Trailing only natural gas and nuclear, solar climbed to the position of third-largest electricity source in the country during May, The Guardian reported. The Solar Energy Industries Association notes that solar has held the top spot for newly added power capacity for five consecutive years.
A joint report from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie found that during the first three months of 2026, solar and battery storage together accounted for 91% of every new watt of generating capacity brought online in the country, with 7.8 gigawatts of fresh solar capacity added over that period. The U.S. has surpassed 6 million individual solar installations, a total that SEIA says generates enough electricity to meet the needs of approximately 50 million homes.
These benchmarks have arrived against the backdrop of the Trump administration directing more than $700 million in federal money toward coal, with funds earmarked to modernize coal-fired power plants and expand export operations. On the renewables side, the administration pulled the plug on a $7 billion grant program originally designed to bring solar energy to lower- and middle-income communities, while also enacting measures that have hampered permitting and slowed the broader buildout of clean energy projects, according to The Guardian.
