This year, utility-scale solar is expected to continue its winning streak as the largest source of new electricity generation. More than half of new power plant capacity built this year will be solar, followed by batteries, with 29% of total capacity. That’s a step up for batteries from last year. Meanwhile, solar’s share is forecast to fall, but EIA expects more construction in absolute terms — 32.5 gigawatts compared to 30 last year.
Wind will add 12% of the new capacity, burnished by two major offshore wind projects the EIA still expects to come online despite political headwinds: Massachusetts’ 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind 1 and Rhode Island’s 715-megawatt Revolution Wind. The Trump administration unilaterally halted federal permitting for new offshore wind projects, but these are among the five that were already under construction, with necessary permits in hand.
This dominant showing from clean energy developers leaves natural gas with just 7% of new power capacity. That fossil fuel still leads in total U.S. electricity generation with about 42% of the mix but has entered a multi-year slump in terms of new construction.
The EIA predicts total gas-fired generation — the actual electricity produced — will fall 3% this year while solar generation rises by more than one-third.
This dataset offers a snapshot of where the U.S. power industry is heading — and the direction is toward cleaner, cheaper energy that mainly comes from solar and batteries.
But beyond the climate metrics, these clean power plants are proving vital in meeting the needs of an increasingly power-hungry economy. Data centers, AI hubs, and the domestic manufacturing that grew during the Biden administration all need more electricity. Renewables and batteries are the source of energy that can meet this demand most quickly and cost-effectively, though they still need to work alongside other resources to ensure 24/7 service.
