Where South Dakota Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 10.2% | 2,287 GWh |
| Coal | 7.9% | 1,774 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 55.4% | 12,397 GWh |
| Solar | 2.0% | 449 GWh |
| Hydro | 24.3% | 5,430 GWh |
| Other | 0.2% | 35 GWh |
22.4 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within South Dakota, 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 Dakota generated 9 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 2.0% to 2.0%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 8.0% | 8.4% | +0.4 pts |
| Coal | 18.1% | 9.1% | −8.9 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 32.2% | 57.2% | +24.9 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 2.0% | +2.0 pts |
| Hydro | 41.7% | 21.9% | −19.8 pts |
| Other | 0.0% | 1.4% | +1.4 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
South Dakota's generation mix in context
Wind is the dominant source of electricity generation in South Dakota, supplying 55.4% of the state's generation since June 2025. Hydroelectric power is the second-largest source at 24.3%, while gas and coal together account for 18.1% of the mix. The state generates 22.4 TWh in a year.
South Dakota ranks second nationwide for renewable electricity generation at 81.7%, far ahead of the national renewable share of 24.9%. Carbon-free generation, which includes renewables and nuclear power, also totals 81.7%. Solar accounts for 2.0% of generation whether counted as utility-scale alone or including rooftop solar. South Dakota ranks 37th among the 51 states and DC for solar generation.
Over the decade from 2016 to 2025, wind generation surged 25.0 percentage points to reach 57.2% in 2025, while hydroelectric power fell 19.8 points to 21.9%. Coal shrank 9.0 points to 9.1%, and solar grew 2.0 points from nothing to 2.0%. Renewable generation climbed 7.2 points to 81.1% in 2025. All six bordering states have lower renewable shares than South Dakota, with Montana and Iowa closest at 62.2% and 61.5% respectively, and Nebraska lowest at 32.2%..
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of South Dakota's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of South Dakota's power comes from solar?
›Where does South Dakota get most of its electricity?
›Does South Dakota still burn coal for electricity?
›Is South Dakota 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.