ROI-Five charts on how US clean electricity output keeps climbing: Maguire

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22/04/2026 07:00

The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.

By Gavin Maguire

LITTLETON, Colorado, April 22 (Reuters) - Nine months after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump gutted a swath of clean energy policies and pushed for greater output from fossil fuels, the U.S. electricity system keeps setting key new clean-power milestones.

So far in 2026, U.S. utilities have lifted clean electricity supplies by the most in four years, raised total electricity output to new highs and helped clean-power sources score a record-large share of the utility-supplied generation mix.

U.S. utilities have also cut fossil-fuel-fired generation by the most since 2023, resulting in the lowest coal-fired power plant emissions since 2018.

Here are five key charts tracking how the U.S. electricity mix keeps getting cleaner despite the slashed federal support for renewables and greater backing for fossil-fuel use in the power sector.

CLEAN CUT

For the first time, U.S. clean-power sources generated more electricity than fossil-fuel power plants in March of 2026, data from energy think tank Ember shows.

A record 182.6 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity was generated from clean-power sources in March, compared to 166 TWh of electricity from fossil-fuel power plants.

Record-high output for the month of March from wind and solar farms was the main driver behind the clean power swell, which accounted for 52% of total utility-supplied electricity output last month.

For the January-to-March quarter, total clean electricity supplies surpassed the 500 TWh mark for the first time, weighing in at 512.3 TWh compared to 582 TWh from fossil-fuel sources.

Compared to the same quarter in 2025, clean-power output was up 6.5% while fossil-fuel output was down 5%. Clean-power sources accounted for a record 47% share of total utility supplies during January to March, up from 44% in 2025.

HIGH AND RISING

The share of clean-power supplies in the utility mix looks set to climb further in the run-up to summer, as combined output from solar and wind farms nears its annual peak just as use of fossil-fuel power plants hits annual lows.

Solar farms alone have already accounted for a record 11% of total utility-supplied electricity output in March, but tend to reach their annual output peak in July when solar radiation across the country is at its highest.

Monthly solar share readings could therefore climb to new highs this summer as the ever-larger footprint of solar assets captures a greater portion of the generation mix.

Utility-scale battery systems, often charged when solar generation is peaking and discharged as the sun goes down, can also be expected to capture a record-high share of the electricity supply mix this year.

Output from wind farms tends to peak around March and April, and so should play a declining role with utility systems until the fall.

However, expanded wind farm areas and upgraded wind blades at several sites across the country should boost output from wind farms even as wind speeds slow during the summer, and utilities will closely watch this component.

NUCLEAR VS COAL

While renewable energy sources have gathered most of the attention lately in clean power assessments, the U.S. fleet of nuclear reactors is gaining greater prominence thanks to high-profile backing of the sector by policymakers.

Much of the new support for nuclear is years away from actually increasing electricity supplies, but the current fleet of nuclear reactors is managing to set new generation milestones.

     For instance, nuclear electricity supplies have exceeded electricity output from coal-fired plants for the past eight months running, a record-long stretch that is further helping the broader electricity sector get cleaner.

Coal-fired power output from January to March was 169 TWh, down from 196 TWh during the same months in 2025, and compares to the 194 TWh generated by nuclear reactors so far this year, Ember data shows.

Coal-fired emissions for the opening quarter of 2026 were around 177 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and equivalent gases, compared to an average of 219 million tons during the same period for the previous three years.

Further reductions in coal-fired generation can be expected until the summer, when higher demand for energy-intensive air conditioners means that utilities have to crank output from all available sources.

Until then, overall clean-power supplies look set to keep growing, enabling utilities to boost total electricity supplies while reducing reliance on fossil-fuel plants and keeping associated power-pollution levels in check.

And since renewables plus battery systems can be more quickly and cheaply deployed than new gas power plants, clean power's momentum in the U.S. electricity system will keep growing despite the Trump administration's anti-renewables stance.

The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.

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Clean breakthrough: US clean electricity output exceeded fossil fuel output for the first time in March https://tmsnrt.rs/4tUHUki

Seasonal strength: Both US wind and solar electricity output hits new highs so far in 2026 https://tmsnrt.rs/4eANVhF

US solar generation on course to smash generation and output-share records in 2026 https://tmsnrt.rs/3QmLTrw

US nuclear output exceeds coal-fired output for record-long stretch https://tmsnrt.rs/4vJMUdl

Total US electricity output on track to hit new highs in 2026 thanks to steady growth in clean power supplies https://tmsnrt.rs/4t7fnYd

 (Reporting by Gavin Maguire; Editing by David Gregorio)

 ((gavin.maguire@thomsonreuters.com; +720 295 6101;))