Where South Carolina Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 23.6% | 24,314 GWh |
| Coal | 17.5% | 18,052 GWh |
| Nuclear | 52.1% | 53,714 GWh |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Solar | 3.7% | 3,840 GWh |
| Hydro | 1.8% | 1,857 GWh |
| Other | 1.3% | 1,364 GWh |
103.1 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 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 684 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 3.7% to 4.4%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1.3% | 21.5% | +20.2 pts |
| Coal | 41.2% | 17.4% | −23.8 pts |
| Nuclear | 55.9% | 54.2% | −1.7 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Solar | 0.0% | 3.2% | +3.2 pts |
| Hydro | 1.4% | 2.4% | +1.0 pts |
| Other | 0.2% | 1.3% | +1.1 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 7.0% | 59.1% | Nuclear 52.1% |
| U.S. average | 25.4% | 43.0% | Natural gas 40.9% |
| North Carolina | 13.8% | 44.1% | Natural gas |
| Georgia | 12.4% | 46.8% | Natural gas |
South Carolina's generation mix in context
Nuclear is the largest source of electricity generated in South Carolina, supplying 52.1% of the state's total during the twelve months from September 2025 to August 2026. This is far higher than the national share of nuclear generation, which stands at 17.6%. Carbon-free sources together — nuclear plus renewables — account for 59.1% of the state's generation, well above the national carbon-free share of 43%.
Renewable generation makes up 7% of South Carolina's electricity, ranking 44th of the 50 states and DC. Solar is the largest renewable source, contributing 3.7% from utility-scale facilities and 4.4% when rooftop solar is included; solar ranks 31st of the 50 states and DC. Both figures are below the national solar share of 7.6%, and the state's renewable share trails the national average by 18.4 percentage points. Both of South Carolina's bordering states have higher renewable shares than this state: North Carolina generates 13.8% from renewables and Georgia 12.4%.
The generation mix has shifted notably since 2001. Coal's share has collapsed, falling from 41.2% in 2001 to 17.4% in 2025. Gas generation has expanded sharply, climbing from 1.3% to 21.5% across the same span. Renewable generation has grown from 2.4% in 2001 to 7.1% in 2025, a gain of 4.7 percentage points, driven chiefly by the addition of solar, which contributed nothing in 2001 but 3.2% in 2025. Nuclear has remained the dominant source throughout, declining slightly from 55.9% in 2001 to 54.2% in 2025.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 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 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.