Solar Power Overtook Coal in U.S. Electricity Generation in May

In May 2026, solar power generated more electricity than coal in the United States for the first time on record. According to an analysis by energy think tank Ember, solar accounted for 12.8% of U.S. electricity generation in May, while coal fell to 12.2%.

This marks a significant shift in the U.S. power mix. Just five years earlier, in May 2021, coal produced 19.7% of U.S. electricity, while solar contributed only 5.4%. In other words, solar’s share has more than doubled, while coal’s share has fallen by more than seven percentage points.

The milestone came despite renewed federal efforts to support coal generation. It also reflects a broader structural trend: solar capacity is expanding quickly across U.S. power markets, while coal continues to lose competitiveness against cheaper and faster-growing clean electricity sources.

In May 2026, U.S. solar generation reached a record 45.5 terawatt-hours (TWh), up 17% compared with May 2025. Ember notes that another record could be reached during the summer, when solar output usually peaks in June or July.

Solar’s share of the electricity mix often reaches its highest level in spring. This is because strong solar irradiation coincides with milder temperatures, before summer cooling demand pushes total electricity consumption higher.

In May, solar also became the third-largest source of electricity in the United States for the first time, behind only natural gas and nuclear power.

Meanwhile, coal-fired generation continues to decline. In April 2026, coal output reached a historic low of 39.3 TWh. It recovered slightly in May to 43.4 TWh, but this was still 11% lower than in May 2025. Even with this small rebound, coal could not keep pace with the rapid growth of solar power.

The combined share of wind and solar in U.S. electricity generation has also been rising steadily. In 2019, wind and solar together accounted for 9.8% of U.S. generation. By 2025, their share had increased to 18.9%, including 8.6% from solar alone.

This trend is likely to continue over the next several years, because renewable energy capacity in the United States is growing faster than most other generation sources. Federal policy can influence the pace of deployment, but it is unlikely to reverse the near-term trajectory already created by existing projects, state-level markets, corporate demand, and falling technology costs.

Wind and solar together first overtook coal in U.S. electricity generation in 2024. Despite a temporary increase in coal-fired generation in 2025, variable renewables have continued to widen the gap.

As Ember senior data analyst Nicolas Fulghum put it, solar power in the United States is no longer a niche source of electricity. The first month in which solar overtook coal shows how far the sector has come: from a marginal technology to the country’s third-largest and fastest-growing electricity source. From Texas to California, electricity markets across the United States are increasingly relying on solar to meet rising power demand.