Where Minnesota Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 21.6% | 13,101 GWh |
| Coal | 21.6% | 13,150 GWh |
| Nuclear | 22.2% | 13,464 GWh |
| Wind | 24.9% | 15,124 GWh |
| Solar | 5.5% | 3,338 GWh |
| Hydro | 1.6% | 949 GWh |
| Other | 2.7% | 1,625 GWh |
60.8 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within Minnesota, 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. Minnesota generated 520 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 5.5% to 6.3%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 15.0% | 20.8% | +5.8 pts |
| Coal | 39.0% | 23.2% | −15.8 pts |
| Nuclear | 23.3% | 21.7% | −1.6 pts |
| Wind | 16.7% | 25.2% | +8.5 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 5.2% | +5.2 pts |
| Hydro | 2.0% | 1.2% | −0.8 pts |
| Other | 3.9% | 2.7% | −1.2 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 33.9% | 56.1% | Wind 24.9% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| South Dakota | 81.7% | 81.7% | Wind |
| Iowa | 61.5% | 61.5% | Wind |
| North Dakota | 41.1% | 41.1% | Coal |
| Wisconsin | 14.8% | 30.1% | Natural gas |
Minnesota's generation mix in context
Wind is the largest source of electricity generation in Minnesota, supplying 24.9% of the 60.8 TWh total generated since June 2025. Nuclear and gas each generate 22.2% and 21.6% respectively, while coal accounts for 21.6%. Solar generates 5.5% of the state's electricity when counted as utility-scale alone, or 6.3% when rooftop solar is included. Renewable sources together account for 33.9% of generation, ranking Minnesota 18th among the 51 states and DC, while carbon-free sources reach 56.1%.
The renewable share has grown substantially over the past decade. Renewables increased from 21.9% in 2016 to 33.6% in 2025, driven primarily by wind expansion from 16.7% to 25.2%, and by solar emergence from effectively zero to 5.2%. Coal fell sharply from 39% to 23.2%, while gas rose from 15% to 20.8%. Nationally, renewables comprise only 24.9%, making Minnesota's 33.9% share 9 percentage points higher. Most neighbouring states generate renewables at higher rates: South Dakota leads at 81.7%, Iowa reaches 61.5%, and North Dakota generates 41.1%. Wisconsin is the exception, with a renewable share of only 14.8%.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Minnesota's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Minnesota's power comes from solar?
›Where does Minnesota get most of its electricity?
›Does Minnesota still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Minnesota 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.