Where South Carolina Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 22.8% | 23,356 GWh |
| Coal | 17.6% | 17,969 GWh |
| Nuclear | 52.5% | 53,744 GWh |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Solar | 3.5% | 3,559 GWh |
| Hydro | 2.3% | 2,317 GWh |
| Other | 1.3% | 1,381 GWh |
102.3 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within South Carolina, 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. South Carolina generated 675 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 3.5% to 4.1%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 16.9% | 21.5% | +4.6 pts |
| Coal | 21.7% | 17.4% | −4.3 pts |
| Nuclear | 57.6% | 54.2% | −3.4 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Solar | 0.0% | 3.2% | +3.2 pts |
| Hydro | 2.3% | 2.4% | +0.1 pts |
| Other | 1.6% | 1.3% | −0.3 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 7.3% | 59.8% | Nuclear 52.5% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| North Carolina | 14.3% | 45.0% | Natural gas |
| Georgia | 12.5% | 47.2% | Natural gas |
South Carolina's generation mix in context
Nuclear dominates South Carolina's electricity generation, supplying 52.5% of the 102.3 TWh generated in the twelve months through May 2026. This carbon-free source anchors a generation mix that is 59.8% carbon-free overall, well above the national share of 42.6%. Fossil fuels account for 40.5% of generation, with natural gas at 22.8% and coal at 17.6%.
Renewables make up 7.3% of the state's mix, ranking it 44th among the 51 states and DC. Solar accounts for 3.5% of generation on a utility-scale basis, or 4.1% when rooftop solar is included; solar ranks 31st nationally. South Carolina lags both the nation, where renewables reached 24.9%, and its two bordering states, North Carolina and Georgia, both of which generate higher shares of renewable electricity.
Over the decade from 2016 to 2025, solar grew from essentially nothing to 3.2% in 2025, the state's sole source of renewable growth. Natural gas rose 4.6 percentage points to 21.5% in 2025, while coal declined 4.3 points to 17.4% and nuclear fell 3.4 points to 54.2%. Renewables overall expanded 2.3 points to 7.1% in 2025, though this remains well below the national trajectory.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of South Carolina's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of South Carolina's power comes from solar?
›Where does South Carolina get most of its electricity?
›Does South Carolina still burn coal for electricity?
›Is South Carolina 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.