Trump tried to kill renewables. They’re growing anyway.
Wind and solar generated more power than coal and nuclear during the first half of the year. Will that trend continue?
Cattle graze under solar panels at a farm in Christiana, Tennessee. Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Hold the obituary for renewables.
U.S. wind and solar generation climbed 10 percent over the first half of 2026, overcoming President Donald Trump’s political attacks to surpass coal and nuclear in the country’s electricity mix.
Coal generation was down 10 percent over the same period while natural gas generation was flat, according to a POLITICO review of federal energy data.
The renewable surge partially reflects former President Joe Biden’s efforts to boost wind and solar generation, with a wave of projects that began under Biden coming online after he left office. But it also underscores the sector’s continued resilience in the face of attacks from Trump, who has ended tax credits for renewable projects, sought to restrict their development on public land and boosted fossil fuels like coal.