From July 2025 through June 2026, more than half of Idaho’s electricity consumption—about 58%—was supplied by low-carbon generation. Hydropower was the largest clean source at about 38%, followed by wind at 11%, solar at 7%, and biofuels at roughly 2%. Solar included about 6% from utility-scale installations and 1% from systems behind the meter, such as rooftop panels. Fossil generation, entirely gas in these data, supplied about 19%, while net imports supplied another 23%. Because the imports’ generation mix is not specified, they should be kept separate rather than classified as clean or fossil electricity.

Is Electricity Growing in Idaho?

Idaho’s electricity consumption per person is not currently growing, but its low-carbon generation per person is rising strongly. The latest 2026 consumption figure was about 14,440 kWh per person, just below the 2025 record of roughly 14,500—a decline of 60 kWh, or less than 1%. In contrast, low-carbon generation reached about 8,330 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record of roughly 7,500 in 2025 by 830 kWh, or about 11%. That clean electricity growth is encouraging, although the slight decline in consumption per person warrants attention as electrification and AI create additional electricity demand. These per-person figures alone do not establish whether total statewide consumption grew.

Suggestions

Idaho can increase clean electricity generation by expanding its established wind sector while accelerating solar development and considering nuclear generation. Nearby regions offer useful examples: the US states of Wyoming and Montana generate about 31% and 23% of their electricity from wind, respectively, compared with Idaho’s roughly 11%. For solar, the US states of Nevada and Utah generate about 35% and 20%, showing the substantial contribution solar can make in the broader western region. The US state of Arizona also offers a combined example, generating about a quarter of its electricity from nuclear and a fifth from solar. Idaho could draw on these experiences to build a larger, diversified low-carbon electricity supply, support future demand, and reduce reliance on gas generation and its climate and air-pollution impacts.

History

Across 2024–2026, Idaho’s reported low-carbon electricity gains were led by hydropower. Hydro generation increased by 0.8 TWh in 2024, another 0.6 TWh in 2025, and 1.5 TWh in 2026—a combined gain of 2.9 TWh. Wind grew strongly in 2024, adding 0.7 TWh, but added only 0.1 TWh in 2025 and showed no change in 2026, making renewed expansion an important opportunity. Biofuels increased by 0.1 TWh in 2025 and were unchanged in the other two years, while geothermal showed no change throughout the period. Overall, the substantial hydro gains are welcome, but sustained growth across wind, solar, and potential nuclear generation would help broaden Idaho’s clean electricity progress.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.