New solar output is still outpacing fossil fuels, nuclear

Solar power keeps growing faster than fossil fuels and nuclear power nationwide. Renewable energy sources now make up 30% of all U.S. electricity, and their output grew more than 10% in the first five months of 2026, according to a review of federal energy data by the SUN DAY Campaign. Large-scale solar farms grew about 21% compared with last year, while nuclear and natural gas combined dropped 3.8% and coal fell nearly 11%. Wind and solar together now produce 57% more electricity than coal.

Over the past year, utility-scale solar added nearly 28 gigawatts of capacity, small-scale solar (the kind installed on homes and businesses) added 6.6 gigawatts, and battery storage added 16.5 gigawatts. Total renewable capacity growth was up 41% compared with the year before. If this pace holds, solar could pass natural gas in total capacity by spring 2027, and renewables overall are projected to add 83 gigawatts to the grid by May 2027, while fossil fuel and nuclear capacity shrink slightly.

None of this changes anything about your own home directly, but it points to a bigger shift in where the country's electricity is coming from. As solar and battery storage keep expanding faster than coal, gas, and nuclear plants, the power mix behind your utility bill is likely to keep leaning more toward renewable sources in the coming years, regardless of what happens with federal policy.