in May 2026, while coal fell to 12.2 percent.
• Solar produced 45.5 TWh during the month, 17 percent more than in May 2025.
• Over five years, solar's share has more than doubled.

New record for solar

In May 2026, solar power produced more electricity than coal in the US over a full month, for the first time since records began. This is shown by official data analysed by the energy think tank Ember. Solar accounted for 12.8 percent of electricity, the highest share ever recorded. Coal accounted for 12.2 percent, the fourth-lowest monthly share ever measured.

Solar power produced a total of 45.5 TWh in May, the highest figure on record. That is 17 percent more than in May 2025. The previous record was set in July last year. The record could be broken again during the summer months. Total solar output is usually highest in June or July. Its share of the electricity mix is often highest in April or May, because solar output is strong then while demand is lower, before cooling needs rise in summer.

During May, solar became the third-largest source of electricity in the US, behind gas and nuclear.

Coal continues to decline

Coal generation hit an all-time monthly low in April 2026, at 39.3 TWh. In May it rose slightly to 43.4 TWh, but remained 11 percent below the level in May 2025. The increase was outweighed by the growing solar output, which allowed solar to overtake coal.

Coal's share of US electricity generation has nearly halved in five years, from 19.7 percent in May 2021 to 12.2 percent in May 2026. Over the same period, solar's share has more than doubled, from 5.4 to 12.8 percent.

The second milestone this year

Solar overtaking coal follows another event in March. Then, renewable energy sources together produced more electricity than gas in the US, also for the first time. According to Ember, the two records show how the role of clean power is growing in the US electricity system, despite a policy environment that is challenging for clean energy projects.

According to Nicolas Fulghum, data analyst at Ember, US solar power continues to set new records. He describes how solar has gone from a small contributor to the third-largest and fastest-growing source of electricity in the US. He points out that markets from Texas to California are betting on solar to meet rising electricity demand.

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