The Sun Eclipses Natural Gas as California’s Top Power Supplier

A report from the U.S. Energy Information Association released Tuesday shows that California now gets more power from the sun than from natural gas.

Data for the first five months of this year reveals that solar-powered electricity generation in California’s power grid rose 21% compared to 2024 while natural gas generation dropped by 60%.

The California Independent System Operator manages the flow of electricity across high-voltage, long-distance power lines for about 80% of the state and a small part of Nevada. CAISO reported that utility-scale solar generated more electricity than natural gas on 82% of the days January through May of this year.

Increased Battery Storage Capacity

In addition, from April 2024 to April 2026, utility-scale solar capacity increased by 19% to 25 gigawatts, and net battery storage capacity increased by 79% to 16 GW. This powered a 14% rise in the grid’s total net capacity even though natural gas capacity remained nearly unchanged at 29 GW.

“Battery storage, often co-located with solar, charges when solar generation exceeds grid needs in the middle of the day and contributes power to the grid during the evening and early morning when there is less sun,” the EIA report stated. “In the first five months of 2026, battery storage discharge tripled compared with the same period in 2024.”

The reported noted that CAISO began importing from the new SunZia wind project in New Mexico starting in April 2026. CAISO has also imported more power from Pacific Northwest hydroelectric plants after the end of the drought.

California’s increasing use of sun and wind to power the state flies in the face of Trump administration efforts to block renewable energy projects.

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