Where Vermont Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 0.1% | 1 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 17.3% | 357 GWh |
| Solar | 11.3% | 233 GWh |
| Hydro | 51.0% | 1,052 GWh |
| Other | 20.4% | 420 GWh |
2.1 TWh generated over the 12 months to August 2026. Shares are of net generation within Vermont, 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. Vermont generated 418 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 11.3% to 26.2%.
How the mix has shifted since 2001
| Source | 2001 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 0.2% | 0.0% | −0.2 pts |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Nuclear | 76.1% | 0.0% | −76.1 pts |
| Wind | 0.2% | 17.0% | +16.8 pts |
| Solar | 0.0% | 10.5% | +10.5 pts |
| Hydro | 16.1% | 53.4% | +37.3 pts |
| Other | 7.3% | 19.1% | +11.8 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 99.4% | 99.4% | Hydro 51.0% |
| U.S. average | 25.4% | 43.0% | Natural gas 40.9% |
| New York | 29.0% | 49.5% | Natural gas |
| Massachusetts | 23.9% | 23.9% | Natural gas |
| New Hampshire | 12.9% | 65.6% | Nuclear |
Vermont's generation mix in context
Hydroelectric generation supplied 51% of Vermont's electricity from September 2025 to August 2026, making it by far the largest source. Wind contributed 17.3%, and solar accounted for 11.3% of utility-scale generation, or 26.2% when rooftop solar is included. Together, renewables made up 99.4% of the state's generation, matching its carbon-free share. This renewable share ranks first of the 50 states and DC with generation data, and solar ranks tenth.
The energy mix has shifted dramatically since 2001. Nuclear power, which supplied 76.1% in 2001, has been entirely phased out. Hydroelectric generation rose from 16.1% in 2001 to 53.4% in 2025, while wind grew from 0.2% to 17%, and solar emerged from nothing to 10.5% in 2025. Gas fell from 0.2% to zero, and other sources grew from 7.3% to 19.1%.
Vermont's renewable generation far exceeds the national average of 25.4%. All three of its bordering states—New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire—rely far more heavily on fossil fuels and nuclear power, with renewable shares of 29%, 23.9%, and 12.9% respectively. Nationally, natural gas is the largest source at 40.9%, while coal supplies 15.4% and nuclear 17.6%, making Vermont's generation profile fundamentally different from the country as a whole.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What percentage of Vermont's electricity comes from renewable energy?
›What percentage of Vermont's power comes from solar?
›Where does Vermont get most of its electricity?
›Does Vermont still burn coal for electricity?
›Is Vermont 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.