Solar and Storage Took 91% of New US Grid Capacity
Solar and storage made up 91% of all new power capacity added to the US grid in the first quarter of 2026, according to a new report from SEIA and Wood Mackenzie. The US added 7.8 gigawatts of solar in Q1 alone and crossed 6 million total installations, and solar stayed the top source of new generation even as clean energy weathered political and regulatory heat in Washington and a steady run of administrative blockades. Utility-scale solar contracts jumped 15% year over year, much of it tech companies locking in power for AI data centers, because solar and storage get built fast and don't ride fuel-price swings. If you assumed California would be leading this, you would be wrong. 74% of the new capacity landed in red states, with Texas leading and Ohio climbing into the top three, even as 457 projects wait on permits and the residential market is expected to dip 21% this year. The interesting detail is who's buying and why, because when the cheapest and fastest megawatt is also the cleanest, the politics around the buyer start to matter less.Solar and storage made up 91% of all new power capacity added to the US grid in the first quarter of 2026, according to a new report from SEIA and Wood Mackenzie. The US added 7.8 gigawatts of solar in Q1 alone and crossed 6 million total installations, and solar stayed the top source of new generation even as clean energy weathered political and regulatory heat in Washington and a steady run of administrative blockades. Utility-scale solar contracts jumped 15% year over year, much of it tech companies locking in power for AI data centers, because solar and storage get built fast and don't ride fuel-price swings. If you assumed California would be leading this, you would be wrong. 74% of the new capacity landed in red states, with Texas leading and Ohio climbing into the top three, even as 457 projects wait on permits and the residential market is expected to dip 21% this year. The interesting detail is who's buying and why, because when the cheapest and fastest megawatt is also the cleanest, the politics around the buyer start to matter less.Expert summary pending. Showing the newcomer version.