See more from Canary Media’s ​“Chart of the Week” column.

Quick — ignore the map above and take a guess: Which three states get the highest share of their power from wind and solar?

If you said Iowa, South Dakota, and New Mexico, well done. If you had Texas or California in there, fair enough — but neither of those clean-energy behemoths made it onto the podium, per the latest report from trade group American Clean Power Association.

Of the electricity produced in Iowa last year, 61% came from wind and solar — and pretty much all of that was wind. For decades, the state has been a leader on wind energy, though in recent years, development of new projects has dried up because of mounting local opposition and the Trump administration’s broader attacks on renewable energy.

South Dakota is a similar story, at 59%. Consistently gusty weather and ample land have led the state to install lots of wind turbines, and solar is scant in comparison.

New Mexico, which got about half its electricity from wind and solar in 2025, is a bit more balanced. Wind accounted for 36% of its power, and solar for 17%. The state is also a leader in grid batteries, which it is building out quickly to save more renewable energy for periods when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

The leaderboard could soon change as some states charge toward ambitious 2030 clean energy targets. California, for one, saw a massive leap in renewable energy production last year, with solar and wind accounting for 44% of its generation. The year before, that figure was 38%.

In total, 13 states generated more than 30% of their electricity from wind and solar last year, and the clean energy sources provided 17% of the nation’s grid-scale electricity overall — a new record.

Wind and solar are growing in the U.S. despite fierce opposition from the Trump administration, which has ripped away tax credits and slow-rolled or withheld permits for dozens of gigawatts’ worth of projects.

The reason for the sector’s ascent is simple. As electricity demand and utility bills spike, solar and wind — along with batteries — are cheap and fast ways to get more power flowing. The same cannot be said for coal plants (which are expensive to run) or natural gas facilities (which take a long time to build because of an equipment supply crunch).

These facts add up to one outcome: Solar and wind will keep rising to new heights in states across the nation.

Dan McCarthy

is a senior editor at Canary Media.