Where Alaska Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 40.3% | 2,803 GWh |
| Coal | 10.7% | 746 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 1.4% | 97 GWh |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Hydro | 29.6% | 2,063 GWh |
| Other | 18.0% | 1,250 GWh |
7 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within Alaska, which is not the same as what the state consumes — power crosses state lines.
Counting rooftop solar
EIA reports small-scale solar — mostly rooftop panels on homes and businesses — separately, and leaves it out of the state generation total that the mix above is a share of. Alaska generated 25 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 0.0% to 0.4%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 57.8% | 38.1% | −19.6 pts |
| Coal | 8.4% | 12.3% | +3.9 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.0% | 1.7% | +1.7 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Hydro | 20.0% | 28.7% | +8.8 pts |
| Other | 13.9% | 19.2% | +5.3 pts |
Compared with the U.S.
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 31.6% | 31.6% | Natural gas 40.3% |
| U.S. average | 25.4% | 43.0% | Natural gas 40.9% |
Alaska's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 40.3% of Alaska's electricity generation in the twelve months from September 2025 to August 2026, making it the state's largest source. Hydroelectric generation accounted for 29.6%, while coal and other sources (which include geothermal, biomass, petroleum, other gases and pumped storage) made up 10.7% and 18.0% respectively. Wind generation was 1.4%, and solar was negligible at 0% of utility-scale generation, though rooftop solar added 0.4% when counted separately. Together, renewable sources supplied 31.6% of the state's electricity, placing Alaska 21st among the 50 states and DC.
Over the past quarter-century, Alaska's generation mix has shifted significantly. The renewable share grew from 20% in 2001 to 31.1% in 2025, a gain of 11.1 percentage points. This rise was driven primarily by hydroelectric output, which increased from 20% to 28.7%, and by wind generation, which grew from nothing to 1.7% in 2025. Natural gas fell sharply from 57.8% in 2001 to 38.1% in 2025, while coal rose modestly from 8.4% to 12.3%, and other sources expanded from 13.9% to 19.2%.
Nationally, the renewable share stands at 25.4%, so Alaska's 31.6% sits above the country average by 6.2 percentage points. Natural gas is also the leading source nationwide at 40.9%, but the national mix includes 17.6% nuclear power and 5.7% hydroelectric generation. Alaska ranks 49th for solar among the 50 states and DC.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Alaska's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Alaska's power comes from solar?
›Where does Alaska get most of its electricity?
›Does Alaska still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Alaska getting greener?
How this is measured
Figures are net generation reported to the U.S. Energy Information Administration for all sectors — utilities, independent power producers, and industrial and commercial plants that generate their own power. Shares are of the 12 months to August 2026, rather than a single month, because generation is strongly seasonal: solar peaks in summer and hydro with the spring melt, so one month says more about the weather than about the grid.
“Other” is the reported total minus the six named sources, so the shares add to exactly 100%. It holds geothermal, biomass, petroleum, other gases, and pumped storage — the last of which consumes more electricity than it returns, and so can be negative. Geothermal and biomass are renewable, which is why the renewable share above is slightly larger than wind, solar and hydro added together.
This is generation, not consumption. Electricity crosses state lines freely, so a state can generate more than it uses or rely on imports for a large part of its supply; neither shows up here.