Where New York Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 48.3% | 64,920 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 20.6% | 27,655 GWh |
| Wind | 4.9% | 6,573 GWh |
| Solar | 4.1% | 5,556 GWh |
| Hydro | 18.9% | 25,407 GWh |
| Other | 3.2% | 4,328 GWh |
134.4 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within New York, 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 York generated 5,441 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 4.1% to 7.9%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 42.3% | 47.2% | +4.9 pts |
| Coal | 1.3% | 0.0% | −1.3 pts |
| Nuclear | 30.9% | 21.6% | −9.4 pts |
| Wind | 2.9% | 5.2% | +2.3 pts |
| Solar | 0.1% | 4.0% | +3.9 pts |
| Hydro | 20.0% | 19.6% | −0.4 pts |
| Other | 2.4% | 2.4% | — |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 29.0% | 49.5% | Natural gas 48.3% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| Vermont | 98.5% | 98.5% | Hydro |
| Massachusetts | 21.2% | 21.2% | Natural gas |
| New Jersey | 4.3% | 49.4% | Natural gas |
| Pennsylvania | 3.8% | 34.5% | Natural gas |
| Connecticut | 3.7% | 41.4% | Natural gas |
New York's generation mix in context
Natural gas accounted for 48.3% of the electricity generated in New York since June 2025, the largest source in the state's generation mix. Nuclear power supplied 20.6% and hydroelectric generation 18.9%. The renewable share, at 29.0%, ranked 22nd among the 51 states and DC with generation data. Solar generation reached 4.1% on a utility-scale basis, though when rooftop solar is counted the share rises to 7.9%; either way, solar ranked 25th nationwide.
New York's carbon-free generation—renewables plus nuclear—made up 49.5% of the total, running nearly 7 percentage points ahead of the national carbon-free share of 42.6%. Fossil fuels generated 50.2%. The renewable share exceeded the national average of 24.9% by 4.1 percentage points, driven especially by hydroelectric generation. Natural gas supplied a higher share in New York than nationally, at 48.3% versus 40.8%, while coal accounted for none of the state's generation compared with 15.8% across the country.
Over the decade to 2025, renewable generation in New York grew from 24.7% in 2016 to 29.9% in 2025, an increase of 5.2 percentage points. Solar expanded sharply, from 0.1% to 4.0%, and wind rose from 2.9% to 5.2%. Nuclear power fell from 30.9% in 2016 to 21.6% in 2025, a decline of 9.3 percentage points, while natural gas rose 4.9 points to 47.2%. Among bordering states, only Vermont's renewable share, at 98.5%, exceeded New York's; Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut all generated smaller renewable shares.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of New York's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of New York's power comes from solar?
›Where does New York get most of its electricity?
›Does New York still burn coal for electricity?
›Is New York 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.