Where Arizona Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, July 2025 – June 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 44.9% | 52,850 GWh |
| Coal | 6.9% | 8,090 GWh |
| Nuclear | 26.5% | 31,187 GWh |
| Wind | 2.9% | 3,360 GWh |
| Solar | 14.8% | 17,374 GWh |
| Hydro | 4.3% | 5,082 GWh |
| Other | -0.3% | -366 GWh |
117.6 TWh generated over the 12 months to June 2026. Shares are of net generation within Arizona, 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. Arizona generated 6,008 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 14.8% to 18.9%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 14.3% | 45.1% | +30.8 pts |
| Coal | 44.6% | 7.9% | −36.7 pts |
| Nuclear | 31.9% | 26.8% | −5.1 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 2.7% | +2.7 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 13.4% | +13.4 pts |
| Hydro | 8.5% | 4.2% | −4.3 pts |
| Other | 0.7% | -0.1% | −0.8 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 22.1% | 48.6% | Natural gas 44.9% |
| U.S. average | 25.2% | 42.9% | Natural gas 40.7% |
| California | 57.8% | 67.1% | Natural gas |
| New Mexico | 53.4% | 53.4% | Wind |
| Colorado | 47.5% | 47.5% | Natural gas |
| Nevada | 43.8% | 43.8% | Natural gas |
| Utah | 23.4% | 23.4% | Coal |
Arizona's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 45.1% of Arizona's electricity generation in the twelve months from June 2025 to May 2026, making it the largest source. Nuclear power accounted for 26.6% of generation, while solar provided 14.6% on a utility-scale basis or 18.8% when rooftop solar is included.
Renewable sources generated 21.8% of the state's electricity, placing Arizona 24th among the 51 states and DC with generation data. Carbon-free generation, combining renewables and nuclear, reached 48.4%. Arizona ranks 6th nationally for solar generation. All five of Arizona's bordering states—California, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah—have higher renewable shares, with California and New Mexico both exceeding 50%.
Arizona's generation mix has shifted markedly since 2001. Coal fell from 44.6% in 2001 to 7.9% in 2025, while natural gas rose from 14.3% to 45.1% over the same period. Renewables grew from 8.5% in 2001 to 20.4% in 2025, driven by solar's emergence from zero to 13.4%, though hydroelectric generation declined from 8.5% to 4.2%. Compared with the nation, Arizona relies more heavily on gas and has less coal, but its renewable share of 21.8% trails the national figure of 24.9%.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Arizona's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Arizona's power comes from solar?
›Where does Arizona get most of its electricity?
›Does Arizona still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Arizona 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 June 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.