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By Shelby Webb | 05/15/2026 06:34 AM EDT
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said solar outproduced coal power in its region in 2025, while a new federal projection put 2026 as the first year that could happen.
The growing role of solar power generation in Texas is receiving state and national attention. Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images
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.
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