Where District of Columbia Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 30.1% | 58 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Solar | 27.5% | 53 GWh |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Other | 42.4% | 82 GWh |
0.2 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within District of Columbia, 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. District of Columbia generated 392 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 27.5% to 76.0%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 29.7% | 35.3% | +5.6 pts |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Solar | 0.0% | 25.3% | +25.3 pts |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Other | 70.3% | 39.4% | −30.9 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
District of Columbia's generation mix in context
Other sources, which include geothermal and biomass among other generators, supplied 42.4% of the District's electricity generation in the twelve months since June 2025. Natural gas accounted for 30.1%, while solar contributed 27.5% of utility-scale generation alone—or 76% when small-scale rooftop solar is included in the calculation. The District generated 0.2 TWh during this period.
Renewable sources provided 53.1% of generation, the carbon-free share matching that figure. In renewable generation, the District ranked 10th among the 51 states and DC with generation data, and 3rd in solar share specifically. This performance stands sharply ahead of the national renewable share of 24.9% and the carbon-free share of 42.6%, with the District exceeding the national renewable figure by 28.2 percentage points. Both bordering states—Virginia at 13.7% and Maryland at 10.8%—generated lower renewable shares.
Over the decade since 2016, the District's renewable share fell from 69% to 51.8% in 2025. Solar rose 25.3 percentage points to reach 25.3% in 2025, becoming the largest renewable source. Other sources, which dominated at 70.3% in 2016, declined sharply by 30.9 percentage points. Natural gas grew 5.6 percentage points to 35.3% in 2025, expanding its foothold in the generation mix.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of District of Columbia's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of District of Columbia's power comes from solar?
›Where does District of Columbia get most of its electricity?
›Does District of Columbia still burn coal for electricity?
›Is District of Columbia 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.