U.S. wind and solar generation rose 10% year on year in the first half of 2026 to nearly 420 TWh, surpassing both coal and nuclear for the first time over the period despite federal efforts to slow the sector's expansion, E&E News reported, citing federal energy data.

Coal-fired power output fell 10% year on year to 323 TWh, while nuclear climbed 2% to 390 TWh. Natural gas, still the U.S.'s dominant power source, held essentially flat at 767 TWh. Wind and solar combined accounted for 20% of generation, up from 18.6% a year earlier.

The gains largely reflect a construction wave that began before federal incentives were rolled back. The U.S. installed a record 31 GW of solar in 2024 and 29 GW in 2025, with another 9 GW added through May 2026, showed data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). That capacity is now producing power regardless of the current policy environment.

The largest contributor to wind growth is Pattern Energy's Sunzia facility in New Mexico, the biggest renewable project ever built in the U.S. at 3.65 GW, which came online in mid-2026.

Utility-scale solar alone produced nearly 156 TWh through June, up 19% on the year from the same period in 2025, while wind generation rose 5% to 264 TWh, EIA data showed.

Federal land permitting for utility-scale projects has slowed, but developers are shifting to private land, including former agricultural fields. California's Westlands Water District is advancing a 20-GW solar and storage project across more than 100,000 acres of water-constrained Central Valley farmland.

Data center demand is also fueling a parallel gas buildout. While solar accounts for more planned capacity through 2030 at 130 GW than gas at 66 GW, expected electricity output is comparable because gas plants run at much higher capacity factors.

In addition, U.S. power demand rose by 1% on the year in the first half to 2,079 TWh, as per EIA.