US Adds 11.7 GW of New Solar Capacity in Q3, Third Largest Quarter on Record

The U.S. solar industry installed 11.7 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity in Q3 2025, marking its third-largest quarter on record and pushing total installations for the year past 30 GW. Despite federal actions targeting clean energy, solar and storage accounted for 85 percent of all new power added to the grid in the first nine months of the Trump Administration.

According to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Q4 2025 report released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, 73 percent of all solar capacity installed this year has come from states won by President Trump. These include eight of the top 10 states for new installations: Texas, Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Utah, Kentucky, and Arkansas. Utah entered the top 10 this quarter following the commissioning of two utility-scale projects totaling more than 1 GW.

Federal Actions 

Federal actions, including a July memo from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) aimed at slowing utility-scale solar and storage development, have contributed to growing business uncertainty. In the absence of clear guidance on permitting timelines or project approvals, the report’s utility-scale solar deployment forecast through 2030 remains largely unchanged from the previous quarter.

“This record-setting quarter for solar deployment shows that the market is continuing to turn to solar to meet rising demand,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “Remarkable growth in Texas, Indiana, Utah, and other states won by President Trump shows just how decisively the market is moving toward solar. But unless this administration reverses course, the future of clean, affordable, and reliable solar and storage will be frozen by uncertainty, and Americans will continue to see their energy bills rise. America’s manufacturing surge, global competitiveness, and billions in private investment are on the line.”

New Solar Manufacturing Lines 

With two new solar module manufacturing plants opening in Louisiana and South Carolina—adding 4.7 GW of capacity—the United States has brought online 17.7 GW of new module manufacturing in 2025. A new wafer facility in Michigan that began operations in Q3 means the country can now produce every major component of the solar module supply chain.

“We expect 250 gigawatts of solar capacity to be installed between 2025 and 2030. But the U.S. solar industry has even greater potential,” said Michelle Davis, head of solar research at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report. “We are tracking substantial growth in power demand nationwide. The solar industry is well positioned to meet more of this new demand if existing constraints are resolved, presenting upside to our forecast.”

Last month, SEIA published an analysis of EIA data showing that more than 73 GW of solar projects are awaiting permits and remain vulnerable to politically driven delays or cancellations.