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Washington DC — New data just released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign, reveal growth of more than 10% in electrical generation by renewable energy sources in the first five months of 2026. Moreover, solar, wind, and battery storage are projected to add about 83.0 gigawatts (GW) of new generating capacity in the U.S. by May 31, 2027 while total fossil fuel and nuclear power capacity will fall by almost 4.7-GW.
Electrical generation by renewables sources grew over 10% and was more than 30% of the U.S. total in the first five months of 2026.
According to the EIA’s latest “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through May 31, 2026), renewably-generated electricity during the first five months of 2026 was 10.1% greater than in the same period of 2025. The growth was led by utility-scale (i.e., >1 megawatt (MW)) solar (up 21.6%), small-scale solar (i.e., <1-MW) (up 12.8%), hydropower (up 10.8%), and wind (up 4.8%). ¹
