Where Rhode Island Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, July 2025 – June 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 86.6% | 8,363 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 1.8% | 175 GWh |
| Solar | 8.0% | 769 GWh |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 1 GWh |
| Other | 3.6% | 352 GWh |
9.7 TWh generated over the 12 months to June 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 315 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 8.0% to 10.9%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 97.6% | 87.5% | −10.1 pts |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.0% | 1.9% | +1.9 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 7.9% | +7.9 pts |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Other | 2.3% | 2.6% | +0.3 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 11.6% | 11.6% | Natural gas 86.6% |
| U.S. average | 25.2% | 42.9% | Natural gas 40.7% |
| Massachusetts | 22.3% | 22.3% | Natural gas |
| Connecticut | 3.8% | 41.0% | Natural gas |
Rhode Island's generation mix in context
Natural gas supplied 86.6% of Rhode Island's electricity generation in the twelve months since June 2025, by far the dominant source. Renewables accounted for 11.5% of generation, the same as the carbon-free share since the state produced no nuclear power. Solar alone made up 7.9% of in-state generation on a utility-scale basis, or 10.8% when rooftop solar is included; wind contributed 1.8%. The renewable share ranked 38th among the 51 states and DC, and solar ranked 17th.
Rhode Island's generation mix has shifted substantially since 2001. Natural gas fell from 97.6% in that year to 87.5% in 2025, while renewables grew from 1.4% to 11.8%. Solar accounted for nearly all of that increase, rising from nothing to 7.9% of generation in 2025, with wind adding 1.9 percentage points over the same span. Other sources held steady near 2.6%.
Compared with the nation, Rhode Island generated far more electricity from natural gas: 45.8 percentage points above the national share of 40.8%. Its renewable generation lagged the national figure by 13.4 points. Of its two bordering states, Massachusetts held a higher renewable share at 21.2%, while Connecticut's renewable generation was lower at 3.7%.
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 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.