Clean energy additions to break records in 2026

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, a total of 86 gigawatts of new utility-scale capacity is expected to come online this year, a figure that would surpass the previous single-year record of 53 gigawatts added in 2025. The agency projects that 93% of that capacity will come from solar, storage and wind power.

Solar energy leads the expansion by a wide margin, accounting for 51% of planned additions with Texas, Arizona, California, and Michigan leading the way. Battery storage follows as the second-largest category at 28% of new capacity, continuing an exponential growth trend that has seen more than 40 gigawatts of storage added to the grid over the past five years alone. Wind rounds out the picture at 14%, with notable projects including the 3,650-megawatt SunZia Wind project in New Mexico set to become the largest onshore wind facility in the country.

These projections suggest 2026 could be a banner year in terms of America tapping its vast renewable energy sources to power more of our lives,” said Johanna Neumann, senior director with Environment America Policy and Research Center. “That’s welcome news for our health and our planet because wind and solar don’t pollute and never run out.”