Utility-scale solar PV and wind accounted for 17% of the US’ total electricity generation in 2025, a record figure and an increase over the 16% reported in 2024.
This is according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its latest ‘Electric Power Monthly’ report, which covers generation figures from power plants with at least 1MW of capacity. While wind continues to lead US renewables in raw generation totals—accounting for 464,000GWh in 2025—wind saw just a 3% year-on-year increase in generation; this compares to a 34% year-on-year increase in solar generation, which hit a total of 296,000GWh in 2025.
Try Premium for just $1
- Full premium access for the first month at only $1
- Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
- Cancel anytime during the trial period
Premium Benefits
- Expert industry analysis and interviews
- Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
- Exclusive event discounts
Or get the full Premium subscription right away
Or continue reading this article for free
The EIA noted that this growth has also been observed across sectors; utility-scale solar has seen generation increase each year since 2006, while small-scale solar saw an 11% increase in generation between 2024 and 2025 to 93,000GWh. Combined, distributed solar, utility-scale PV and wind power together accounted for 19% of US electricity generation in 2025.
The graph above shows solar generation compared to selected sources of electricity generation in the US, and how, across all sectors profiled by the EIA, solar generation exceeded 388,000GWh in 2025. The ‘other renewables’ category includes wind, which accounts for the majority of this generation, and was still the most productive form of electricity generation in 2025. The growth of both forms of renewable electricity generation compare favourably to coal, which has seen generation decline in the past decade, and nuclear, which has remained relatively stable since 2016; although US natural gas generation continues to fluctuate upwards.
Other EIA figures show that operational US solar capacity reached 152.5GW as of the end of January, and the administration expects this figure to increase to 194.1GW next year, based on new projects that have been announced. This figure includes net summer capacity, and is larger than the 173.5GW of wind capacity set to be in operation by the same period.
States with strong solar industries have also shown themselves to be more resistant to some of the energy price rises that the US has experienced over the last year; the EIA reports that, between January 2025 and January 2026, the average US electricity price, across all sectors, increased by more than a cent, from US$0.1309/kWh to US$0.1417/kWh.
California, meanwhile, which boasts the largest operational solar capacity among the 50 states, was one of four states to see its average energy price decline over this period, from US$0.2567/kWh to US$0.2555/kWh.
The state’s residential energy prices also held steady, only moving up marginally from US$0.3028/kWh to US$0.3029/kWh, over a period where the average residential energy price in the US increased by around 1.5 cents. Last week, the state voted in favour of a new bill to accelerate the adoption of balcony solar projects, which would further benefit its residential solar sector.
After five editions of Large Scale Solar USA, the event becomes SolarPLUS USA to mirror where the market is heading. The 2026 edition, held this week in Dallas, Texas, will bring together developers, investors and utilities to discuss managing hybrid assets, multi-state pipelines, power demand increase from data centres and AI as well as the co-location of solar PV with energy storage in a complex grid. For more details and how to attend the event, visit the website here.
