Despite Policy Headwinds, US Solar Drives 72% of New Capacity Additions: Report

Solar accounted for 72% of US electrical generating capacity added during the first ten months of 2025, based on a review of data belatedly released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and analysed by the SUN DAY Campaign.

Solar continues to dominate new capacity additions and has held the lead among all energy sources for 26 consecutive months. As a consequence, for the first time, installed utility-scale solar capacity now exceeds that of wind. Further, FERC foresees solar adding another 90 gigawatts (GW) over the next three years, by which time solar capacity will be greater than that of either nuclear power or coal.

Solar Accounts For 60% of New Capacity in October & 72% YTD

In its latest monthly Energy Infrastructure Update report (with data through October 31, 2025), FERC said 66 “units” of solar totalling 1,082 megawatts (MW) were placed into service in October, accounting for 59.8% of all new generating capacity added during the month. Natural gas provided the balance (727 MW), along with 1 MW of new oil capacity.

The newest facilities include the 153.0-MW Felina Project in El Paso, Texas; the 150.0-MW Ratts 1 Solar Project in Pike County, Indiana; and the 145-MW Axial Basin Solar Project in Moffat County, Colorado. The 649 units of utility-scale (i.e., >1 MW) solar added during the first ten months of 2025 totalled 22,457 MW—slightly less than the 22,618 MW added during the same period in 2024—and accounted for 72.0% of the total new capacity placed into service by all sources.

As a result, for the first time ever, the installed generating capacity of utility-scale solar has surpassed that of wind, which stands at 160.09 GW.

Solar has now been the largest source of new generating capacity added each month for 26 consecutive months, from September 2023 through October 2025. During that period, total utility-scale solar capacity grew from 91.82 GW to 160.56 GW. No other energy source added anything close to that amount of new capacity. Wind, for example, expanded by 12.39 GW, while natural gas’ net increase was just 6.55 GW.

Wind additions through October exceed those of natural gas

Between January and October, new wind capacity additions totalled 4,746 MW—an increase of 55% compared to a year earlier and more than the new capacity provided by natural gas (3,896 MW). Wind thus accounted for 15.2% of all new capacity added during the first ten months of 2025.

The US adds more than 87% renewable energy capacity year-to-date

Year-to-date (YTD), wind and solar—joined by 4 MW of hydropower and 6 MW of biomass—accounted for 87.2% of all new generating capacity, while natural gas added just 12.4%. The remaining net capacity additions came from oil (66 MW) and waste heat (17 MW).

All renewables combined exceed one-third of US generating capacity

Taken together, wind and solar constitute nearly one-fourth (23.79%) of the United States' total available installed utility-scale generating capacity.

Moreover, more than 25% of US solar capacity is in the form of small-scale (e.g., rooftop) systems that are not reflected in FERC’s data. Including that additional solar capacity would bring the share provided by solar and wind to more than a quarter of the nation’s total.

With the inclusion of hydropower (7.57%), biomass (1.05%) and geothermal (0.31%), renewables currently claim a 32.72% share of total US utility-scale generating capacity. If small-scale solar capacity is included, renewables account for more than one-third of total US power generating capacity.

Solar is on track to become the second-largest US generation source

FERC reports that net “high probability” additions of solar between November 2025 and October 2028 total 89,720 MW. This is more than four times the forecast net “high probability” additions for wind (19,660 MW), the second-fastest growing resource. FERC also foresees net growth for hydropower (555 MW) and geothermal (92 MW), but a decrease of 124 MW in biomass capacity.

Meanwhile, natural gas capacity is projected to expand by 8,983 MW and nuclear power by just 335 MW, while coal and oil are expected to contract by 19,741 MW and 1,363 MW, respectively.

Taken together, net new “high probability” utility-scale capacity additions from all renewable energy sources over the next three years, that is, during the Trump administration’s remaining time in office—would total 109,903 MW. In contrast, the installed capacity of fossil fuels and nuclear power combined would shrink by 11,786 MW.

Should FERC’s three-year forecast materialise, by mid-fall 2028, utility-scale solar would account for 17.3% of installed US generating capacity—more than any other source except natural gas (40.1%). Further, the combined capacity of all utility-scale renewable energy sources would exceed 38%. Including small-scale solar—assuming it retains its 25% share of total solar capacity—could push solar’s share above 20% and that of all renewables beyond 41%, while natural gas would decline to about 38%.

In fact, the numbers for renewables could be significantly higher. FERC notes that “all additions” (net) for utility-scale solar over the next three years could be as high as 232,487 MW, while wind additions could total 65,658 MW. Hydropower’s net additions could reach 9,932 MW, while geothermal and biomass could increase by 202 MW and 34 MW, respectively. Such growth by renewable sources would significantly exceed that of natural gas (30,508 MW).

“It has now been a full year since Trump launched his assault on renewable energy with a string of anti-solar and anti-wind executive orders,” said SUN DAY Campaign Executive Director Ken Bossong. “And while they may have slowed progress, the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy sources continue to drive their dramatic growth.”