From August 2025 through July 2026, fossil fuels supplied more than half of electricity consumed in the United States, at about 55%, while low-carbon sources supplied about 44%. Gas was the largest individual source, providing roughly 39%, followed by nuclear at 17% and coal at 16%. Within the clean electricity mix, wind supplied about 10%, solar 9%, hydropower 6%, and biofuels 1%. Solar’s contribution included about 7% from utility-scale installations and 2% from behind-the-meter systems, such as rooftop panels. Nuclear remained the largest single low-carbon source, but fossil fuels still dominated electricity supply, contributing to climate change and air pollution.
Is Electricity Growing in United States?
The latest figures show record growth in low-carbon electricity per person, although overall electricity consumption per person remains below its historical peak. In 2026, total consumption reached about 13,500 kWh per person, around 1,100 kWh—or 8%—below the 2005 record of roughly 14,600 kWh. This comparison does not establish whether total national electricity consumption is currently growing, since it measures consumption per person against a historical record rather than the previous year. Encouragingly, low-carbon generation reached a new high of about 5,900 kWh per person, exceeding the 2025 record by roughly 260 kWh, or nearly 5%. Sustained clean electricity growth is essential to meet future demand from electrification and AI.
Suggestions
The United States can build on its substantial nuclear and wind generation while accelerating solar expansion. Expanding existing nuclear facilities and building new reactors would strengthen its largest clean electricity source. Relevant examples include the US states of South Carolina and New Hampshire, where nuclear supplies about 52% of electricity, and Illinois, where it supplies nearly half; France demonstrates an even larger nuclear contribution, at about two-thirds. Wind expansion can draw on experience in the US states of Iowa and South Dakota, where wind generates more than half of electricity, and Kansas, where it produces almost half. Solar offers another major growth opportunity: it already supplies about 35% of electricity in the US state of Nevada and 31% in the US state of California. Learning from these regions and expanding transmission connections can help scale up low-carbon electricity nationwide.
* 12M = Last 12 months (Aug 2025 – Jul 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.
History
Historically, major increases in US low-carbon electricity came from nuclear expansion, alongside substantial year-to-year changes in hydropower. Nuclear generation rose by roughly 60 TWh in each of 1975 and 1977, followed by gains of about 59 TWh in 1985, 76 TWh in 1988, and 50 TWh in 1990. Hydropower fluctuated considerably from the late 1970s through the 1990s, with annual increases and decreases often around 50–65 TWh. Nuclear generation fell by about 49 TWh in 1997 before rebounding by 48 TWh in 1998 and 58 TWh in 1999. In the early 2000s, hydropower fell by 65 TWh in 2001 and recovered by 77 TWh in 2002; another 58 TWh increase in 2011 was followed by a 46 TWh decline in 2012. Nuclear generation also declined by about 54 TWh in 2020, underscoring the importance of sustained clean electricity growth. More recently, wind delivered an encouraging increase of about 56 TWh in 2022.
* 12M = Last 12 months (Aug 2025 – Jul 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.
Electricity Imports and Exports
Balance of Trade
* 12M = Last 12 months (Aug 2025 – Jul 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.
Regions in United States
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