Solar energy strengthened its leadership in the U.S. power sector in 2025, accounting for 72 percent of all new electrical generating capacity added during the first ten months of the year, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Solar has now been the largest source of new capacity additions for 26 consecutive months and, for the first time, installed utility scale solar capacity has surpassed wind.
FERC’s latest Energy Infrastructure Update, covering data through October 31, 2025, highlights the rapid pace of solar expansion and confirms the ongoing shift in the U.S. energy mix toward renewable sources.
Solar dominates monthly and year to date capacity additions
FERC reports that 66 new solar units totaling 1,082 megawatts were placed into service in October 2025. This represented nearly 60 percent of all new generating capacity added during the month. Natural gas accounted for most of the remaining additions with 727 megawatts, while oil contributed just 1 megawatt.
Major solar projects commissioned in October included the 153 megawatt Felina Project in El Paso, Texas, the 150 megawatt Ratts 1 Solar Project in Pike County, Indiana, and the 145 megawatt Axial Basin Solar Project in Moffat County, Colorado.
Between January and October 2025, the United States added 649 utility scale solar units totaling 22,457 megawatts. Solar alone represented 72 percent of all new generating capacity brought online during this period, only slightly below the level recorded during the same period in 2024.
Utility scale solar overtakes wind for the first time
Solar has led all energy sources in monthly capacity additions from September 2023 through October 2025. Over this 26 month period, total utility scale solar capacity expanded from 91.82 gigawatts to 160.56 gigawatts. By comparison, wind capacity increased by 12.39 gigawatts, while natural gas saw a net increase of just 6.55 gigawatts.
As a result of this sustained growth, installed utility scale solar capacity has now exceeded wind capacity, which stands at about 160.09 gigawatts. This milestone underscores solar’s growing role as a core component of the U.S. electricity system.
Wind additions exceed natural gas in 2025
Wind power also showed strong momentum in 2025. New wind projects added 4,746 megawatts of capacity during the first ten months of the year, marking a 55 percent increase compared with the same period a year earlier. Wind additions were higher than those of natural gas, which totaled 3,896 megawatts.
Wind accounted for just over 15 percent of all new generating capacity added between January and October 2025, reinforcing the broader trend toward renewable energy investment.
Renewables account for more than 87 percent of new capacity
Combined, renewable energy sources dominated new power plant additions in 2025. Solar and wind, together with small contributions from hydropower and biomass, represented 87.2 percent of all new generating capacity added year to date. Natural gas contributed about 12 percent, while oil and waste heat accounted for only marginal additions.
This data highlights the declining role of fossil fuels in new capacity development as utilities and developers prioritize cleaner and lower cost energy sources.
Renewables approach one third of total U.S. generating capacity
Wind and solar together now make up nearly 24 percent of total installed utility scale generating capacity in the United States. When hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy are included, renewables account for about 32.7 percent of total utility scale capacity.
FERC notes that more than 25 percent of U.S. solar capacity comes from small scale systems such as rooftop solar, which are not fully reflected in its data. Including this additional capacity would push the combined share of solar and wind to more than one quarter of total U.S. generating capacity and raise the share of all renewables to more than one third.
Solar on track to surpass coal and nuclear capacity
Looking ahead, FERC forecasts that solar will add nearly 90 gigawatts of high probability net capacity between November 2025 and October 2028. This is more than four times the projected additions for wind, the second fastest growing resource.
Over the same period, natural gas capacity is expected to grow modestly, while coal and oil capacity are projected to decline sharply. Nuclear power additions are forecast to remain minimal.
If FERC’s projections are realized, utility scale solar could account for more than 17 percent of U.S. generating capacity by late 2028, second only to natural gas. Including small scale solar could lift solar’s share above 20 percent and push the share of all renewables beyond 40 percent.
FERC also notes that total potential renewable additions could be significantly higher under an all additions scenario, further accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels.
Economic and environmental forces continue to drive solar growth
Despite policy headwinds and regulatory uncertainty, the growth of solar and wind continues to be driven by strong economic fundamentals and environmental benefits. As Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY Campaign, observed, renewable energy expansion has persisted even amid political opposition, reflecting its increasing competitiveness and importance in the U.S. energy landscape.
With solar capacity now surpassing wind and poised to overtake coal and nuclear power in the coming years, 2025 stands out as a pivotal year in the transformation of the U.S. electricity sector.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH