Where New York Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, July 2025 – June 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 48.2% | 64,697 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 20.6% | 27,634 GWh |
| Wind | 4.9% | 6,565 GWh |
| Solar | 4.2% | 5,639 GWh |
| Hydro | 18.9% | 25,407 GWh |
| Other | 3.2% | 4,309 GWh |
134.3 TWh generated over the 12 months to June 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 5,531 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 4.2% to 8.0%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 26.9% | 47.2% | +20.3 pts |
| Coal | 16.3% | 0.0% | −16.3 pts |
| Nuclear | 28.1% | 21.6% | −6.5 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 5.2% | +5.2 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 4.0% | +4.0 pts |
| Hydro | 16.0% | 19.6% | +3.6 pts |
| Other | 12.7% | 2.4% | −10.3 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 29.1% | 49.7% | Natural gas 48.2% |
| U.S. average | 25.2% | 42.9% | Natural gas 40.7% |
| Vermont | 98.5% | 98.5% | Hydro |
| Massachusetts | 22.3% | 22.3% | Natural gas |
| New Jersey | 4.4% | 49.8% | Natural gas |
| Pennsylvania | 3.9% | 34.8% | Natural gas |
| Connecticut | 3.8% | 41.0% | Natural gas |
New York's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 48.3% of New York's electricity generation since June 2025, more than any other source. Carbon-free sources together provided 49.5%, split between nuclear at 20.6% and renewable energy at 29%. Hydro led the renewables with 18.9% of the total, while wind generated 4.9%. Solar accounted for 4.1% of generation from utility-scale projects; counting distributed rooftop solar, the state's solar share reaches 7.9%.
New York's renewable share of 29% ranks 22nd among the 51 states and DC with generation data, 4.1 percentage points above the national average of 24.9%. Gas made up a larger share than the national mix at 48.3% versus 40.8%, while coal supplied nothing in the state compared with 15.8% nationally. Of the five bordering states, only Vermont generates more renewable electricity, at 98.5%; the other four—Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut—all fall below New York's renewable share.
Since 2001, New York's generation has shifted markedly. Gas rose from 26.9% in 2001 to 47.2% in 2025, while coal fell from 16.3% to zero. Renewables grew from 17.3% to 29.9% in 2025, driven by wind and solar, which generated nothing in 2001 but reached 5.2% and 4% respectively by 2025. Nuclear declined from 28.1% to 21.6%, while hydro edged higher from 16% to 19.6%.
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 June 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.