According to the latest update from energy consultants Ember, renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydropower, and bioenergy together provided just over a third of the country’s electricity. Natural gas accounted for another third, with nuclear and coal sharing the remainder.
The current situation reflects the rapid growth of solar and wind power, which represented 93% of new energy capacity added in 2025, according to a US Energy Department agency. However, the fact that this happened in March also serves as a reminder that one month doesn’t necessarily make a year: warmer-than-normal temperatures in the early spring across the western US have led to a decrease in heating demand.
Nevertheless, the gap between fossil fuels and renewables is narrowing, despite Washington’s efforts to favor the former over the latter.
Coal, which had already been outperformed in the 2010s, continues to see its market share decline year after year. On the other hand, natural gas is still growing in the US, and the increasing demand for electricity, driven in part by the proliferation of data centers to power artificial intelligence, could ensure a reprieve for natural gas.
On a global scale, the International Energy Agency predicts that renewable energy sources will meet half of the new energy demand created by AI in the next five years.
