Renewable energy sources supplied 26% of US electricity in 2025 and accounted for 36% of installed generating capacity, according to analysis by the Sun Day Campaign.
The group said the review is based on final 2025 data from the US Energy Information Administration, which showed wind and solar alone provided 18.9% of total generation.
It added that electrical output from all renewables grew by 9.6% year on year.
Utility-scale solar generation rose 34.5% in 2025 while small-scale systems increased 11.0%, and together they produced just under 9.0% of US electricity.
Wind generation increased 2.8% last year and delivered 10.3% of the national total.
The Sun Day Campaign stated that wind and solar produced 15.7% more electricity than coal in 2025 and 8.7% more than nuclear.
Utility-scale solar capacity expanded by 27,738.4MW and small-scale systems added 6,277.4MW, while battery storage grew 58.4% with 15,775.1MW of new capacity.
Wind added 6,173.6MW in 2025, and planned additions for 2026 total 10,369.0MW onshore plus 1,515.0MW offshore.
The group said solar, wind and battery capacity additions in 2026 are projected to be 62% higher than last year.
By contrast, natural gas capacity increased 5,731.5MW in 2025, nuclear rose 60.3MW and coal capacity fell by 4,397.4MW.
The Sun Day Campaign stated that renewables and battery storage accounted for 55,808.8MW of new capacity in 2025 versus just 772.7MW added by fossil fuels and nuclear.
It added that in 2026 all net new capacity is expected to come from renewables and storage, with utility-scale additions projected at 80,809.2MW.
The group said small-scale solar could add more than 6,000MW this year and renewables’ total share of generating capacity could reach 40% by end-2026.
“Dramatic growth by solar, wind, and battery storage is the key take-away of EIA’s 2025 data,” said Ken Bossong, executive director of the Sun Day Campaign.
“And if EIA’s projections for 2026 prove correct, (to paraphrase Al Jolson) you ain’t seen nothing yet.”


