Solar Power Surpasses Coal as Third-Largest US Electricity Source

Solar power supplied 12.8% of United States electricity in May 2026, overtaking coal (12.2%) for the first time and becoming the nation's third-largest electricity source. Data from the energy think tank Ember shows solar usage has more than doubled over five years, rising from a 5.4% share in May 2021, while coal dropped from nearly 20% in the same period. Solar remains behind natural gas and nuclear power, though total renewable generation surpassed gas generation for the first time this year.

This shift occurs despite efforts by Donald Trump to revitalize the coal industry through a nearly $700 million plan to support coal-fired plants and exports. The administration has actively curtailed clean energy by canceling solar and wind projects, terminating $7 billion in affordable solar funding via the Environmental Protection Agency, and implementing restrictive tax credit guidance through the Internal Revenue Service, which a federal judge subsequently struck down.

Solar and battery storage still constituted 91% of new generating capacity in the first quarter of 2026, with 74% of that capacity installed in states Trump won in the 2024 election. While the president attributes rising energy costs to renewables, analysts point to artificial intelligence, domestic manufacturing, aging infrastructure, and a war in Iran as the primary drivers of price spikes.