US renewables reach 30% generation share

Renewable energy sources provided 30% of US electrical generation in the first third of 2026 as output rose by more than 10%.

Data from the US Energy Information Administration (‘EIA’), reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign, showed renewable generation increased 10.03% compared with the same period in 2025, led by utility-scale solar, hydropower, small-scale solar and wind, the organisation said.

The SUN DAY Campaign added that coal-fired generation fell by 11.6% while natural gas rose by 2.8% and nuclear power edged up by 0.5%.

Wind and solar combined delivered 21.8% of total US electricity production during the period.

In April alone, both wind and solar individually generated more electricity than coal while together they produced 57.0% more than nuclear power.

Total renewable capacity expanded by 39,884.2MW between May 2025 and April 2026, including 27,572.3MW of utility-scale solar.

Utility-scale solar capacity reached 160,208.1MW in April, surpassing wind at 160,100.6MW for the first time.

Battery energy storage capacity rose by 17,703.5MW, an increase of 58.1%.

EIA projects utility-scale solar, wind and battery storage capacity to grow by more than 78.5GW by April 2027 while fossil fuel and nuclear capacity decline by over 5.2GW.

Renewables’ share of utility-scale capacity is forecast to rise from 33.8% to 36.8% over the same period.

“The steadily accelerating march of solar, wind, and battery storage continues,” said Ken Bossong, executive director.

“Trump seems to be having no more success in stopping the growth of renewable energy sources than he is having in repairing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.”

More information:https://www.renews.biz/other-news/us-renewables-reach-30-generation-share/