Solar power in the U.S. surpassed coal for the first time in the national electricity mix in May 2026, marking a historic shift in the country’s power system.
Solar power in the U.S. reaches a historic milestone
President Donald Trump’s push for “big, beautiful, clean coal” was not enough to reverse the trend. In May 2026, for the first time since records began, solar power in the U.S. overtook coal in the national electricity mix. The shift was highlighted by monthly data and preliminary hourly estimates analyzed by the energy think tank Ember.
Solar power supplied 12.8% of U.S. electricity, while coal fell to 12.2%, its fourth-lowest monthly share on record and further evidence of its declining competitiveness.
Last month, U.S. solar generation reached an all-time high of 45.5 TWh, 17% above May 2025 and higher than the previous record set in July of that year. Forecasts suggest the record could be broken again during the summer of 2026.
Although total solar generation usually peaks in June or July, its share of the power mix is often higher in April or May, when photovoltaic output coincides with more moderate electricity demand before cooling needs drive consumption higher. In May, solar also became the third-largest power source in the United States, behind gas and nuclear.
“Solar in the United States continues to set new records. Overtaking coal for the first time in monthly data shows how far solar has grown, from a niche contributor to the third-largest and fastest-growing source in the American power system,” said Nicolas Fulghum, senior data analyst at Ember. “From Texas to California, markets across the country are turning to solar to meet rising electricity demand.”
U.S. coal generation hit a monthly record low
Last week, Trump announced a plan to revive the U.S. coal industry, with nearly $700 million in expected spending to support coal-fired power plants and exports. During a White House event, Trump said “coal is big business” and that “in terms of energy, there’s really nothing like it.”
This time, Ember’s data tell a different story. Coal-fired power generation fell to a monthly record low of 39.3 TWh in April 2026. Although output edged up to 43.4 TWh in May, it was still 11% below May 2025 levels.
That slight rebound was more than offset by the rise in solar generation, allowing solar power to surpass coal in the U.S. electricity mix for the first time in monthly records.
Coal’s share of the U.S. power mix has nearly halved over the past five years, falling from 19.7% in May 2021 to 12.2% in May 2026. Solar’s share, by contrast, has more than doubled over the same period, rising from 5.4% to 12.8%.
The milestone follows another clean energy breakthrough reached in March, when renewables as a whole generated more electricity than gas in the United States for the first time. Taken together, these results underscore the growing role of clean energy in the U.S. power mix, despite a political environment that remains highly unfavorable to renewable energy projects.
