EIA Forecasts Record 86 GW of New U.S. Power Capacity in 2026, With Solar and Storage at 79 Percent
The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects developers will add 86 gigawatts of utility-scale generating capacity this year — nearly double 2025's total — with solar and battery storage accounting for nearly four-fifths of new installations.
The United States is on track for the largest single-year expansion of its power grid in more than two decades. According to a February 2026 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, developers and grid operators plan to bring 86 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale generating capacity online this year — nearly double the 53 GW installed in 2025 and the highest annual figure since at least 2002.
Solar photovoltaics and battery storage together account for 79 percent of planned additions, with renewables and storage collectively representing 93 percent of all projected new capacity, according to pv magazine USA.
Solar Surges Past the 2024 Record
Developers plan to install 43.4 GW of new utility-scale solar in 2026, a 60 percent increase over 2025’s 27.2 GW — well above the prior record of 30.8 GW set in 2024. The EIA described the 2026 forecast as another big year for solar additions, similar to the record utility-scale solar capacity added to the U.S. grid in 2024.
Texas remains the dominant hub, hosting roughly 40 percent — approximately 17.4 GW — of the nation’s planned solar construction, according to Enerdata’s analysis of the EIA forecast. Arizona and California each account for roughly 6 percent of the national total. The single largest project is the Tehuacana Creek 1 Solar facility in Navarro County, Texas, expected to contribute 837 MW.
Small-scale distributed solar is also expanding, growing approximately 11 percent year-over-year and contributing 2.13 percent of total U.S. electrical generation, according to pv magazine USA.
Battery Storage Surpasses Its Own Record
Battery storage additions are projected at 24.3 GW in 2026, surpassing the record 15 GW installed in 2025 and lifting total installed U.S. grid storage above 40 GW. Three states dominate planned installations: Texas leads with 12.9 GW (53 percent of the national total), followed by California at 3.4 GW and Arizona at 3.2 GW — together representing 80 percent of planned additions, per the EIA.
Approximately 48 percent of current U.S. grid storage is co-located with solar arrays, a design strategy aimed at reducing curtailment and shifting solar-generated electricity into evening peak demand hours. In California, the shift from net metering to a “Net Billing” structure has pushed residential battery attachment rates to 69 percent, a trend analysts expect to extend to other markets, according to pv magazine USA.
Wind and Natural Gas Round Out the Mix
Wind capacity additions are expected at 11.8 GW — more than double 2025 levels — anchored by major projects including the SunZia Wind installation (3,650 MW) in New Mexico, Vineyard Wind 1 (800 MW) off Massachusetts, and Revolution Wind (715 MW) off Rhode Island, according to the EIA report.
Natural gas accounts for 6.3 GW of planned additions, comprising 3.3 GW of combined-cycle generation and 2.8 GW of combustion turbines — a relatively modest share compared with prior decades of gas-led grid expansion.
Grid Interconnection Remains the Key Constraint
Despite the scale of planned additions, analysts point to interconnection queues as the critical bottleneck. The pace at which new projects can physically connect to the transmission grid — not the volume of projects planned — now determines how much capacity actually enters service, according to pv magazine USA. Federal transmission permitting reforms and grid operator rule changes are underway, but the interconnection backlog remains one of the most consequential infrastructure challenges facing the clean energy buildout.