ICYMI: Solar Overtakes Coal in Texas as Lone Star State Cements Status as Nation’s #1 Solar Market

AUSTIN, TX – This week, FOX 7 Austin reported that annual electric power generated from solar will surpass that of coal in Texas for the first time in 2026. Solar generation on the ERCOT grid is projected to reach 78 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026, compared to just 60 billion for coal — a milestone that underscores how the Lone Star State’s clean energy boom is reshaping its grid.

HIGHLIGHTS

• “Annual electric power generated from solar will surpass that of coal in Texas for the first time in 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook.”
• “Utility-scale solar generation is expected to reach 78 billion kilowatt-hours in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas grid in 2026, compared to 60 billion kilowatt-hours from coal.”
• “Solar generation is expected to climb to 99 billion kilowatt-hours in 2027. Coal power generation is expected to increase at a much lower rate, up to 66 billion kilowatt-hours.”
• “Solar’s footprint is increasing and has climbed from 4% of all energy generated in Texas in 2021 to 12% in 2025. Coal’s share of energy generation has dropped from 19% to 13% over the same time period.”
• “The Governor is correct when he says Texas has a more reliable grid because of all the added power generation capacity in the last five years. The reality is, almost all of that capacity has come from renewable energy – and most of that in the last three years has been solar,” said Colin Leyden, Texas State Director at Environmental Defense Fund and advisory board member for Climate Power Texas. “Solar, wind, and batteries are keeping the lights on through heat waves and winter storms, saving Texans money, and pulling billions in investment into the state. Coal is being outcompeted in the most pro-energy state in the country.”

Read the full story at FOX 7 Austin: Solar will pass coal in power generation in Texas in 2026

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