Where Delaware Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 88.9% | 4,892 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 0.1% | 4 GWh |
| Solar | 3.6% | 197 GWh |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Other | 7.5% | 412 GWh |
5.5 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 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 234 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 3.6% to 7.5%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 89.2% | 85.3% | −3.9 pts |
| Coal | 5.5% | 4.7% | −0.8 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.1% | 0.1% | — |
| Solar | 0.6% | 3.4% | +2.8 pts |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Other | 4.7% | 6.5% | +1.8 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 4.1% | 4.1% | Natural gas 88.9% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| Maryland | 10.8% | 49.0% | Natural gas |
| New Jersey | 4.3% | 49.4% | Natural gas |
| Pennsylvania | 3.8% | 34.5% | Natural gas |
Delaware's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 88.9% of Delaware's electricity generation since June 2025, far above the national share of 40.8%. The state ranked 49th in renewable generation among 51 states and DC, with renewables accounting for just 4.1% of the total, well below the national figure of 24.9%. Solar made up 3.6% of generation on a utility-scale basis, or 7.5% when small-scale rooftop installations are included, placing the state 29th nationally for solar.
Over the past decade, the state's generation mix shifted modestly toward renewables. Solar grew from 0.6% in 2016 to 3.4% in 2025, while natural gas declined from 89.2% in 2016 to 85.3% in 2025. Renewable generation overall rose from 1.4% in 2016 to 4.1% in 2025. Coal and nuclear remained marginal throughout.
Delaware's renewable share exceeds that of neighboring Pennsylvania, which generated 3.8% from renewables, but falls short of Maryland's 10.8% and New Jersey's 4.3%. Like Delaware, both neighboring states relied predominantly on natural gas as their largest generation source.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 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 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.