The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released data for the first six months of 2025 that reveals solar provided almost 9% of total U.S. electrical generation, continuing its streak as the fastest growing source of electricity in the United States.
Credit: ForeFront Power
EIA’s latest monthly “Electric Power Monthly” report showed that utility-scale solar in June alone ballooned by a almost one-third (30.1%) compared to June 2024 while estimated residential/small-scale solar PV increased by 10.5%. Combined, all forms of solar PV grew by 25.0% and provided 10.2% of the nation’s electrical output during June.
Moreover, utility-scale solar expanded by 37.6% while that from residential systems rose by 10.7% during the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by 29.7% and was 8.7% of total U.S. electrical generation for January-June – up from 6.9% a year earlier.
As a consequence, solar-generated electricity easily surpassed — by almost 45% — the output of the nation’s hydropower plants (6.0%). Solar is now producing more electricity than hydropower, biomass, and geothermal combined.
Wind power also continues as a renewable energy leader in 2025, with wind turbines producing 11.6% of U.S. electricity in the first six months of 2025. Their output was 2.4% greater than the year before and almost double that produced by the nation’s hydropower plants.
During the first six months of 2025, electrical generation by wind and solar provided 20.3% of the U.S. total, up from 18.6% during the first six months of 2024. Further, the combination of wind and solar provided 25% more electricity than did coal during the first six months of this year, and 15.6% more than the nation’s nuclear power plants.
The mix of all renewables produced 9.2% more electricity in January-June than they did a year ago and provided (27.7%) of total U.S. electricity production compared to 26.1% one year earlier. Electrical generation by the combination of all renewables grew three-times faster than that of total U.S. electrical generation (9.2% vs. 3.0%). Renewables’ share of electrical generation is now second to only that of natural gas whose electrical output actually dropped by 3.7% during the first half of 2025.
“EIA’s latest data reflect the situation prior to enactment of the Trump/Republican megabill which may adversely future renewable energy growth,” noted the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director Ken Bossong. “Nonetheless, EIA notes that U.S. developers expect half of new electric generating capacity to come from solar in 2025 and another 13% from wind.”
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