solar provided – For the first time on record, solar generated a larger share of U.S. electricity than coal—12.8% in May versus coal’s 12.2%, according to Ember’s analysis of government data. The milestone lands as federal policy shifts roll back parts of the Inflation Reducti
When May’s electricity finally added up, a quiet but historic change showed through: Americans took more of their power from the sun than from coal.
Solar provided 12.8 percent of the nation’s electrons in May, according to an analysis of government data by Ember, an energy think tank. Coal supplied 12.2 percent. Five years ago, the picture looked very different—solar was less than half of its current level, while coal stood at 20 percent.
The moment matters because it isn’t just about growth. It’s about a transfer of trust in the grid. Ember’s senior data analyst Nicolas Fulghum said overtaking coal for the first month on record “shows just how far solar has come. from a niche contributor to the third-largest and fastest-growing source of power in the U.S. electricity system.” He pointed to a broad shift already underway “from Texas to California. ” where markets. he said. are betting on solar as demand for power rises.
That progress is arriving through a tug-of-war in Washington.
Last summer. Congress passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act. ” rolling back enormous swaths of former President Joe Biden’s landmark climate change legislation. the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. President Donald Trump has also moved to hinder renewable energy development. including offering to pay at least one oil company $1 billion to stop building its offshore wind projects.
The latest electricity data also comes as the Trump administration announced $700 million in funding for investments in the coal industry. The plan includes money for what would be the country’s first new coal-fired power plants in 13 years. The funds come from money previously dedicated to reducing the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, rather than deepening it.
Trump framed the move as affordability and cost control, saying, “Today we’re taking historic action to bring down the price of energy and the cost of living for all Americans with the power of clean, beautiful coal,” adding the coal-friendly slogan he campaigned on: ‘dig, baby, dig.”
Yet the grid data offers a reminder that policy fights don’t always rewrite physics or economics.
Ember’s analysis found that coal generation in May was actually up slightly from April. when it hit an all-time low. Ember also says coal’s share of the grid will likely tick up in the summer as cooling needs peak. Even so. the steady downward trend of coal over the last several years suggests it may be difficult to reverse. even with major new support.
Lena Moffitt, executive director of the environmental group Evergreen Action, pushed back on the idea that the $700 million is a lifeline, telling the Associated Press, “Spending $700 million to bail out the coal industry is like throwing a lifeline to a ship that has already sunk.”
Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association, disagreed, saying coal generation helps shield consumers from the impacts of volatile energy prices and supply challenges exacerbated by AI.
Whether coal’s role rises for seasonal reasons or whether its decline continues, the solar trajectory looks harder to stop. Ember’s milestone arrives alongside a market reality: even as installations dropped in 2025 compared to 2024. solar accounted for more than half of all newly installed electricity capacity. according to the Solar Energy Industry Association. The growth has also spread beyond typical clean-energy circles, with even MAGA influencers promoting solar.
Patrick Drupp, director of climate policy at the Sierra Club, said the direction is still upward: “We’re going to just keep seeing more and more renewables brought onto the grid,” adding that the shift is “good for people’s wallets, it’s good for their health, it’s good for the planet.”
For this moment at least, the grid told a clear story. Solar didn’t merely grow alongside coal. It passed it—on record—and turned a political and environmental debate into something far more tangible: where the country’s electricity actually came from.
solar vs coal U.S. electricity Ember analysis renewable energy milestone Inflation Reduction Act rollback One Big Beautiful Bill Act $700 million coal funding new coal-fired power plants grid mix Sierra Club Evergreen Action
So coal still like 12% right? Not exactly “beaten” lol.
I don’t trust this “for the first time” thing, like the grid is always changing. Also May is summer-ish so of course solar is up. Wait until winter data.
Texas to California? That sounds made up. Like California has solar but Texas is mostly gas, so I’m confused how coal gets involved. Sounds like politics more than electricity. If they’re cutting wind too then what’s the plan when the sun’s gone?
12.8 vs 12.2 is basically nothing… but somehow it’s “historic.” Meanwhile they talk about funding coal and I’m like, so they’re promoting both? Also that $700 million to coal sounds like they’re trying to slow the whole thing down, which is wild if solar is already winning.