Overview
- Natural gas output fell by 9.5 billion kWh in 2025, a 17% year-over-year decline that marks the steepest annual drop on record in the recent trend.
- Utility-scale solar produced 40.3 billion kWh from January through August 2025, up 17% from 2024 and nearly double the 2020 level, while gas totaled 45.5 billion kWh over the same period.
- Midday solar averaged 18.8 GW in May–June 2025 versus 10.2 GW in 2020, reducing the need for gas-fired generation during those hours.
- Batteries discharged an average of 4.9 GW during the 5–9 p.m. peak in May–June 2025, up from less than 1 GW in 2022, displacing gas in the evening.
- EIA cautioned that CAISO changed its natural gas reporting methodology in December 2023, limiting direct comparisons with earlier hourly data, and noted gas use still varies with hydrologic conditions.