Under the Sun
Solar generation is expected to reach 78 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026 in the ERCOT grid.
Solar power promises to shine even brighter in Texas this year. A new forecast from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicates that for the first time, annual power generation from utility-scale solar will surpass annual power generation from coal across the territory covered by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
Solar generation is expected to reach 78 billion kilowatt-hours in 2026 in the ERCOT grid, compared with 60 billion kilowatt-hours for coal, the EIA forecast says. The ERCOT grid supplies power to about 90 percent of Texas.
“Utility-scale solar generation has been increasing steadily in ERCOT as solar capacity additions help meet rapid electricity demand growth,” the forecast says.
Although natural gas remains the dominant source of electricity generation in ERCOT, accounting for an average 44 percent of electricity generation from 2021 to 2025, solar’s share of the generation mix rose from four percent to 12 percent. During the same period, coal’s share dropped from 19 percent to 13 percent.
EIA predicts about 40 percent of U.S. solar capacity, or 14 billion kilowatt-hours, added in 2026 will come from Texas.
Although EIA expects annual solar generation to exceed annual coal generation in 2026, solar surpassed coal in ERCOT on a monthly basis for the first time in March 2025, when solar generation totaled 4.33 billion kilowatt-hours and coal’s totaled 4.16 billion kilowatt-hours. Solar generation continued to exceed that of coal until August of that year.
“In 2026, we estimate that solar exceeded coal for the first time in March, and we forecast generation from solar installations in ERCOT will continue to exceed that from coal until December, when coal generation exceeds solar,” says EIA. “We expect solar generation to exceed that of coal for every month in 2027 except January and December.”
For 2027, EIA forecasts annual solar generation of 99 billion kilowatt-hours in the ERCOT grid, compared with 66 billion kilowatt-hours of annual coal generation.
In April, ERCOT projected almost 368 billion kilowatt-hours of demand in ERCOT’s territory by 2032. ERCOT’s all-time peak demand hit 85.5 billion kilowatt-hours in August 2023.
“Texas is experiencing exceptional growth and development, which is reshaping how large load demand is identified, verified, and incorporated into long-term planning,” ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said. “As a result of a changing landscape, we believe this forecast to be higher than expected … load growth.”
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This article first appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.
career hotspot
Austin is a city full of success stories, from small businesses to restaurants, so it should come as no surprise that the city has emerged as the third-best city for starting a career. That's according to a new study from WalletHub.
The ranking was awarded for Austin's high quality of life and its vast opportunities for new college graduates transitioning into the workforce. The study compared 182 U.S. cities based on 25 relevant metrics, like the availability of entry-level jobs, each city's annual job growth rate, workforce diversity, median annual income, housing affordability, and others.
Atlanta and Orlando were the two cities that ranked just slightly higher on the list for early career professionals. Austin claimed the top spot in Texas, and No. 3 spot nationally. Last year, Austin ranked fifth in the U.S.
Austin boasts the best quality of life out of all 182 cities in the report, and the 10th best professional opportunities. Austin also outperforms all other U.S. cities with the highest monthly average starting salaries for early career workers after being adjusted for the city's cost of living. Austin also offers the 15th highest number of entry level jobs per capita, the report said.
In a separate comparison of the cities with the largest share of residents aged 25 to 34, Austin ranked No. 5 nationally.
"In addition, Austin’s median annual household income is the 10th-highest in the nation, providing strong earning potential for those starting a career or a business," the report said. "Austin is also the sixth best city for singles, offering a vibrant social scene alongside strong career opportunities for young professionals."
Early career professionals aren't the only ones that can benefit from a move to Austin. Earlier this year, WalletHub dubbed Austin one of the 10 best U.S. cities for finding a job, citing the city's favorable socioeconomic status and ample job opportunities across all career stages.
Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas ranked as the second-best city in Texas for new grads to start a career and 12th nationally. Additional cities that made it into the top 100 best U.S. cities for early career professionals include Plano (No. 32), Irving (No. 42), Houston (No. 51), Fort Worth (No. 64), Amarillo (No. 73), and San Antonio (No. 85).
The top 10 best cities for starting a career are:
