Where New Jersey Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 49.3% | 30,706 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 45.1% | 28,071 GWh |
| Wind | 0.0% | 20 GWh |
| Solar | 3.3% | 2,075 GWh |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 2 GWh |
| Other | 2.3% | 1,428 GWh |
62.3 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 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 4,111 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 3.3% to 9.3%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 56.4% | 48.6% | −7.8 pts |
| Coal | 1.7% | 0.0% | −1.7 pts |
| Nuclear | 38.5% | 45.9% | +7.3 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Solar | 1.1% | 3.3% | +2.2 pts |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Other | 2.2% | 2.2% | — |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 4.3% | 49.4% | Natural gas 49.3% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| New York | 29.0% | 49.5% | Natural gas |
| Delaware | 4.1% | 4.1% | Natural gas |
| Pennsylvania | 3.8% | 34.5% | Natural gas |
New Jersey's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 49.3% of New Jersey's electricity generation in the twelve months since June 2025, making it the largest source. Nuclear power generated 45.1%, leaving the state with a 49.4% carbon-free share. Renewables accounted for 4.3% of generation. Solar made up 3.3% of the state's generation on a utility-scale basis, though when rooftop solar is included in the calculation the figure rises to 9.3%.
New Jersey ranks 48th among the 51 states and DC for renewable electricity, 20.6 percentage points below the national renewable share of 24.9%. The national mix is dominated by natural gas at 40.8%, with nuclear supplying 17.7% and renewables at 24.9%. Two of the state's three neighbours have lower renewable shares—Delaware at 4.1% and Pennsylvania at 3.8%—while New York generates a considerably higher renewable share at 29%.
Over the ten years from 2016 to 2025, natural gas fell from 56.4% to 48.6%, and coal dropped from 1.7% to 0%. Nuclear rose from 38.5% in 2016 to 45.9% in 2025. Solar grew from 1.1% in 2016 to 3.3% in 2025. The renewable share climbed from 2.4% to 4.3% across the same period.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 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 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.