Solar generated more US electricity than coal for the first month on record in May 2026, according to new analysis from global energy think tank Ember. Solar supplied 12.8% of US electricity during the month, while coal dropped to 12.2%.
That’s a dramatic shift in the US power mix. Just five years ago, coal generated 19.7% of US electricity in May, while solar accounted for only 5.4%.
US solar generation hit a record 45.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) in May 2026, up 17% from May 2025 and higher than the previous record set last July. Ember says another record could be broken again this summer.
Solar output usually peaks in June or July, but its share of the electricity mix is often highest in spring, when strong sunshine lines up with milder temperatures before summer cooling demand ramps up.
May was also the first time solar became the third-largest individual source of electricity in the US, behind only natural gas and nuclear. (If solar is included with all other renewables, then they’re the second-largest source of electricity as an overall category of electricity.)
Meanwhile, coal keeps sliding (and will continue to slide).
Coal generation hit an all-time monthly low of 39.3 TWh in April 2026. Output rose slightly in May to 43.4 TWh, but it was still 11% lower than May 2025 levels.
Even with that small rebound, coal couldn’t keep pace with solar’s rapid growth.
The crossover marks another big clean energy milestone this year. In March, renewables collectively generated more electricity than gas in the US for the first time ever.
Together, those milestones show how quickly clean energy is reshaping the US grid, despite the Trump administration continuing to target clean energy projects and policies.
“US solar power continues to set new records,” said Nicolas Fulghum, senior data analyst at Ember. “Overtaking coal for the first month on record shows just how far solar has come, from a niche contributor to the third-largest and fastest-growing source of power in the US electricity system. From Texas to California, markets across the US are betting on solar to meet rising power needs.”
Read more: Coal use dropped in China and India in 2025. It rose in USA, hiking energy costs
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