From July 2025 through June 2026, low-carbon sources supplied about 68% of electricity consumed in Illinois, while fossil fuels supplied about 32%. Nuclear was the largest source, providing almost half of all electricity, followed by wind at about 13% and solar at roughly 6%. Solar included about 4% from utility-scale installations and 1% from systems behind the meter, such as rooftop panels. On the fossil side, gas supplied about 17% and coal about 15%. Illinois therefore already has a strong clean electricity foundation, with nuclear providing most of its low-carbon supply.

Is Electricity Growing in Illinois?

Electricity consumption per person is growing, although only slightly. The latest 2026 figure reached 15,563 kWh per person, exceeding the 2025 record of 15,499 kWh by 64 kWh, or about 0.4%. Low-carbon electricity generation also set a record, rising to 10,581 kWh per person—143 kWh, or about 1.4%, above the previous record set in 2025. These are encouraging gains, especially because clean generation grew faster than consumption per person. However, they indicate modest growth rather than a major expansion, and per-person figures alone do not establish whether total statewide consumption increased.

Suggestions

Illinois can build on its strengths by expanding output from existing nuclear facilities, considering additional nuclear capacity, and adding more wind generation alongside a substantial solar expansion. Nearby examples are particularly useful: wind supplies about 57% of electricity in the US state of Iowa and 49% in the US state of Kansas, demonstrating the potential for much larger wind contributions in the region. France and Slovakia generate roughly two-thirds of their electricity from nuclear, offering examples of nuclear-led clean electricity systems. For solar, Illinois can study the US state of California, where solar supplies about 31%, and Germany, where it supplies about 20%. Learning from these regions could help Illinois expand clean electricity to meet demand from electrification and AI while displacing fossil generation and its climate and air-pollution impacts.

History

Across 2024–2026, Illinois’s low-carbon electricity history shows strong wind gains alongside a disappointing reversal in nuclear output. In 2024, wind generation increased by 3.1 TWh and nuclear by 1.7 TWh. Wind continued growing in 2025 and 2026, adding 0.1 TWh and 1 TWh respectively—a combined increase of 4.2 TWh across the three years. Nuclear generation, however, fell by 1.5 TWh in 2025 and another 1.3 TWh in 2026, more than erasing its 2024 gain. Those consecutive declines are a concerning setback for Illinois’s clean electricity progress and underscore the importance of restoring and expanding nuclear output. Hydro and biofuels generation remained unchanged throughout the period.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.