Half of new US electric generating capacity to come from solar
Published by Jessica Casey,
Editor
Energy Global,
Developers added 12 GW of new utility scale solar electric generating capacity in the US during 1H25, and they plan to add another 21 GW in 2H25, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest survey of electric generating capacity changes. If those plans are realised, solar would account for more than one-half of the 64 GW that developers plan to bring online this year. Battery storage, wind, and natural gas power plants account for virtually all of the remaining capacity additions for 2025.
Developers could set a record for capacity additions if all 64 GW come online this year. The previous record for US generating capacity additions was set in 2002, when developers added 58 GW to the grid, 57 GW of which was fuelled by natural gas. Although developers have added natural gas-fired capacity each year since then, other technologies such as wind, solar, and battery storage have become more prevalent options for new capacity.
If planned capacity additions for solar photovoltaic and battery storage capacities are realised, both technologies will add more capacity than in any previous year. For both technologies, this growth is largely attributable to changes occurring in Texas.
About 27% (3.2 GW) of the solar capacity added so far in 2025 is in Texas, and developers plan to bring another 9.7 GW of solar online in Texas in 2H25. Last year, Texas surpassed California as the state with the most utility scale solar capacity.
Battery storage accounted for the second-largest share of capacity additions in 1H25 at 26% (5.9 GW), about half of which was in Arizona or California. Developers in Texas are expecting to bring 7 GW of battery storage capacity online in 2025, with much of that capacity coming online in 2H25.
Developers retired relatively little generating capacity in 1H25. Of the 8.7 GW of electric generating capacity that US operators plan to retire during 2025, only 2 GW was retired in 1H25. Compared with the planned 2025 capacity retirements reported at the beginning of the year, more than 3.6 GW has now been delayed or cancelled, including plans to retire the coal-fired Units 1 and 2 of Brandon Shores (1.3 GW) and oil-fired Units 3 and 4 of Herbert A Wagner (0.7 GW) in Maryland, as well as the natural gas-fired Units 1, 2, and 3 of the V H Braunig plant (0.9 GW) in Texas. If current retirement intentions are realised, coal-fired power plants will account for 71% of the retired capacity this year, followed by natural gas (19%).
For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.
Energy Global's Summer 2025 issue
Dive into the latest renewable energy insights in the Summer issue of Energy Global, out now! This edition features a guest comment from Change Rebellion on the role real change management can play in the global energy sector before a regional report, which looks at energy trends and transformations across the Americas. Other key topics are also explored, including offshore support vessels, floating wind, weather analysis, and battery storage. Contributors include Ørsted, CRC Evans, Miros, Solcast, and more, so don’t miss out!
Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/solar/22082025/half-of-new-us-electric-generating-capacity-to-come-from-solar/
You might also like
Ørsted uses drones to services world’s largest offshore wind farms
In a UK first, Ørsted is using heavy-lifting cargo drones to carry out the largest programme of offshore equipment deliveries outside the military for its offshore wind farms, including Hornsea 1 & 2.