Where Indiana Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 36.8% | 40,636 GWh |
| Coal | 42.0% | 46,372 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 9.9% | 10,938 GWh |
| Solar | 8.1% | 8,967 GWh |
| Hydro | 0.2% | 263 GWh |
| Other | 2.8% | 3,123 GWh |
110.3 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within Indiana, 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. Indiana generated 445 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 8.1% to 8.5%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1.9% | 36.2% | +34.3 pts |
| Coal | 94.7% | 44.9% | −49.8 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.0% | 9.4% | +9.4 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 6.1% | +6.1 pts |
| Hydro | 0.5% | 0.3% | −0.1 pts |
| Other | 2.9% | 3.0% | +0.1 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
Indiana's generation mix in context
Coal is the largest source of electricity generation in Indiana, supplying 42% of the total in the trailing twelve months to August 2026. Natural gas accounts for 36.8%, while wind and solar together make up a significant share. Solar alone represents 8.1% when counted as utility-scale generation, or 8.5% when including rooftop installations. Renewable energy sources account for 18.4% of generation, placing Indiana 27th of the 50 states and DC. Carbon-free generation, which includes renewables and nuclear, also totals 18.4%, since Indiana generates no nuclear power. Fossil fuels supply 81.1% of the state's electricity.
The composition of Indiana's generation mix has shifted markedly since 2001. Coal dominated in 2001 at 94.7% but has declined to 44.9% in 2025, a drop of 49.8 percentage points. Natural gas surged from 1.9% in 2001 to 36.2% in 2025. Renewable energy grew from 0.6% in 2001 to 16% in 2025, driven primarily by wind, which rose from zero to 9.4%, and solar, which grew from zero to 6.1%. Nationally, the renewable share stands at 25.4%, exceeding Indiana's 18.4% by 7 percentage points. Coal's national share of 15.4% contrasts sharply with Indiana's 42%, while natural gas comprises 40.9% nationally versus 36.8% in Indiana.
Among bordering states, all four—Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, and Ohio—have lower renewable shares than Indiana. Illinois generates the most from nuclear power, while the others rely primarily on natural gas or coal. Indiana ranks 19th of the 50 states and DC for solar generation specifically.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Indiana's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Indiana's power comes from solar?
›Where does Indiana get most of its electricity?
›Does Indiana still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Indiana 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.