AI-era electricity demand fuels record US solar and storage buildout

Solar accounted for 72.6% of new U.S. power additions in 2025, with renewables hitting 88% overall -- even as the Trump administration rolls back clean energy incentives.

AI-era electricity demand fuels record US solar and storage buildout

Even as President Donald Trump boosts coal over clean energy, solar power is hitting new milestones in the U.S. and remains the leading source of new power.

Solar and storage accounted for 91% of new US power capacity added in Q1 2026, as electricity demand and AI growth surged.

States won by Trump in the 2024 election accounted for 74 per cent of all solar capacity installed in the first quarter of 2026.

The findings, supported by a report from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie, highlight solar’s continued growth and coal’s ongoing decline

In May, more of the nation's electricity was supplied by solar power than coal for the first time.

Solar supplied 12.8% of US electricity in May even as Trump boosts coal over clean energy

Despite President Trump's efforts to prop up the coal industry, Americans are embracing solar power more than ever. Solar supplies more electricity than coal in the US in May,…