Where South Dakota Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, July 2025 – June 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 9.9% | 2,227 GWh |
| Coal | 7.5% | 1,687 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 55.7% | 12,507 GWh |
| Solar | 2.0% | 448 GWh |
| Hydro | 24.7% | 5,542 GWh |
| Other | 0.2% | 36 GWh |
22.4 TWh generated over the 12 months to June 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 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 4.1% | 8.4% | +4.2 pts |
| Coal | 48.8% | 9.1% | −39.7 pts |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 0.0% | 57.2% | +57.1 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 2.0% | +2.0 pts |
| Hydro | 46.4% | 21.9% | −24.4 pts |
| Other | 0.7% | 1.4% | +0.7 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
South Dakota's generation mix in context
Wind dominates South Dakota's electricity generation, supplying 55.4% of the 22.4 TWh generated in the year ending May 2026. Hydroelectric dams contribute a second-largest share of 24.3%, while gas and coal together account for 18.2% of generation. Solar provides 2% of generation, which includes both utility-scale facilities and rooftop solar counted by EIA's methodology.
South Dakota ranks second nationally for renewable electricity, at 81.7% of generation—56.8 percentage points above the national renewable share of 24.9%. The state's carbon-free share matches its renewable share at 81.7%, since it generates no nuclear power. Solar ranks 37th among the states, well below South Dakota's strong renewable position overall.
The generation mix has shifted dramatically since 2001. Wind grew from nothing to 57.2% in 2025, while coal collapsed from 48.8% to 9.1% and hydro fell from 46.4% to 21.9%. Overall renewable generation rose from 46.4% in 2001 to 81.1% in 2025. All six bordering states generate smaller renewable shares than South Dakota. Iowa and Montana both rely substantially on renewables at 61.5% and 62.2% respectively, but all neighbors fall short of South Dakota's renewable intensity.
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 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.