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Although traditional energy sources still generate most of the electricity in the U.S., a nationwide move toward renewables has helped curb emissions in recent years (The New York Times, subscription).

What’s going on: Nationwide, coal use has declined in the past two decades, and natural gas has picked up its slack, while wind power generation has grown steadily.

State by state: Here’s how electricity generation in some of the most populous states changed from 2001 to 2023:

• California: Natural gas has been the state’s chief energy source for producing electricity since 2001—but in 2023, more than half of the power produced there was from renewables and other carbon-free sources. Solar has grown particularly quickly, while nuclear has declined.
• Florida: In 2001, more than one-third of electricity produced in Florida was from coal. Just two years later, natural gas surpassed it, and in 2023, “natural gas fueled three-fourths of Florida’s electricity generation, significantly higher than the national average.” The state has been “slow” to adopt solar power.
• New York: Natural gas and nuclear energy been New York’s main sources of electricity over the past two decades, but gas has started to pull ahead. After shutting down the Indian Point nuclear power plant in 2021, New York saw greenhouse gas emissions rise. Last year, approximately 32% of New York’s power came from renewables, primarily hydropower.
• Pennsylvania: Coal supplied most of Pennsylvania’s electricity until 2014, when natural gas began to take over. Nuclear plant Three Mile Island was shuttered in 2019, but nuclear continues to fuel some 32% of Pennsylvania’s power generation.
• Texas: The Lone Star State makes more electricity than any other in the union, and natural gas is its leading source. Coal-fired generation has fallen in the past decade, while wind has increased. In 2020, wind became Texas’ second-biggest source of electricity generation.

Our view: “Electricity demand is already at an all-time high and will only continue to grow in the coming years and decades,” said NAM Director of Energy and Resources Policy Michael Davin. “If the U.S. is going to be able to meet consumer demand, we need to permit more energy projects that utilize all available sources.”