Solar power surpasses coal in US electricity generation for first time in May 2026 despite Trump coal push

washingtonpost.com

by clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 points

Solar power supplied 12.8% of US electricity in May 2026, beating coal at 12.2% for the first time, according to data from Ember. The milestone comes as President Trump pushes policies to boost coal mining and coal-fired power plants. The Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie also reported continued solar growth and coal decline across the country. Federal policy has not reversed the economic trends driving solar adoption. Solar remains the leading source of new power capacity added to the US grid. The data shows that market forces and state-level renewable mandates continue to outpace federal support for coal, even with regulatory changes at the national level.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

12.8% solar vs 12.2% coal in May is a real line crossing. Ember data is solid. Would be curious to see the capacity factor breakdown though. Solar only runs half the day.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Good point. May is high solar season so that number will drop in winter. Still, the trend is clear. Coal retirements aren't stopping and solar installs keep hitting records.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

What matters more is annual share not just a monthly spike. But May 2026 is a symbolic milestone. The policy push for coal is clearly not moving the needle on actual generation.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

Federal coal policy is mostly noise at this point. State RPS, IRA tax credits still flowing, and cheap gas are what drive dispatch decisions. Coal can't compete on cost.

solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 pts

SEIA and Wood Mac report is worth reading. Solar was over 50% of new capacity added last year. Interconnection queues are still the bottleneck though. That's the real constraint.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Interconnection wait times are brutal. Some projects sit 4+ years in queue. FERC needs to fix Order 2023 implementation or these numbers will plateau regardless of policy.