Where Nevada Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 55.1% | 25,673 GWh |
| Coal | 3.4% | 1,564 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 0.6% | 300 GWh |
| Solar | 30.0% | 13,973 GWh |
| Hydro | 2.9% | 1,358 GWh |
| Other | 7.9% | 3,691 GWh |
46.6 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within Nevada, 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. Nevada generated 2,429 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 30.0% to 33.5%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 34.0% | 50.8% | +16.8 pts |
| Coal | 52.4% | 5.7% | −46.6 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.8% | +0.8 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 30.3% | +30.3 pts |
| Hydro | 7.4% | 4.2% | −3.2 pts |
| Other | 6.2% | 8.2% | +2.0 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 42.1% | 42.1% | Natural gas 55.1% |
| U.S. average | 25.4% | 43.0% | Natural gas 40.9% |
| Idaho | 73.4% | 73.4% | Hydro |
| Oregon | 68.0% | 68.0% | Hydro |
| California | 56.8% | 66.1% | Natural gas |
| Utah | 23.0% | 23.0% | Natural gas |
| Arizona | 22.3% | 48.5% | Natural gas |
Nevada's generation mix in context
Natural gas is Nevada's largest source of electricity generation, supplying 55.1% of the total across the trailing twelve months since September 2025. Solar ranks first among the 50 states and DC with a 30% share when counted as utility-scale alone, or 33.5% when rooftop solar is included in the total. Renewable energy sources together account for 42.1% of generation, which also equals the carbon-free share since Nevada generates no nuclear power. This renewable share ranks 15th of the 50 states and DC.
Between 2001 and 2025, Nevada's generation mix shifted dramatically. Coal fell from 52.4% in 2001 to 5.7% in 2025, while solar grew from nothing to 30.3% in 2025. Natural gas rose from 34% to 50.8% in 2025. Renewable generation overall climbed from 11% in 2001 to 44% in 2025, a gain of 33 percentage points. Hydro declined from 7.4% to 4.2% across the period.
Nevada's renewable share exceeds the national average of 25.4% by 16.7 percentage points, and its gas share runs 14.2 points higher than the nation's 40.9%. Coal is far less prominent in Nevada than nationally, where it supplies 15.4%. Of Nevada's five neighboring states, three—Idaho, Oregon, and California—generate renewable shares higher than Nevada's, while Utah and Arizona both generate lower renewable shares.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Nevada's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Nevada's power comes from solar?
›Where does Nevada get most of its electricity?
›Does Nevada still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Nevada 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.