Where Tennessee Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 20.7% | 16,802 GWh |
| Coal | 22.0% | 17,874 GWh |
| Nuclear | 45.4% | 36,779 GWh |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Solar | 2.0% | 1,629 GWh |
| Hydro | 9.9% | 7,988 GWh |
| Other | -0.0% | -4 GWh |
81.1 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 2026. Shares are of net generation within Tennessee, 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. Tennessee generated 85 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 2.0% to 2.1%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 14.3% | 23.5% | +9.2 pts |
| Coal | 39.3% | 24.2% | −15.1 pts |
| Nuclear | 37.3% | 39.3% | +2.0 pts |
| Wind | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Solar | 0.1% | 1.8% | +1.7 pts |
| Hydro | 8.5% | 11.2% | +2.7 pts |
| Other | 0.5% | 0.1% | −0.4 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 12.5% | 57.8% | Nuclear 45.4% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| Missouri | 14.7% | 27.1% | Coal |
| North Carolina | 14.3% | 45.0% | Natural gas |
| Arkansas | 13.8% | 34.6% | Natural gas |
| Virginia | 13.7% | 40.4% | Natural gas |
| Georgia | 12.5% | 47.2% | Natural gas |
| Kentucky | 8.6% | 8.6% | Coal |
| Alabama | 8.4% | 40.3% | Natural gas |
| Mississippi | 6.6% | 19.5% | Natural gas |
Tennessee's generation mix in context
Nuclear power generated 45.4% of Tennessee's electricity in the twelve months to May 2026, making it by far the largest source. Coal supplied 22.0%, gas 20.7%, hydro 9.9%, and solar 2.0% on a utility-scale basis or 2.1% when rooftop solar is included. Together, carbon-free sources accounted for 57.8% of generation, well above the national average of 42.6%, while renewables—wind, solar, hydro, and the renewable portion of other sources—reached 12.5%, placing Tennessee 37th among the 51 states and DC with generation data.
Over the past decade, the mix has shifted substantially. Coal fell from 39.3% in 2016 to 24.2% in 2025, a decline of 15.1 percentage points, while gas rose from 14.3% to 23.5%. Nuclear edged up slightly from 37.3% to 39.3%. Renewable generation grew from 9.9% to 13.6% in 2025, driven mostly by hydro increasing from 8.5% to 11.2% and solar growing from 0.1% to 1.8%, with wind remaining absent throughout.
Tennessee's renewable share lags the national figure of 24.9% by 12.4 percentage points. Among its eight bordering states, four—Missouri, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Virginia—have higher renewable shares, while Georgia matches Tennessee at 12.5% and Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi fall below it.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Tennessee's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Tennessee's power comes from solar?
›Where does Tennessee get most of its electricity?
›Does Tennessee still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Tennessee 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.