Where California Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 34.3% | 68,713 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 86 GWh |
| Nuclear | 9.3% | 18,595 GWh |
| Wind | 7.9% | 15,814 GWh |
| Solar | 28.4% | 57,004 GWh |
| Hydro | 13.0% | 25,964 GWh |
| Other | 7.1% | 14,273 GWh |
200.4 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within California, 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. California generated 37,167 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 28.4% to 39.6%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 56.4% | 35.6% | −20.7 pts |
| Coal | 1.1% | 0.1% | −1.0 pts |
| Nuclear | 16.7% | 8.5% | −8.2 pts |
| Wind | 1.8% | 7.9% | +6.1 pts |
| Solar | 0.3% | 27.0% | +26.7 pts |
| Hydro | 12.9% | 13.5% | +0.7 pts |
| Other | 10.9% | 7.3% | −3.6 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
California's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 34.3% of California's electricity generation in the twelve months ending August 2026, making it the largest source. Carbon-free sources — nuclear and renewables together — accounted for 66.1% of the total. Renewables alone made up 56.8%, ranking California ninth among the 50 states and DC with generation data. Solar was the second-largest source statewide at 28.4% utility-scale generation; counting rooftop solar raises that to 39.6%.
California's renewable share substantially exceeded the national average of 25.4%, a difference of 31.4 percentage points. Among its three neighbours with generation data, only Oregon had a higher renewable share, at 68%. Nevada generated 42.1% from renewables, and Arizona 22.3%, both lower than California.
The generation mix shifted markedly between 2001 and 2025. Gas fell from 56.4% in 2001 to 35.6% in 2025, while renewables rose from 23.8% to 55.8%. Solar expanded dramatically, from 0.3% in 2001 to 27.0% in 2025, and wind climbed from 1.8% to 7.9%. Nuclear declined from 16.7% in 2001 to 8.5% in 2025, and coal shrank from 1.1% to 0.1%.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of California's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of California's power comes from solar?
›Where does California get most of its electricity?
›Does California still burn coal for electricity?
›Is California 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.