Where Kentucky Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 27.1% | 19,653 GWh |
| Coal | 63.3% | 45,923 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Solar | 3.3% | 2,380 GWh |
| Hydro | 5.5% | 4,014 GWh |
| Other | 0.7% | 533 GWh |
72.5 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within Kentucky, 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. Kentucky generated 195 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 3.3% to 3.5%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 0.7% | 25.9% | +25.2 pts |
| Coal | 95.2% | 66.0% | −29.1 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Solar | 0.0% | 2.1% | +2.1 pts |
| Hydro | 4.0% | 5.3% | +1.2 pts |
| Other | 0.1% | 0.7% | +0.6 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
Kentucky's generation mix in context
Coal generated 63.3% of Kentucky's electricity in the twelve months to August 2026, making it by far the largest source. Natural gas supplied 27.1%, while renewable and carbon-free sources together accounted for 9.4% of the state's generation. Hydroelectric power made up 5.5%, and solar 3.3% on a utility-scale basis or 3.5% when rooftop solar is included.
Kentucky's renewable share ranks 41st of the 50 states and DC, and its solar share ranks 34th. The state generates far more coal than the nation as a whole, where coal supplied just 15.4%, while its renewable share of 9.4% falls 16 percentage points below the national average of 25.4%. Of Kentucky's seven bordering states, five generate a higher share of renewable electricity; Ohio and West Virginia generate less.
From 2001 to 2025, Kentucky's electricity mix shifted dramatically. Coal fell from 95.2% in 2001 to 66% in 2025, while natural gas rose from 0.7% to 25.9%. Renewable generation grew from 4.1% in 2001 to 8% in 2025, with solar emerging as a source, reaching 2.1% in 2025 after producing nothing in 2001, and hydroelectric power climbing from 4% to 5.3%.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Kentucky's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Kentucky's power comes from solar?
›Where does Kentucky get most of its electricity?
›Does Kentucky still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Kentucky 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.