Where Pennsylvania Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 58.0% | 141,525 GWh |
| Coal | 6.6% | 16,189 GWh |
| Nuclear | 31.0% | 75,614 GWh |
| Wind | 1.5% | 3,650 GWh |
| Solar | 0.8% | 2,063 GWh |
| Hydro | 1.0% | 2,372 GWh |
| Other | 1.0% | 2,557 GWh |
244 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within Pennsylvania, 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. Pennsylvania generated 1,796 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 0.8% to 1.6%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1.5% | 58.3% | +56.7 pts |
| Coal | 56.9% | 7.1% | −49.8 pts |
| Nuclear | 37.5% | 30.4% | −7.1 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 1.5% | +1.4 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0.8% | +0.8 pts |
| Hydro | 0.8% | 1.1% | +0.2 pts |
| Other | 3.2% | 0.9% | −2.3 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 3.9% | 34.9% | Natural gas 58.0% |
| U.S. average | 25.4% | 43.0% | Natural gas 40.9% |
| New York | 29.0% | 49.5% | Natural gas |
| Maryland | 11.0% | 48.7% | Natural gas |
| Ohio | 8.4% | 20.1% | Natural gas |
| West Virginia | 5.9% | 5.9% | Coal |
| Delaware | 5.1% | 5.1% | Natural gas |
| New Jersey | 4.3% | 50.0% | Natural gas |
Pennsylvania's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 58% of the electricity generated in Pennsylvania in the twelve months from September 2025 to August 2026, out of 244 TWh in total, against a national gas share of 40.9%. Nuclear supplied 31%, well above its national share of 17.6%, and coal 6.6%. Renewables made up 3.9% of generation, which ranks Pennsylvania 50th of the 50 states and DC for renewable share; the national figure is 25.4%, 21.5 percentage points higher. Counting nuclear, carbon-free sources reached 34.9%, against 43% nationally.
Solar is a small part of the mix: 0.8% from utility-scale plants, or 1.6% with rooftop solar included, and the state ranks 45th of the 50 states and DC for its solar share. Wind supplied 1.5% and hydro 1%.
The mix has changed sharply since 2001. Coal's share fell from 56.9% in 2001 to 7.1% in 2025, while gas rose from 1.5% in 2001 to 58.3% in 2025. Nuclear went from 37.5% in 2001 to 30.4% in 2025, and the renewable share from 1.8% in 2001 to 3.9% in 2025. All six bordering states generate a higher renewable share than Pennsylvania, from New Jersey at 4.3% to New York at 29%.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Pennsylvania's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Pennsylvania's power comes from solar?
›Where does Pennsylvania get most of its electricity?
›Does Pennsylvania still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Pennsylvania 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.