Solar Outpaces Coal and Wind in May: EIA
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- Solar generated 47,147 GWh in May 2026, exceeding coal (45,119 GWh) and wind (41,157 GWh), according to the EIA's July 23 Electric Power Monthly report.
- Renewable electricity generation grew 10.1% year-over-year in the first five months of 2026, led by utility-scale solar (+21.6%), small-scale solar (+12.8%), hydropower (+10.8%), and wind (+4.8%).
- US coal-fired generation fell 10.9% in the same period while natural gas grew just 2.5% and nuclear 1.3%; wind and solar combined produced 57% more electricity than coal and 26% more than nuclear.
- US renewable energy capacity expanded by 44,711.8 MW between June 2025 and May 2026, with utility-scale solar adding 27,995.1 MW and battery storage adding 16,551.8 MW.
- EIA projects renewables adding roughly 83 GW of new capacity by May 31, 2027 — pushing total renewable capacity past natural gas (~542,096 MW vs ~514,845 MW) by spring 2027.
- SUN DAY Campaign executive director Ken Bossong said renewable growth is "accelerating" despite "roadblocks erected by the Trump Administration," with battery storage capacity projected to grow nearly 48% by June 2027.
Why it matters: Coal is collapsing (-10.9% YoY) while renewables expand at double-digit rates, and EIA's own projections now put total renewable capacity above natural gas by spring 2027 — a structural shift the grid will absorb regardless of federal policy headwinds. Utilities planning new gas builds are now competing against a sector adding 83 GW of clean capacity in 12 months.
