Solar and wind accounted for 91% of new US electrical generating capacity added in the H1 2025, according to data just released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which was reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign of data. In June, solar alone provided 82% of new capacity, making it the 22nd consecutive month solar held the lead among all energy sources.
Solar’s new generating capacity in June 2025 and YTD
In its latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” report (with data through June 30, 2025), FERC says 63 “units” of solar totaling 2,439 megawatts (MW) were placed into service in June, accounting for over 81.5% of all new generating capacity added during the month.
The 14,567 MW of utility-scale (>1 MW) solar added during the first six months of 2025 was 74.9% of the total new capacity placed into service by all sources.
Solar has now been the largest source of new generating capacity added each month for 22 consecutive months: September 2023–June 2025. During that period, total utility-scale solar capacity grew from 91.82 gigawatts (GW) to 151.73 GW. No other energy source added anything close to that amount of new capacity. Wind, for example, expanded by 10.53 GW while natural gas increased by just 2.73 GW.
Solar, wind + biomass were over 91% of new capacity added in H1 2025
Between January and June, new wind has provided 3,139 MW of capacity additions – nearly doubling the new capacity provided by natural gas (1,727 MW). Wind accounted for 16.1% of all new capacity added during the first six months of 2025.
In H1 2025, solar and wind (plus 3 MW of biomass) were 91.04% of new capacity, while natural gas provided just 8.88%; the balance came from oil (14 MW).
Solar + wind are 23.17% of US utility-scale generating capacity
Utility-scale solar’s share of total installed capacity (11.34%) is now nearly equal to wind (11.83%). Taken together, they account for 23.17% of the US’s total available installed utility-scale generating capacity.
Moreover, at least 25-30% of US solar capacity is in the form of small-scale (e.g., rooftop) systems that are not reflected in FERC’s data. Including that additional solar capacity would bring the share provided by solar + wind to more than a quarter of the US total.
With the inclusion of hydropower (7.62%), biomass (1.07%), and geothermal (0.31%), renewables currently claim a 32.17% share of total US utility-scale generating capacity. If small-scale solar capacity is included, renewables are now about one-third of total US generating capacity.
Solar is on track to become No. 2 source of US generating capacity
FERC reports that net “high probability” additions of solar between July 2025 and June 2028 total 92,660 MW – an amount more than four times the forecast net “high probability” additions for wind (23,136 MW), the second fastest growing resource. Notably, FERC’s most recent three-year forecasts for growth by both solar and wind are the highest they have been thus far in 2025.
FERC also foresees net growth for hydropower (583 MW) and geothermal (92 MW) but a decrease of 131 MW in biomass capacity.
Taken together, the net new “high probability” capacity additions by all renewable energy sources over the next three years – the bulk of the Trump Administration’s remaining time in office – would total 116,340 MW.
There is no new nuclear capacity in FERC’s three-year forecast while coal and oil are projected to contract by 25,017 MW and 1,572 MW, respectively. Natural gas capacity would expand by 8,748 MW.
Adjusting for the different capacity factors of gas (59.7%), wind (34.3%), and utility-scale solar (23.4%), electricity generated by the projected new solar capacity to be added in the coming three years would be more than four times greater than that produced by the new natural gas capacity, while the electrical output by the new wind capacity would be 52% more than that by gas.
If FERC’s current “high probability” additions materialize, by July 1, 2028, solar will account for 17.1% of the US’s installed utility-scale generating capacity. Wind would provide an additional 12.6% of the total. Thus, each would be greater than coal (12.1%) and substantially more than either nuclear power or hydropower (7.3% and 7.1%, respectively).
Assuming current growth rates continue, the installed capacity of utility-scale solar is likely to surpass that of wind capacity this year and exceed that of coal by the end of next year. Installed solar capacity is already almost 50% greater than that of nuclear power. Thus, within two years, solar should be in second place for installed generating capacity, behind only natural gas.
Renewables may overtake natural gas within 3 years
The mix of all utility-scale renewables is now adding about two percentage points each year to its share of generating capacity. At that pace, by July 1, 2028, renewables would account for 38.1% of total available installed utility-scale generating capacity, rapidly closing the gap with natural gas (40.0%). Solar and wind would constitute more than three-quarters of the installed capacity of renewable sources. If those trendlines continue, utility-scale renewable energy capacity should surpass that of natural gas in 2029 or sooner.
However, as noted, FERC’s data do not account for the capacity of small-scale solar systems. If that’s factored in, within three years, total US solar capacity (i.e., small-scale plus utility-scale) could approach 350 GW. In turn, the mix of all renewables would be about 40% of total installed capacity or more, while natural gas’s share would drop to about 38%.
Moreover, FERC reports that there may actually be as much as 230,770 MW of net new solar additions in the current three-year pipeline in addition to 68,627 MW of new wind, 7,923 MW of new hydropower, 202 MW of new geothermal, and 27 MW of new biomass. By contrast, the net new natural gas capacity in the three-year pipeline potentially totals just 30,251 MW. Consequently, renewables’ share could be even greater by early summer 2028.
Renewables increase and fossil fuels shrink
A year ago, the mix of all renewables accounted for 29.95% of total generating capacity. Solar alone was 8.99% while wind was 11.75%. Over 12 months (by the end of June 2025), renewables’ share had risen to 32.17% with solar at 11.34% and wind at 11.83%.
Natural gas’s share slipped from 43.32% to 42.34% as coal fell from 15.76% to 14.82% and oil dropped from 2.77% to 2.71%. Similarly, nuclear power’s share of generating capacity decreased from 8.04% to 7.80%.
“Notwithstanding the hostility toward solar and wind shown by the Trump administration and its Republican supporters in Congress, both technologies are moving full speed ahead,” noted the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director, Ken Bossong. “In fact, FERC’s latest data suggest growth by renewables may actually be accelerating.”
Electrek’s Take
The New York Times reported today that the White House now has Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr, involved in trying to obliterate offshore wind power. The Health and Human Services Department has been instructed to study whether wind turbines emit electromagnetic fields that could harm human health. (While he’s at it, maybe he could check out fossil fuels and their harm to human health. Oh wait, that’s already been done.)
This is in addition to the nonsense from the Department of the Interior that temporarily stopped work on New York’s Empire Wind – it never could justify that costly and senseless action – and the Department of Defense’s “national security threat” that’s currently being cited as the reason for putting the 80% complete Revolution Wind out of commission.
Imagine being a president who harms their own people based on nothing more than whims and quirks, and justifying it with ridiculous lies. Except you don’t have to imagine it – your rising electricity bill will be proof enough that it’s real.
Read more: EIA: Solar and wind leave coal in the dust with record 2025 output
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