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Where Kansas Gets Its Electricity

Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.

Renewable
50.1%
12th highest of 51
Carbon-free
64.7%
Renewables plus nuclear
Largest source
Wind
48.8%

Generation mix

Kansas electricity generation by source, June 2025 – May 2026
SourceShareGeneration
Natural gas6.5%4,130 GWh
Coal28.5%18,051 GWh
Nuclear14.7%9,281 GWh
Wind48.8%30,903 GWh
Solar1.1%701 GWh
Hydro0.0%27 GWh
Other0.3%186 GWh

63.3 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within Kansas, which is not the same as what the state consumes — power crosses state lines.

Counting rooftop solar

Utility-scale solar
1.1%
Including rooftop
1.4%

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. Kansas generated 215 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 1.1% to 1.4%.

How the mix has shifted since 2016

0%25%50%75%100%CoalNuclearWind201620202025
Share of generation by source in 2016 and 2025
Source20162025Change
Natural gas4.3%6.5%+2.2 pts
Coal48.5%30.7%−17.8 pts
Nuclear17.3%14.7%−2.6 pts
Wind29.6%47.0%+17.4 pts
Solar0.0%0.8%+0.8 pts
Hydro0.1%0.0%
Other0.2%0.3%+0.1 pts

Compared with the U.S. and nearby states

WhereRenewableCarbon-freeLargest source
Kansas50.1%64.7%Wind 48.8%
U.S. average24.9%42.6%Natural gas 40.8%
Oklahoma48.3%48.3%Wind
Colorado46.5%46.5%Natural gas
Nebraska32.2%49.0%Coal
Missouri14.7%27.1%Coal

Kansas's generation mix in context

Wind is the largest electricity source in Kansas, supplying 48.8% of generation since June 2025. Carbon-free sources—wind, nuclear and the renewables hidden in other—together account for 64.7% of the state's generation, while renewable sources reach 50.1%. Utility-scale solar alone contributes 1.1% of generation; counting rooftop solar raises the renewable share to 1.4%. These figures place Kansas 12th among the 51 states and DC for renewable generation and 41st for solar.

Over the past decade, Kansas has shifted decisively toward renewables. Wind generation grew from 29.6% in 2016 to 47.0% in 2025, while coal fell from 48.5% to 30.7% over the same span. The renewable share climbed 18.1 percentage points to 47.9% by 2025. Natural gas rose modestly from 4.3% to 6.5%, and nuclear slipped from 17.3% to 14.7%.

Compared with the nation, Kansas generates far more wind—48.8% against the national 10.6%—and far less natural gas, at 6.5% versus 40.8%. The state's 50.1% renewable share exceeds the national 24.9% by 25.2 percentage points. All four bordering states rank lower in renewable generation: Oklahoma at 48.3%, Colorado at 46.5%, Nebraska at 32.2%, and Missouri at 14.7%.

Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of Kansas's electricity comes from renewable energy?
50.1% of the electricity generated in Kansas comes from renewable sources — wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass — over the 12 months to May 2026. That compares with 24.9% nationally. Counting nuclear as well, 64.7% of Kansas's generation is carbon-free.
What percentage of Kansas's power comes from solar?
Utility-scale solar farms supply 1.1% of Kansas's electricity generation. Adding small-scale rooftop solar, which EIA reports separately and leaves out of the state total, takes it to 1.4%. Nationally, utility-scale solar is 7.2%.
Where does Kansas get most of its electricity?
Wind is the largest single source of electricity generated in Kansas, at 48.8% of the total. The rest breaks down as natural gas 6.5%, coal 28.5%, nuclear 14.7%, solar 1.1%.
Does Kansas still burn coal for electricity?
Yes. Coal supplies 28.5% of Kansas's electricity generation, compared with 15.8% nationally. In 2016 it was 48.5%, so the share has fallen since.
Is Kansas getting greener?
Renewables have gone from 29.8% of Kansas's generation in 2016 to 47.9% in 2025, a rise of 18.1 percentage points. Over the same decade coal went from 48.5% to 30.7% and natural gas from 4.3% to 6.5%.

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.