Planned 2026 U.S. Utility Scale Generation Additions | Source: EIA
U.S. power plant developers and operators plan to add a record 86 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale electric generating capacity to the U.S. power grid in 2026, according to estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). A gigawatt is 1,000 megawatts, or roughly enough electricity to power more than 750,000 homes.
Solar power makes up 51% of the planned additions, followed by battery storage at 28%, wind at 14%, and natural gas at 7%.
“Developers plan to add 43.4 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity in 2026, a 60% increase in capacity additions from last year if realized,” EIA said. “More than half of the new utility-scale solar capacity is planned for four states: Texas, Arizona, California and Michigan.”
Nearly 1.7 GW of new capacity is planned in North Carolina,73% of which is solar power and 27% of which is energy storage. Texas, California and Arizona lead in planned energy storage additions, accounting for 80% of all planned capacity.
The previous record for U.S. generating capacity additions was set in 2002, when U.S. developers added 58 GW to the grid (57 GW of natural gas-fired generation). The largest capacity installation in a single year was 53 GW in 2025.
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