Where Nevada Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 52.4% | 23,414 GWh |
| Coal | 4.4% | 1,977 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 0.7% | 315 GWh |
| Solar | 31.0% | 13,837 GWh |
| Hydro | 3.1% | 1,391 GWh |
| Other | 8.3% | 3,726 GWh |
44.7 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 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 2,369 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 31.0% to 34.5%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 72.7% | 50.8% | −21.9 pts |
| Coal | 5.4% | 5.7% | +0.3 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.9% | 0.8% | −0.1 pts |
| Solar | 7.9% | 30.3% | +22.4 pts |
| Hydro | 4.5% | 4.2% | −0.3 pts |
| Other | 8.6% | 8.2% | −0.4 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 43.7% | 43.7% | Natural gas 52.4% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| Idaho | 74.3% | 74.3% | Hydro |
| Oregon | 68.0% | 68.0% | Hydro |
| California | 57.3% | 66.5% | Natural gas |
| Utah | 22.6% | 22.6% | Coal |
| Arizona | 21.8% | 48.4% | Natural gas |
Nevada's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 52.4% of Nevada's electricity generation in the year since June 2025, making it by far the largest source. Solar was second at 31.0% on a utility-scale basis, or 34.5% when rooftop solar is included in the calculation. Renewables together generated 43.7% of the state's electricity, placing Nevada 15th among the 51 states and DC with generation data. Solar alone ranks first nationally.
Nevada's renewable generation has grown sharply over the past decade. The renewable share stood at 21.8% in 2016 and reached 44.0% in 2025, a gain of 22.2 percentage points driven almost entirely by solar, which grew from 7.9% to 30.3%. Natural gas shrank from 72.7% to 50.8%, falling 21.9 percentage points, while coal, wind, hydro and other sources remained relatively stable.
Compared with the nation, Nevada generates far more solar and substantially more gas, but much less coal and nuclear. The national renewable share stands at 24.9%, nearly 19 percentage points lower than Nevada's. Of Nevada's five neighbouring states, three—Idaho, Oregon and California—have higher renewable shares, while Utah and Arizona have lower ones.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 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 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.