Where New York Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 48.3% | 64,909 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 20.5% | 27,549 GWh |
| Wind | 5.0% | 6,712 GWh |
| Solar | 4.1% | 5,466 GWh |
| Hydro | 18.9% | 25,460 GWh |
| Other | 3.2% | 4,345 GWh |
134.4 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 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 5,672 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 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 | 29.0% | 49.5% | Natural gas 48.3% |
| U.S. average | 25.4% | 43.0% | Natural gas 40.9% |
| Vermont | 99.4% | 99.4% | Hydro |
| Massachusetts | 23.9% | 23.9% | Natural gas |
| New Jersey | 4.3% | 50.0% | Natural gas |
| Pennsylvania | 3.9% | 34.9% | Natural gas |
| Connecticut | 3.7% | 40.9% | Natural gas |
New York's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 48.3% of New York's electricity generation in the twelve months from September 2025 to August 2026, making it the largest source. Carbon-free sources—nuclear and renewables together—accounted for 49.5% of generation. The renewable share was 29%, ranking the state 22nd of the 50 states and DC. When rooftop solar is counted alongside utility-scale facilities, the solar share rises to 7.9%; utility-scale solar alone was 4.1%, placing it 30th nationally.
New York's generation mix has shifted substantially since 2001. Renewable generation grew from 17.3% in 2001 to 29.9% in 2025, a gain of 12.6 percentage points. Wind and solar, which contributed nothing in 2001, reached 5.2% and 4.0% respectively by 2025. Natural gas expanded from 26.9% to 47.2%, while coal fell from 16.3% to zero. Nuclear declined from 28.1% to 21.6%, and the remainder—holding geothermal, biomass and other sources—shrank from 12.7% to 2.4%.
New York's renewable share of 29% exceeds the national figure of 25.4% by 3.6 percentage points. Among its five bordering states, only Vermont, with 99.4% renewable generation, ranks higher; Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut all register lower renewable shares. The state's carbon-free generation at 49.5% also outpaces the national 43%, though the fossil share of 50.1% slightly exceeds the nation's mix.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 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 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.