Where Minnesota Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, July 2025 – June 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 21.0% | 12,750 GWh |
| Coal | 21.7% | 13,190 GWh |
| Nuclear | 22.3% | 13,568 GWh |
| Wind | 25.1% | 15,221 GWh |
| Solar | 5.6% | 3,421 GWh |
| Hydro | 1.6% | 976 GWh |
| Other | 2.7% | 1,638 GWh |
60.8 TWh generated over the 12 months to June 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 530 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 5.6% to 6.4%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 2.5% | 20.8% | +18.3 pts |
| Coal | 65.6% | 23.2% | −42.4 pts |
| Nuclear | 24.3% | 21.7% | −2.6 pts |
| Wind | 1.8% | 25.2% | +23.4 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 5.2% | +5.2 pts |
| Hydro | 1.7% | 1.2% | −0.5 pts |
| Other | 4.1% | 2.7% | −1.4 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 34.2% | 56.6% | Wind 25.1% |
| U.S. average | 25.2% | 42.9% | Natural gas 40.7% |
| South Dakota | 82.4% | 82.4% | Wind |
| Iowa | 61.6% | 61.6% | Wind |
| North Dakota | 41.3% | 41.3% | Coal |
| Wisconsin | 15.1% | 30.6% | Natural gas |
Minnesota's generation mix in context
Wind is the largest source of electricity generated in Minnesota, supplying 24.9% of the total since June 2025. Nuclear and coal each contribute 21.6%, with natural gas at 21.6% as well. Solar accounts for 5.5% when measured as utility-scale generation alone, or 6.3% when rooftop solar is included. Hydroelectric generation makes up 1.6%, and other sources the remaining 2.7%.
Renewable electricity comprises 33.9% of Minnesota's generation, placing it 18th among the 51 states and DC with generation data. Carbon-free sources — renewables plus nuclear — reach 56.1%. The renewable share exceeds the national figure of 24.9% by 9 percentage points. Solar ranks 23rd nationally with its 5.5% utility-scale share.
The composition of Minnesota's generation has shifted markedly since 2001. Renewable generation rose from 5.8% in 2001 to 33.6% in 2025, driven chiefly by wind, which grew from 1.8% to 25.2%. Solar emerged from nothing to reach 5.2% in 2025. Coal plummeted from 65.6% to 23.2%, while natural gas climbed from 2.5% to 20.8%. Nuclear fell slightly from 24.3% to 21.7%. Among bordering states, three — South Dakota, Iowa, and North Dakota — have higher renewable shares, while Wisconsin's renewable share of 14.8% is lower.
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 June 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.