Renewables help US power system survive summer stress test: Maguire
SPY•Record renewable generation supplied much of the extra electricity during the summer of 2026 as heat, air-conditioning use and data-center demand stressed US power systems. In Texas, clean-power generation rose more than 11% in the first nine months while demand grew roughly 4%; fossil-fuel generation increased by less than 1%.
1. Renewables meet rising demand
Across major US power markets, record heat, air-conditioning use and expanding data-center demand increased electricity consumption, but fossil-fuel generation did not rise proportionately. Renewable sources supplied much of the additional power, with solar and wind contributing to the growth.
2. Texas and PJM figures
In Texas, electricity load grew roughly 4% in the first nine months of 2026 from a year earlier, while clean-power generation rose more than 11%. Solar output expanded roughly 26% and wind climbed more than 8%, while fossil-fuel generation increased by less than 1%. In PJM, clean-power generation rose around 2.5% from January through September, compared with roughly 1.2% growth in demand; solar output grew more than 20%, and fossil-fuel generation rose 0.4%.
3. Solar and storage role
Solar generation set records in Texas and California over the summer, and its share of PJM's generation mix rose to 4.4% for May through August, from 2.9% for all of 2025. Battery storage is extending daytime solar power into evening hours, while gas-fired generation remains an important source of flexibility. The article says coal continues to lose market share to renewables.
