From July 2025 through June 2026, fossil fuels supplied about 65% of Michigan’s electricity consumption, while low-carbon sources supplied about 35%. Gas accounted for roughly 45% of electricity, coal for 19%, and oil for just over 1%. Nuclear was the largest clean electricity source, providing 21% of the total, followed by wind at almost 8%, solar at about 3%, and biofuels at nearly 2%. Michigan therefore still relies on fossil fuels for almost two-thirds of its electricity, leaving substantial room to expand clean generation and reduce climate-changing emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Michigan?

On a per-person basis, Michigan’s electricity consumption is not growing in the latest figures. Consumption reached about 12,390 kWh per person in 2026, around 280 kWh, or 2%, below the 2025 record of 12,669 kWh. Low-carbon electricity generation also remained slightly below its record, at about 4,292 kWh per person compared with 4,315 kWh in 2025—a decline of roughly 24 kWh using the supplied change figure. This stalled progress is concerning: Michigan needs growing clean electricity supplies to support electrification, industrial development, and increasing demand from AI.

Suggestions

Michigan should expand its existing nuclear generation through capacity increases and sustained operation, while accelerating solar and wind development. Nearby Illinois offers a particularly relevant example: nuclear supplies about 49% of electricity in that US state, compared with Michigan’s 21%. France, where nuclear supplies about two-thirds of electricity, provides another example of a large clean electricity contribution. For wind, Michigan can learn from the US states of Iowa and Minnesota, where wind supplies about 57% and 21%, respectively. Solar deserves substantial expansion too: the US state of Maine gets about 18% of its electricity from solar, while Germany gets 20%, showing that solar can make a meaningful contribution in northern regions. Together, these examples support a diversified expansion led by nuclear and solar, alongside additional wind generation.

History

Michigan’s recent low-carbon electricity history shows uneven progress rather than sustained growth. Across the listed sources, generation fell by about 0.6 TWh in 2024, increased by 2.1 TWh in 2025, and fell by 1.1 TWh in 2026. Wind added 1.5 TWh in 2024 and another 0.3 TWh in 2025, before slipping by 0.3 TWh in 2026. The strong 2025 improvement included a 1.3 TWh increase in nuclear generation, demonstrating the importance of Michigan’s largest clean electricity source. Hydro recovered by 0.3 TWh in both 2025 and 2026 after a similar decline in 2024, while biofuel generation changed little overall. The disappointing lack of sustained clean electricity growth makes expanding nuclear capacity and adding solar and wind an urgent priority.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

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