Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) confirms that solar and wind continue to dominate new U.S. electricity generation capacity in 2025. Together, they accounted for 90 percent of all new capacity added between January and July. In July alone, solar delivered 96 percent of new power capacity, marking the 23rd consecutive month in which solar led all other energy sources.
Solar Capacity Growth Surges in 2025
According to FERC’s latest Energy Infrastructure Update (through July 31, 2025), 46 new utility-scale solar units with a combined 1,181 MW went online in July. Key projects include the 202.8-MW Estonian Solar & Storage Expansion Project in Texas, the 200-MW Eland Solar Farm and 150-MW Northern Orchard Solar PV project in California, and the 150-MW Coldwater River Solar Project in Michigan.
So far in 2025, 434 utility-scale solar projects have added 16,050 MW, or 74 percent of all new U.S. capacity. Solar has now been the top new capacity source for nearly two years straight, growing total installed utility-scale solar from 91.82 GW in September 2023 to 153.09 GW by July 2025.
Wind and Other Renewables Strengthen Position
Wind energy contributed 3,288 MW during the first seven months of 2025, making up 15.2 percent of new capacity, outpacing natural gas additions (2,207 MW). In July, the largest non-solar project was the 15.5-MW Tehachapi Wind Resource II Expansion in California. Other renewables also contributed, including 4 MW of hydropower and 3 MW of biomass.
Altogether, renewables supplied 89.6 percent of new capacity added this year, while fossil fuels like natural gas, coal, and oil made up less than 11 percent.
Renewables Now Over a Third of U.S. Capacity
Solar and wind each account for roughly 11–12 percent of total U.S. installed generating capacity, combining for nearly a quarter (23.2 percent) of the nation’s power supply. Including small-scale solar, their share exceeds 25 percent. With hydropower (7.6 percent), biomass (1.1 percent), and geothermal (0.3 percent), renewables now exceed 32 percent of total U.S. utility-scale capacity—and more than a third when rooftop solar is included.
FERC Forecast: Solar to Become No. 2 Power Source by 2028
Looking ahead, FERC projects that between August 2025 and July 2028, solar will add 92,631 MW of new capacity, more than four times wind’s forecast growth of 22,528 MW. Other renewable additions include hydropower (+579 MW) and geothermal (+92 MW), while biomass is expected to decline slightly.
In contrast, coal (-25,017 MW) and oil (-1,576 MW) are forecast to contract significantly, and nuclear will add just 35 MW. Natural gas will grow modestly by 8,276 MW.
If realized, solar will provide over 17 percent of U.S. generating capacity by mid-2028, second only to natural gas at 40 percent. Including small-scale systems, renewables could surpass natural gas to become the nation’s leading power source.
“With one month of Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ now under our belts, renewables continue to dominate capacity additions,” said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “And solar seems poised to hold its lead in the months and years to come.”
Baburajan Kizhakedath