Where New Jersey Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 48.7% | 29,924 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 45.6% | 28,045 GWh |
| Wind | 0.0% | 21 GWh |
| Solar | 3.3% | 2,029 GWh |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Other | 2.3% | 1,421 GWh |
61.4 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within New Jersey, 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. New Jersey generated 4,105 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 3.3% to 9.4%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 28.1% | 48.6% | +20.5 pts |
| Coal | 15.7% | 0.0% | −15.7 pts |
| Nuclear | 51.3% | 45.9% | −5.4 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Solar | 0.0% | 3.3% | +3.3 pts |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Other | 4.9% | 2.2% | −2.7 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 4.3% | 50.0% | Natural gas 48.7% |
| U.S. average | 25.4% | 43.0% | Natural gas 40.9% |
| New York | 29.0% | 49.5% | Natural gas |
| Delaware | 5.1% | 5.1% | Natural gas |
| Pennsylvania | 3.9% | 34.9% | Natural gas |
New Jersey's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 48.7% of New Jersey's electricity generation in the trailing twelve months ending August 2026, making it the largest source. Nuclear power accounted for 45.6%, leaving the state heavily dependent on these two sources. Renewable energy represented 4.3% of generation, ranking New Jersey 49th of the 50 states and DC. Within renewables, solar was the largest contributor at 3.3% when counting utility-scale capacity alone, though rooftop solar pushed the total to 9.4% when included in the calculation. On the solar metric alone, New Jersey ranked 33rd of the 50 states and DC.
Across the period from 2001 to 2025, New Jersey's generation mix shifted substantially. Natural gas expanded from 28.1% in 2001 to 48.6% in 2025, gaining 20.5 percentage points. Coal vanished entirely, declining from 15.7% to 0% over that span. Nuclear fell from 51.3% in 2001 to 45.9% in 2025, shedding 5.4 percentage points. Solar emerged from nothing to reach 3.3% in 2025. Renewable generation overall grew from 1.5% in 2001 to 4.3% in 2025, an increase of 2.8 percentage points.
Compared with the nation, New Jersey generated more gas—7.8 percentage points above the national average of 40.9%—and far less renewable energy, trailing the 25.4% national renewable share by 21.1 percentage points. It also generated no coal, against a national average of 15.4%. Of the three bordering states, two had higher renewable shares: New York at 29% and Delaware at 5.1%. Pennsylvania's renewable share of 3.9% was lower than New Jersey's.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of New Jersey's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of New Jersey's power comes from solar?
›Where does New Jersey get most of its electricity?
›Does New Jersey still burn coal for electricity?
›Is New Jersey 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.