US wind + solar outproduced coal and nuclear in Q1 2025 – EIA
All renewable energy sources, including wind + solar, produced more than a quarter of US electrical generation in Q1 2025 and provided nearly a third of total US electrical generation in March alone, according to US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.
Solar set a new record in Q1 2025
In EIA’s latest monthly “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through March 31, 2025), the data confirmed that solar continues to be the fastest-growing source of electricity.
Utility-scale (>1 megawatt (MW)) solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 43.9% while “estimated” small-scale (rooftop) solar PV increased by 11.1% during Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by 33.7% and was almost 6.8% of total US electrical generation for January to March, up from 5.3% a year earlier. As a consequence, solar-generated electricity surpassed the output of US hydropower plants (5.7%).
In March alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar increased by 45.6% while that from small-scale systems rose by 13%. Combined, they provided 9.1% of US electrical output during the month.
Wind had a strong first quarter
Wind turbines across the US produced 9.5% more electricity in Q1 2025 than they did a year before.
That output was nearly one-eighth (12.2%) of total US electrical generation and more than double that produced by US hydropower plants.
In March alone, wind-generated electricity increased by 11.1% and provided 14.8% of the US electricity supply.
Wind + solar outproduced coal + nuclear
In Q1 2025, electrical generation by wind plus utility-scale and small-scale solar provided 19% of the US total, up from 17% year-over-year. In just the month of March, solar + wind accounted for 23.9% of U electrical output.
During Q1 2025, wind + solar provided 6.8% more electricity than coal and 6% more than US nuclear power plants. In March alone, the gap increased significantly when solar + wind outproduced coal and nuclear power by 66.5% and 31%, respectively.
Renewables’ electrical output is closing in on natural gas
The mix of all renewables – wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, geothermal – produced 10.5% more electricity in Q1 2025 than they did a year ago (12.5% more in March alone) and provided 26.1% of total US electricity production compared to 24.8% year-over-year.
Electrical generation by all renewables combined in March alone reached a new record and provided 31.9% of total US electrical generation. For the first time, it nipped at the heels of natural gas (34.8%), which saw a drop in electrical output of 8.9%.
For perspective, five years ago (May 2020), the mix of renewables provided 21.9% of total electrical generation while natural gas accounted for 41.9%. A decade ago (May 2015), renewables provided 15.1% of total generation while natural gas provided 30.5%; most of the balance was accounted for by coal (33.5%), and nuclear power provided 19.9%.
The renewables mix has strengthened its position as the second largest source of electrical generation, behind only natural gas, with the gap closing rapidly.
EIA forecast strong growth for renewables
The growth of solar, wind, and other renewables is consistent with several forecasts issued by EIA during the past five months.
In its “Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory” report issued in late December 2024, EIA forecast 32.5 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity to be added to the grid in 2025, along with 7.7 GW of new wind capacity and 18.2 GW of utility-scale battery storage.
Similarly, in early spring, EIA released its “Annual Energy Outlook 2025” report that explores potential longer-term US energy trends. In it, the agency foresees a nearly 50% increase in installed solar capacity during the Trump administration’s term. Moreover, electrical generation by grid-connected PV solar during that time would more than double from 201.1 billion kilowatt-hours (bKWh) to 420.1 bKWh. Onshore wind generation would rise from 153.4 bKWh to 175.4 bKWh while offshore wind could increase from 0.2 bKWh to 18.7 bKWh.
Finally, in its “Short-Term Energy Outlook” report issued in early May, EIA projected 26.3% growth in solar installations in 2025, increasing from 121 GW of installed capacity at the end of 2024 to 153 GW by the end of this year. It expects another 19.5% growth in cumulative capacity next year, reaching 182 GW by the end of 2026. During that period, actual generation would grow from 0.217 trillion kilowatt-hours (tKWh) to 0.343 tKWh. Wind would expand from 0.453 tKWh to 0.494 tKWh.
“Renewable energy sources, led by solar and wind, are clearly outpacing fossil fuels and nuclear power,” said the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director, Ken Bossong. “It therefore defies logic that the Trump administration and the Republican Congress would be trying to curtail that growth in favor of dirtier and more expensive technologies.”
Read more: FERC: Solar + wind made up 98% of new US power generating capacity in Q1 2025
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Environment
Google to invest $25 billion in data centers and AI infrastructure across largest U.S. electric grid
Locals call him the “Bicycle hero,” but Texas man Evan Wayne says he’s just doing what he can to help his community after it was cut off due to the recent devastating and deadly flooding tragedy.
When the local Sandy Creek flooded following torrential rains in Texas, it destroyed the only bridge into one community. Residents were cut off from access to supplies, including everything from necessities like food, water, and medicine to basic comforts.
Although the bridge was impassable to cars, volunteers who quickly organized to help the stranded residents found that the damaged bridge could still be traversed on foot. Or in the case of Evan Wayne, it could be covered by an electric bike.
Evan joined hundreds of volunteers who answered the call of grassroots organizers by working together without any official capacity. While many started by hand-pulling garden carts of supplies uphill to reach the stricken community, Evan jury-rigged a trailer to an e-bike and took on as much of the load as he could, helping shuttle much-needed food and gear into the community over hundreds of round-trip journeys.
“This was a dog trailer 48 hours ago. I had a hacksaw, hacked the top off, grabbed some bungee cords, and here we are,” explained Evan in an interview with CBS Austin, while waiting for the next load of gear to be stacked on his trailer.
In the first two days of the operation, he made around 100 round trips each day, shuttling food and water as well as critical rescue supplies. “Right now, I’m waiting on a couple of chainsaws that I’ll bring in for a crew that’s been going at it with handsaws so far.”
In addition to delivering needed supplies, Evan has often found himself moving something even more important: information. “I’ve flagged down medics. I’ve been the guy that goes between Austin EMT and STAR Flight because I’m quicker than cell phones sometimes, people don’t have signal a lot of the time.”
Evan quickly points out that he isn’t the only one helping. “I’ve got an e-bike, but other people are pulling carts. People are walking, people are carrying things. Everyone is doing what they can.” But there’s no doubt that his ability to carry more gear at higher speeds and make hundreds of round-trip journeys so far in and out of the stricken neighborhood has helped impact countless lives.
“This is all volunteers here. They’re just taking it upon themselves to get people where they need to go. I think there’s an umbrella company coming in, taking over tomorrow, but until they get here, people are just taking care of people, which is what you’ve got to do.”
E-bikes proving their worth in emergencies
While many people consider electric bicycles just another form of recreation, they’ve proven to be potent transportation alternatives after natural disasters worldwide.
Not only do their small and efficient batteries make performing hundreds of rescue trips like Evans’ possible, but recharging can be done simply and easily with a solar panel when electricity is out after a disaster. And when gas stations are out of fuel (or simply can’t pump it with the power grid down), e-bikes can keep running while gasoline-powered motorcycles or ATVs run dry.
Electric bicycle batteries have also proven to be a handy source of emergency power after hurricanes and other disasters, often helping owners keep their phones charged up for days to remain in contact with family or rescue services.
While most hope to never need theirs for emergency purposes, electric bicycles have proven their worth in countless disaster scenarios, adding benefits far beyond just alternative transportation, recreation, or fitness riding.
Image credits: CBS Austin (screenshots), used under fair use
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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies during a remote video hearing held by subcommittees of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee on “Social Media’s Role in Promoting Extremism and Misinformation” in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2021.
Handout | Via Reuters
Block jumped more than 5% on Monday, leading a rally in shares of fintech companies as analysts downplayed the threat of JPMorgan Chase’s reported plan to charge data aggregators for access to customer financial information.
The recovery followed steep declines on Friday, after Bloomberg reported that JPMorgan had circulated pricing sheets outlining potential fees for aggregators like Plaid and Yodlee, which connect fintech platforms to users’ bank data.
In a note to clients on Monday, Evercore ISI analysts said the potential new expenses were “far from a ‘business model-breaking’ cost increase.”
In addition to Block’s rise, PayPal climbed 3.5% on Monday after sliding Friday. Robinhood and Shift4 recorded modest gains.
Broader market momentum helped fuel some of the rebound. The Nasdaq closed at a record, and crypto rallied, with bitcoin climbing past $123,000. Ether, solana, and other altcoins also gained.
Evercore ISI’s analysts said that even if JPMorgan’s changes were implemented, the most immediate effect would be a slight bump in the cost of one-time account setups — perhaps 50 to 60 cents.
Morgan Stanley echoed that view, writing that any impact would be “negligible,” especially for large fintechs that rely more on debit, credit, or stored balances than bank account pulls for transactions.
PayPal doesn’t anticipate much short-term impact, according to a person with knowledge of the issue. The person, who asked not to be named in order to speak about private financial matters, noted that PayPal relies on aggregators primarily for account verification and already has long-term pricing contracts in place.
While smaller fintechs that depend heavily on automated clearing house (ACH) rails or Open Banking frameworks for onboarding and compliance may face real pressure if the fees take effect, analysts said the larger platforms are largely insulated.
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