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MacroSnaps3 July 2026
No. 03

Solar just outproduced coal in the US for the first time ever.

Solar and coal as a share of US electricity generation, 2010 to 2026. Percent.
Coal made nearly half of America's electricity in 2010. It now makes about an eighth.
Solar13%(2026)Coal12%(2026)

Solar and coal as a share of US electricity generation, 2010 to 2026. Percent.

Why this is happening
  • Solar is now the cheapest new power to build almost anywhere, so utilities keep adding it and little else.
  • Coal plants are old and costly to run, so they are being retired far faster than anyone builds new ones.
  • May is a high-sun, low-demand month, so it is where a fast-growing solar fleet first edges past a shrinking coal one.
The take

Coal is not being regulated away, it is being out-priced, and that does not reverse. Cheap power is becoming the economy's new advantage, and the AI data-centre boom is about to make it priceless.

Source: Ember (May 2026)
Energy & climatemacrosnaps.app

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The underlying data

MacroSnaps drew this chart. The numbers in it are published by Ember (May 2026). Their terms, not ours, govern the underlying data.