Where Massachusetts Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 73.7% | 16,741 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 2.4% | 555 GWh |
| Solar | 11.4% | 2,587 GWh |
| Hydro | 3.5% | 788 GWh |
| Other | 8.9% | 2,028 GWh |
22.7 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within Massachusetts, 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. Massachusetts generated 4,330 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 11.4% to 25.6%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 66.2% | 77.3% | +11.1 pts |
| Coal | 5.9% | 0.0% | −5.9 pts |
| Nuclear | 16.9% | 0.0% | −16.9 pts |
| Wind | 0.7% | 0.9% | +0.2 pts |
| Solar | 1.9% | 11.0% | +9.1 pts |
| Hydro | 2.2% | 3.6% | +1.4 pts |
| Other | 6.2% | 7.3% | +1.1 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 21.2% | 21.2% | Natural gas 73.7% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| Vermont | 98.5% | 98.5% | Hydro |
| New York | 29.0% | 49.5% | Natural gas |
| New Hampshire | 13.6% | 66.5% | Nuclear |
| Rhode Island | 11.5% | 11.5% | Natural gas |
| Connecticut | 3.7% | 41.4% | Natural gas |
Massachusetts's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplies 73.7% of Massachusetts' electricity generation, a share far above the national figure of 40.8%. The state ranks 25th for renewable generation, which accounts for 21.2% of its power—trailing the national average of 24.9% by 3.7 percentage points. Solar makes up 11.4% of generation from utility-scale facilities alone, or 25.6% when rooftop solar is included; this ranks Massachusetts 7th nationally for solar share.
Over the past decade, the mix has shifted markedly. Renewable generation grew from 8.6% in 2016 to 19.3% in 2025, driven largely by solar, which climbed from 1.9% to 11.0%. Natural gas expanded from 66.2% to 77.3%, while nuclear and coal both disappeared entirely—nuclear fell from 16.9% to zero, and coal from 5.9% to zero. Wind and hydro each added small shares, and other sources including geothermal and biomass rose from 6.2% to 7.3%.
Among neighbouring states, two have higher renewable shares than Massachusetts: Vermont at 98.5% and New York at 29%. Three have lower shares—New Hampshire at 13.6%, Rhode Island at 11.5%, and Connecticut at 3.7%.—making Massachusetts' renewable generation middling in the region.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Massachusetts's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Massachusetts's power comes from solar?
›Where does Massachusetts get most of its electricity?
›Does Massachusetts still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Massachusetts 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.