Solar generation in CAISO surpassed natural gas in the first five months of 2026

California's grid is running more and more on sunshine. In the first five months of 2026, solar power produced more electricity than natural gas plants across the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid operator covering most of the state. Solar output was up 21% compared with the same stretch in 2024, while natural gas generation dropped 60%. Solar beat gas on 82% of days this year, compared with just 21% of days back in 2024 and 2025.

Behind this shift is a buildout of both solar panels and battery storage. Between April 2024 and April 2026, utility-scale solar capacity in CAISO grew 19% to 25 gigawatts, and battery storage capacity jumped 79% to 16 gigawatts. Batteries typically charge up during sunny midday hours when solar is producing more than the grid needs, then discharge that stored power in the evening and early morning. Natural gas capacity, meanwhile, stayed essentially flat at 29 gigawatts.

Even with more solar and batteries online, and demand up 7%, the amount of electricity actually generated within CAISO fell 19%, because the state imported much more power from elsewhere. Cheap hydropower from the Pacific Northwest picked up as drought conditions eased there, and CAISO started drawing wind power from the new SunZia project in New Mexico this April. A fire at a large battery facility and other plant retirements over the past two years also played a role. None of this changes what a homeowner needs to do at home, but it points to a grid increasingly shaped by solar and batteries rather than gas-fired power.