Signal Utility-scale solar outproduced gas plants on 82% of days Jan–May 2026 in parts of US

Summary

According to Canary Media and a corroborating US Energy Information Administration report, utility-scale solar outproduced gas plants on 82% of days in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) market during the first five months of 2026, up sharply from 21% over the same period in 2024 and 2025. Utility-scale solar generation in CAISO rose 21% compared with the same period in 2024, while electricity generation from natural gas plants fell 60% over the same stretch. Battery storage capacity in CAISO expanded 79% to 16 gigawatts between April 2024 and April 2026, helping extend solar's usable output into evening hours, even as installed gas capacity (29 GW) still exceeds utility-scale solar capacity (25 GW). Electricity imports into California doubled over the period, aided by eased drought conditions boosting Pacific Northwest hydropower and new imports beginning in April from the SunZia wind project in New Mexico. The shift occurred despite the Trump administration's policies supporting coal and constraining solar development.