Where Colorado Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 34.8% | 19,171 GWh |
| Coal | 18.5% | 10,216 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 31.5% | 17,366 GWh |
| Solar | 11.3% | 6,214 GWh |
| Hydro | 3.6% | 2,009 GWh |
| Other | 0.3% | 171 GWh |
55.1 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within Colorado, 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. Colorado generated 2,355 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 11.3% to 14.9%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 23.3% | 31.9% | +8.6 pts |
| Coal | 55.0% | 24.7% | −30.4 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 17.3% | 30.1% | +12.8 pts |
| Solar | 1.0% | 9.8% | +8.8 pts |
| Hydro | 3.5% | 3.3% | −0.2 pts |
| Other | -0.1% | 0.3% | +0.4 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
Colorado's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 34.8% of Colorado's electricity generation since June 2025, making it the largest source. Renewable sources accounted for 46.5% of the total, the same share as carbon-free generation since the state generates no nuclear power. Solar made up 11.3% of generation from utility-scale installations alone, or 14.9% when rooftop solar is included. Wind provided 31.5%, while hydro contributed 3.6% and other sources 0.3%.
Over the decade since 2016, Colorado's electricity mix has shifted dramatically away from coal and toward renewables. Coal's share fell from 55.0% in 2016 to 24.7% in 2025, a decline of 30.3 percentage points. Wind grew by 12.8 points to reach 30.1% in 2025, and solar expanded by 8.8 points to 9.8%. Natural gas rose 8.6 points to 31.9% in 2025, offsetting much of the coal decline. Renewable generation climbed 21.2 points to 43.3% in 2025.
Colorado's renewable share of 46.5% ranks 14th among the 51 states and DC, and its solar share ranks 8th. Compared to the national average of 24.9% renewable and 40.8% gas, Colorado generates far more from renewables and less from gas. Most of Colorado's three bordering states to the north and east—New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma—have higher renewable shares, all exceeding 48%. Four bordering states have lower shares: Wyoming and Nebraska rely more heavily on coal, while Utah and Arizona generate less from renewables overall.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Colorado's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Colorado's power comes from solar?
›Where does Colorado get most of its electricity?
›Does Colorado still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Colorado 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 May 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.