US electricity demand continues to climb, but not at the pace suggested by data-center hype. Ars Technica's review of grid data for the first seven months of 2026 shows consumption up 2% from a year earlier, a slower rate than the 3% seen at the same point in 2025. Efficiency gains and on-site generation by data centers may be masking some demand.
Solar's explosive growth is cooling. Utility-scale solar added 39 TWh over the period, down from 48 TWh in the same stretch of 2025, though that still represents 22% annual growth. Small-scale rooftop solar rose 12%. The slowdown comes as the federal government has removed incentives and taken a hostile stance toward renewables, according to the report.
Despite the deceleration, renewables are still doing heavy lifting. Wind and solar alone generated 55 TWh more than a year earlier, exceeding the 51 TWh increase in overall grid demand, and now cover 21% of US electricity. Coal generation fell more than 10%, while natural gas, nuclear, and hydro posted smaller changes. Battery storage is also spreading beyond California and Texas into Arizona, Colorado, and Georgia, and two large offshore wind projects are expected online before a likely pause in such builds.