Solar generation edged past coal in April, EIA data show
Total U.S. solar output topped coal for the first time in April, though rooftop systems supplied the margin outside the utility grid.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
U.S. solar power produced more electricity than coal in April when rooftop and other small systems are counted, according to official Energy Information Administration data. The milestone shows how fast solar has grown, while also underscoring that part of that output never flowed onto the utility grid.
The EIA data put coal-fired generation at about 40 terawatt-hours in April. Utility-scale solar produced 31 terawatt-hours, and small-scale photovoltaic systems added another 9.8 terawatt-hours, enough to lift total solar generation just above coal.
Ars Technica reported that preliminary data from Ember had indicated solar passed coal in May 2026 for the first time in the United States. The EIA’s April release shows the crossover came a month earlier when all photovoltaic generation is included.
Rooftop solar made the difference
The distinction matters because utility-scale solar alone did not exceed coal on the grid. Small-scale solar, including rooftop panels on homes and businesses, supplied the gap between the two sources.
Much of that electricity is used where it is generated, Ars Technica reported, meaning it reduces demand from the grid rather than appearing as power delivered through it. The EIA estimates output from those smaller systems as part of its national electricity accounting.
On the grid, coal still held a larger share than utility solar in April. Ars Technica, citing the EIA data, reported that coal supplied 12% of grid power in April 2026, compared with 9.4% for solar. A year earlier, coal accounted for 14% and solar for 8.3%.
Coal’s share keeps shrinking
The April figures reflect two trends moving in opposite directions. Coal generation has resumed its decline after a short-lived increase last year, according to Ars Technica, while solar has continued to expand rapidly.
Ars Technica attributed solar’s growth to its status as the cheapest way to add generating capacity in much of the United States. The publication also noted that solar output is seasonally weaker early in the year, even with year-over-year growth above 20%.
Longer spring days helped lift April solar production. New installations completed late in the previous year also contributed to the increase, according to Ars Technica’s analysis of the EIA data.
When solar is combined with wind and hydropower, renewable generation reached 117 terawatt-hours in April, the EIA data show. That was nearly three times coal’s output and close to the 124 terawatt-hours generated from natural gas.
Ars Technica reported that solar is likely still a few years away from beating coal across a full calendar year. But it said the combination of solar growth and coal’s decline could make solar a larger power source through the summer and beyond, unless demand rises in an unusual way.
The next official check will come with the EIA’s final May figures. Those data will show whether the preliminary May crossover seen by Ember also holds in the federal numbers.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.