Where Michigan Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 45.0% | 56,690 GWh |
| Coal | 19.4% | 24,436 GWh |
| Nuclear | 21.1% | 26,565 GWh |
| Wind | 7.8% | 9,871 GWh |
| Solar | 2.8% | 3,588 GWh |
| Hydro | 1.2% | 1,508 GWh |
| Other | 2.7% | 3,345 GWh |
126 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within Michigan, 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. Michigan generated 446 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 2.8% to 3.2%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 26.1% | 41.5% | +15.4 pts |
| Coal | 36.1% | 22.9% | −13.2 pts |
| Nuclear | 28.1% | 21.5% | −6.6 pts |
| Wind | 4.2% | 7.9% | +3.7 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 2.2% | +2.2 pts |
| Hydro | 1.4% | 1.0% | −0.4 pts |
| Other | 4.0% | 2.9% | −1.1 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
Michigan's generation mix in context
Natural gas is the largest source of electricity generation in Michigan, supplying 45% of the total in the twelve months since June 2025. Nuclear power accounts for 21.1%, making it the second-largest source, while coal generates 19.4%. Carbon-free sources together represent 34.6% of the generation mix, ranking Michigan 35th among the 51 states and DC with generation data. Renewable energy supplies 13.5% of the state's electricity, placing it 35th nationally. Counting rooftop solar alongside utility-scale installations raises the solar share to 3.2%, though utility-scale solar alone accounts for 2.8%.
Michigan's generation mix has shifted notably over the past decade. Natural gas grew substantially, rising from 26.1% in 2016 to 41.5% in 2025. Renewable generation expanded from 7.8% in 2016 to 12.7% in 2025, a gain of 4.9 percentage points, driven primarily by wind which grew from 4.2% to 7.9% and solar which rose from nothing to 2.2%. Coal contracted sharply, falling from 36.1% to 22.9%, while nuclear declined from 28.1% to 21.5%.
Compared with the national mix, Michigan generates more electricity from gas and coal but lags in renewables. The state's renewable share trails the national figure of 24.9% by 11.4 percentage points. Of Michigan's three bordering states, two—Indiana and Wisconsin—have higher renewable shares, while Ohio's renewable share of 8.1% is lower than Michigan's.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Michigan's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Michigan's power comes from solar?
›Where does Michigan get most of its electricity?
›Does Michigan still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Michigan 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.