Solar, wind and battery storage are on track to account for almost all net new U.S. power generation capacity in 2026, according to an analysis by advocacy group SUN DAY Campaign based on newly released data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The group said EIA figures show solar remained the fastest-growing source of U.S. electricity through November 2025. Utility-scale solar generation in November rose 33.9% from a year earlier, while small-scale systems increased by 11.0%, lifting combined solar output by 27.5% to 7.2% of total U.S. electricity.
Over the first 11 months of 2025, utility-scale solar expanded by 34.5% and small-scale solar by 11.3%, raising their combined share to just under 9.0%, SUN DAY said.
Wind provided 10.1% of U.S. generation during the same period, reflecting annual growth of 1.2%, with output in November alone up 2.0% year-on-year.
Together, wind and solar supplied 19.0% of U.S. electricity in the first 11 months of 2025, up from 17.3% in 2024. SUN DAY said the pair generated 16.9% more power than coal and 10.1% more than nuclear over the period.
Total renewable generation, including hydropower, biomass and geothermal, rose 8.7% year-on-year to account for 25.7% of U.S. electricity output, while natural gas generation fell 3.7%, the group said.
From January through November 2025, utility-scale solar capacity increased by 22,237.2 megawatts (MW), alongside 5,460.5 MW of small-scale additions. Battery storage expanded by 49.4%, adding 13,357.0 MW. Wind capacity grew by 4,234.2 MW, while natural gas added 4,152.2 MW and nuclear rose by 46.0 MW.
Coal capacity declined by 4,141.1 MW and petroleum-based generation by 514.1 MW over the same period, SUN DAY said, adding that renewable capacity — including battery storage, hydropower, geothermal, biomass and small-scale solar — increased by 45,198.1 MW, while combined fossil fuel and nuclear capacity fell by 519.2 MW.
Looking ahead, the EIA forecasts 69,579.1 MW of new utility-scale renewables and battery storage over the next 12 months. SUN DAY estimates small-scale solar could contribute a further 6,000 MW or more. Natural gas capacity is projected to rise by 3,960.7 MW, nearly offset by a 3,387.0 MW decline in coal, while petroleum and “other gases” are expected to fall slightly and nuclear shows no growth.
Based on those projections, SUN DAY said renewables and storage would account for 99.2% of net new U.S. generating capacity in 2026.
The group added that total renewable capacity, including small-scale solar, could reach 508,699.7 MW by November 2026, approaching natural gas at 514,484.1 MW. Solar capacity alone would rise to 247,534.5 MW, exceeding wind at 167,102.7 MW, coal at 166,649.5 MW and more than doubling nuclear at 98,437.2 MW.
“For more than a year now, members of the Trump Administration have sought to stop the growth of wind and solar … and have failed,” SUN DAY Campaign executive director Ken Bossong said. “Perhaps it is time for them to finally recognize renewable energy’s unstoppable growth and either get with the program or else just get out of the way.”
