Washington DC – A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data just released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that solar provided over 11% of total U.S. electrical generation in May while wind + solar produced over one-fifth and the mix of all renewable energy sources generated nearly 30%.
Solar electrical generation set new records in May and the first five months of 2025:
EIA’s latest monthly “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through May 31, 2025), confirms that solar continues to be the fastest growing among the major sources of U.S. electricity.
In May alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar (i.e., >1-megawatt (MW)) increased by a third (33.3%) compared to May 2024 while “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar PV increased by 8.9%. Combined, they grew by 26.4% and provided over 11% of the nation’s electrical output during the month. [1]
For the first time ever, the mix of utility-scale and small-scale solar produced more electricity than wind: solar – 38,965 gigawatt-hours (GWh); wind – 36,907-GWh.
Moreover, utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 39.8% while that from small-scale systems rose by 10.7% during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by almost a third (31.1%) and was almost 8.4% of total U.S. electrical generation for January-May – up from 6.6% a year earlier.
As a consequence, solar-generated electricity easily surpassed the output of the nation’s hydropower plants (6.1%). In fact, solar is now producing more electricity than hydropower, biomass, and geothermal combined. [2]
Wind also continues as a renewable energy leader in 2025:
Wind turbines across the U.S. produced almost one-eighth (12.2%) of U.S. electricity in the first five months of 2025.
Their output was 3.9% greater than the year before and almost double that produced by the nation’s hydropower plants.
Wind + solar are over one-fifth of total U.S. electrical generation – a larger share than that provided by either coal or nuclear power:
During the first five months of 2025, electrical generation by wind plus utility-scale and small-scale solar provided over a fifth (20.5%) of the U.S. total, up from 18.7% during the first five months of 2024. In just the month of May, solar plus wind accounted for nearly 21.5% of U.S. electrical output.
During the first five months of this year, the combination of wind and solar provided 26.2% more electricity than did coal, and 15.4% more than the nation’s nuclear power plants. In May alone, the disparity increased further when solar + wind out-produced coal and nuclear power by 55.7% and 22.1% respectively.
Electrical output by the mix of all renewables was almost 30% in May:
The mix of all renewables (i.e., wind and solar plus hydropower, biomass and geothermal) produced 9.7% more electricity in January-May than they did a year ago (7.6% more in May alone) and provided (28.1%) of total U.S. electricity production compared to 26.5% twelve months earlier.
Electrical generation by the combination of all renewables in just the month of May provided almost 30% (29.7%) of total U.S. electrical generation. Renewables’ share of electrical generation is now second to only that of natural gas whose electrical output actually dropped by 5.9% during the month.
“Solar and wind continue to grow, set new records, and out-produce both coal and nuclear power,” noted the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director Ken Bossong. “Consequently, the ongoing Republican assault against renewables is not only misguided and illogical but also a good example of shooting oneself in the foot.”
