Solar panels supplied more electricity to the United States than coal for the first full month on record. In May 2026 solar delivered 12.8 percent of the country's power and coal 12.2 percent, according to the energy think tank Ember.
Five years ago the two were not comparable. In May 2021 coal held 19.7 percent of the American mix and solar 5.4 percent. Coal's share has since almost halved while solar's has more than doubled.
The May figures are records in absolute terms too. Solar generated 45.5 terawatt hours, 17 percent more than in May 2025 and above the previous peak set last July. Coal produced 43.4 terawatt hours, 11 percent below its May 2025 level, after hitting an all-time monthly low of 39.3 terawatt hours in April. Solar has become the third-largest source of American electricity, behind gas and nuclear.
What it looks like in one state
Utah crossed a threshold of its own in the same month. Solar outproduced every other source there for the first time, reaching nearly one terawatt hour and close to a third of the state's generation, Grist reports using Ember data. Gas supplied 32 percent, coal 28 percent and wind 2 percent. In 2017 coal had generated between 64 and 78 percent of Utah's electricity depending on the month.
Three projects explain much of the shift. The Green River Energy Center, spread over 2,500 acres, came online this spring with 400 megawatts of solar and 400 megawatts of battery storage. The Faraday Solar project began supplying up to 685 megawatts to a Meta data centre last autumn. The Elektron Solar farm has been sending 80 megawatts to Salt Lake City and Park City since June 2024.
"The trend of more and more solar in Utah is wonderful news for air quality, it's wonderful news for the climate, and it's wonderful news for jobs and the economy," said Dan Schroeder, a physics professor at Weber State University. Solar supports nearly 8,000 jobs in the state, against 1,291 in oil and gas extraction in 2025 and 1,059 in coal mining in 2023.
Rising demand is part of the story. Utilities across the West are preparing for data centres and other large consumers, and developers treat solar paired with batteries as the fastest way to add capacity.
One month does not settle the matter, and May flatters solar: output is strong while demand stays moderate before the cooling season, so solar's share tends to peak in April or May even though its total generation peaks in June or July. Ember expects the crossover to recur more often and, in two or three years, to hold across a full year.