Wind & Solar Generated A Record 17% Of U.S. Electricity In 2025
Why it matters: The U.S. is rapidly shifting to renewables, with wind and solar hitting record generation, signaling a major energy transition.
- Wind and utility-scale solar combined to generate 760,000 GWh of electricity in 2025, an 88,000 GWh increase from 2024, according to Today in Energy.
- Utility-scale solar power saw a substantial 34% increase in generation in 2025, totaling 296,000 GWh, continuing its annual growth since 2006.
- Small-scale solar generation, which began being estimated in 2014, contributed an additional 93,000 GWh in 2025, boosting the total wind and solar share to 19% of net generation.
- Dispatchable power plants (natural gas, coal, nuclear) still accounted for 75% of U.S. utility-scale electricity generation in 2025, highlighting the ongoing reliance on consistent energy sources.
Wind and solar power reached a new milestone in 2025, generating a record 17% of U.S. electricity, a significant jump from less than 1% in 2005. When including small-scale solar, this share rises to 19%, showcasing rapid growth in renewable energy despite its intermittent nature compared to dispatchable sources like natural gas and nuclear.
