Where Vermont Gets Its Electricity
Net generation by source · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.
Generation mix
| Source | Share | Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 0.1% | 1 GWh |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0 GWh |
| Wind | 16.0% | 349 GWh |
| Solar | 10.9% | 239 GWh |
| Hydro | 53.0% | 1,156 GWh |
| Other | 20.0% | 438 GWh |
2.2 TWh generated over the 12 months to May 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 329 GWh that way. Counting it on both sides of the ratio takes solar from 10.9% to 22.6%.
How the mix has shifted since 2016
| Source | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 0.1% | 0.0% | −0.1 pts |
| Coal | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 0.0% | — |
| Wind | 15.2% | 17.0% | +1.8 pts |
| Solar | 3.1% | 10.5% | +7.4 pts |
| Hydro | 56.4% | 53.4% | −3.0 pts |
| Other | 25.2% | 19.1% | −6.1 pts |
Compared with the U.S. and nearby states
| Where | Renewable | Carbon-free | Largest source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 98.5% | 98.5% | Hydro 53.0% |
| U.S. average | 24.9% | 42.6% | Natural gas 40.8% |
| New York | 29.0% | 49.5% | Natural gas |
| Massachusetts | 21.2% | 21.2% | Natural gas |
| New Hampshire | 13.6% | 66.5% | Nuclear |
Vermont's generation mix in context
Hydropower supplies 53% of Vermont's electricity generation, the largest share by far. The state generates 98.5% of its power from renewable and carbon-free sources, the highest renewable share in the nation. Solar accounts for 10.9% of generation from utility-scale plants alone, or 22.6% when rooftop solar is included. Wind contributes 16%, while other sources, which include geothermal and biomass alongside petroleum and pumped storage, make up 20%. Fossil fuels supply just 0.1%.
Over the ten years to 2025, the renewable share fell slightly from 99.7% to 99.1%, as hydro declined by 3.0 percentage points. Solar grew sharply, rising 7.4 percentage points to 10.5%, while wind added 1.8 percentage points to 17%. Other renewables and non-renewable sources shrank by 6.1 percentage points combined.
All three bordering states generate far lower renewable shares: New York produces 29%, Massachusetts 21.2%, and New Hampshire 13.6%. Nationally, renewables account for just 24.9% of generation, with natural gas as the dominant source at 40.8%. Vermont ranks tenth among all states and DC for solar share, standing well above the national average of 7.2%.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 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 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.