Despite the decline, solar accounted for 60% of all new electricity generating capacity in Q1 2026. Energy storage and solar combined represented 91% of new capacity, found the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie.
According to the SEIA/Wood Mackenzie US Solar Market Insight Q2 2026 report, the United States solar industry installed 7.8 gigawatts direct current (GWdc) of capacity in the first quarter of 2026. This represents a 27% decline compared to the first quarter of 2025 and a 42% decline compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, following typical industry seasonality.
Even with this decline, solar by itself accounted for 60% of all new electricity-generating capacity added to the grid during the quarter. When combined with battery storage, the two technologies accounted for 91% of all new domestic capacity additions in the first quarter.
On a state level, installation rankings for the first quarter of 2026 were led by Texas in the first position with 1,591 MWdc, followed by Florida with 1,044 MWdc, Ohio with 617 MWdc, Indiana in fourth, and California in fifth.
Utility-scale
