Solar surpassed – In May, solar provided 12.8% of U.S. electricity while coal supplied 12.2%—the first time solar has contributed more than coal on record. The milestone arrives as Congress rolled back much of the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate policies, the Trump administra
For the first time on record, solar electricity in the United States beat coal.
In May, solar contributed 12.8 percent of the nation’s electrons, according to an analysis of government data by Ember, an energy think tank. Coal provided 12.2 percent.
The shift isn’t just a clean comparison on a chart. Five years ago, solar was less than half of its current level and coal was at 20 percent. Now solar has moved from a niche role to a far larger one—Ember says it is the third-largest and fastest-growing source of power in the U.S. electricity system.
“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 US electricity system. ” said Nicolas Fulghum. senior data analyst at Ember. in a press release. “From Texas to California, markets across the US are betting on solar to meet rising power needs.”.
The timing lands in the middle of a political fight over renewables. The turnaround has come even as headwinds against renewable energy have intensified. including changes to federal climate policy and active efforts to obstruct new clean-energy projects. 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 sought to hinder renewable energy development. even offering to pay at least one oil company $1 billion to stop building its offshore wind projects.
The newest electricity data arrives the same month the Trump administration announced $700 million in funding for investments in the coal industry. That package included money for what would be the country’s first new coal-fired power plants in 13 years. funded using resources previously dedicated to reducing dependence on fossil fuels rather than deepening it.
“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,” Trump said, who campaigned on the coal-friendly slogan ‘dig, baby, dig.’
Coal’s performance in May also complicates any simple story of decline. Ember’s analysis found coal generation in May was up slightly from April, when it hit an all-time low. The share of the grid will also likely tick up in the summer as cooling needs peak. Even so. Ember’s broader view points to a steady downward trend over the last several years—one that environmental advocates say money and messaging won’t be able to reverse.
Lena Moffitt, executive director of the environmental group Evergreen Action, told 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, telling the Associated Press that coal generation helps shield consumers from the impacts of volatile energy prices and supply challenges exacerbated by AI.
What the May numbers do show. though. is how far solar has already come—at a moment when federal policy is moving in the opposite direction for at least some forms of clean energy. Experts believe the solar market can keep expanding even with political turbulence. While installations dropped in 2025 compared to 2024. according to the Solar Energy Industry Association. solar still accounted for more than half of all newly installed electricity capacity.
“We’re going to just keep seeing more and more renewables brought onto the grid,” said Patrick Drupp, director of climate policy at the Sierra Club. “That’s good for people’s wallets, it’s good for their health, it’s good for the planet.”
The grid, for now, is moving on solar’s schedule—regardless of the fight in Washington over what comes next.
solar beats coal first time on record May Ember Nicolas Fulghum 12.8 12.2 One Big Beautiful Bill Act Inflation Reduction Act rollback Trump $700 million coal first new coal plants in 13 years Evergreen Action Lena Moffitt National Mining Association Rich Nolan offshore wind $1 billion dig baby dig Solar Energy Industry Association 2025 installations dropped Sierra Club Patrick Drupp