Overview

• Combined solar generation rose about 29.7% year over year in the first half of 2025 to 8.7% of U.S. electricity, with wind and solar together reaching 20.3% and all renewables supplying 27.7%.
• Utility-scale solar jumped 37.6% while small-scale grew 10.7% in January–June; in June alone, solar output climbed 25% year over year to supply 10.2% of U.S. electricity.
• Natural gas remained the largest source at roughly 39%; coal generation stayed higher than a year ago but its growth eased to just under 17% as demand growth moderated to about 3% for the half.
• Solar output now exceeds hydropower by nearly 45% in the year to date, and EIA says developers expect roughly half of 2025 new generating capacity to come from solar as battery additions also increase.
• A Science Advances study estimates a 15% nationwide solar increase could cut annual CO2 emissions by about 8.54 million metric tons, with the biggest gains in California, Texas, Florida, the mid-Atlantic and the Southwest and spillover benefits to neighbors.