Where Rhode Island Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 86.6% | 8,398 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 1.8% | 176 GWh |
| Solar | 7.9% | 764 GWh |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 1 GWh |
| Other | 3.7% | 354 GWh |
9.7 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within Rhode Island, 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. Rhode Island generated 314 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 7.9% to 10.8%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 95.8% | 87.5% | −8.3 pts |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.4% | 1.9% | +1.5 pts |
| Solar | 0.2% | 7.9% | +7.7 pts |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Other | 3.5% | 2.6% | −0.9 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 11.5% | 11.5% | Natural gas 86.6% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| Massachusetts | 21.2% | 21.2% | Natural gas |
| Connecticut | 3.7% | 41.4% | Natural gas |
Rhode Island's generation mix in context
Natural gas dominates Rhode Island's electricity generation, supplying 86.6% of the total since June 2025. Renewable sources accounted for 11.5% of generation, comprising wind at 1.8%, solar at 7.9% on a utility-scale basis or 10.8% when small-scale rooftop solar is included, and other renewable sources at 1.0%. Carbon-free generation, which adds nuclear capacity, reached 11.5%. The state ranks 38th among 51 states and DC for renewable generation share and 17th for solar share.
Over the decade since 2016, Rhode Island's generation mix has shifted markedly away from natural gas and toward renewables. Gas fell from 95.8% in 2016 to 87.5% in 2025, while renewable sources grew from 3.8% to 11.8% over the same period. Solar expanded the most, rising from 0.2% in 2016 to 7.9% in 2025. Wind grew from 0.4% to 1.9%, and other renewables remained relatively stable at 2.6%.
Rhode Island's renewable share trails the national average by 13.4 percentage points, where renewables supplied 24.9% of generation. Among its two neighbouring states, Massachusetts generates a higher renewable share at 21.2%, while Connecticut's renewable share of 3.7% is lower.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Rhode Island's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Rhode Island's power comes from solar?
›Where does Rhode Island get most of its electricity?
›Does Rhode Island still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Rhode Island 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.