Where Delaware Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 88.3% | 4,665 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 0.1% | 4 GWh |
| Solar | 4.3% | 225 GWh |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Other | 7.4% | 391 GWh |
5.3 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within Delaware, 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. Delaware generated 241 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 4.3% to 8.4%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 23.1% | 85.3% | +62.2 pts |
| Coal | 49.5% | 4.7% | −44.8 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.1% | +0.1 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 3.4% | +3.4 pts |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Other | 27.4% | 6.5% | −20.9 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 5.1% | 5.1% | Natural gas 88.3% |
| U.S. average | 25.4% | 43.0% | Natural gas 40.9% |
| Maryland | 11.0% | 48.7% | Natural gas |
| New Jersey | 4.3% | 50.0% | Natural gas |
| Pennsylvania | 3.9% | 34.9% | Natural gas |
Delaware's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 88.3% of Delaware's electricity generation in the trailing twelve months since September 2025. This is far larger than the national share of 40.9%, making gas vastly more dominant here than across the country. Coal, which once generated nearly half the state's power, has nearly vanished: it fell to 4.7% in 2025 from 49.5% in 2001.
Renewable and carbon-free generation each stood at 5.1%, ranking Delaware 48th of the 50 states and DC — near the lowest. That renewable share was 20.3 percentage points below the national average of 25.4%. Solar contributed 4.3% when counted at utility scale alone, or 8.4% when rooftop solar is included; either way, it ranked 27th among the states. Wind and hydro together added just 0.1%, while other sources — a remainder holding geothermal, biomass, and other fuels — made up 7.4%.
The past quarter-century has reshaped Delaware's generation. Gas surged from 23.1% in 2001 to 85.3% in 2025, gaining 62.2 percentage points and becoming the dominant source. Coal's collapse accounted for most of the shift, falling 44.8 points. Renewables grew from nothing to 4.1% in 2025, almost entirely from solar's emergence: solar rose from zero to 3.4%, while wind crept in at 0.1%. Of the three bordering states, only Maryland has a higher renewable share at 11%; both New Jersey at 4.3% and Pennsylvania at 3.9% fall below Delaware.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Delaware's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Delaware's power comes from solar?
›Where does Delaware get most of its electricity?
›Does Delaware still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Delaware 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.