Texas’ main grid operator said Thursday that solar topped coal for power generation in its region last year, contradicting a new federal report projecting that breakthrough in 2026.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration published a forecast predicting that — for the first time on an annual basis — utility-scale solar could produce more electricity this year than coal in the region covering most of Texas.
But Trudi Webster, a spokesperson for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said in a statement Thursday that ERCOT reports about fuel mix and energy demand in its region “confirm that solar surpassed coal on an annual basis in 2025.”
The chasm between data from EIA and ERCOT on utility-scale solar power generation last year is enormous — a difference of more than 10 terawatt-hours. One terawatt can power about 250 million homes on a peak day in ERCOT’s region.
