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US solar can now power 50M homes - and red states led the boom
Electrek • • business
Key Points:
- In Q2 2026, the US reached a milestone with enough installed solar capacity to generate clean electricity equivalent to that used by over 50 million homes, representing more than one-third of all US households.
- The solar industry installed 11.4 GWdc of new capacity in Q2 2026, a 45% increase year-over-year and 43% rise from Q1 2026, driven largely by utility-scale solar projects that accounted for 9.6 GWdc.
- Solar and battery storage made up 70% of all new US power capacity added in the first half of 2026, highlighting solar’s role in meeting rising electricity demand with a cheap, quick, and environmentally friendly energy source.
- Despite the end of federal residential solar incentives after 2025, states that supported Trump in 2024 accounted for 71% of new solar capacity installed in early 2026, showing strong solar enthusiasm even in traditionally conservative regions.
- The US solar project pipeline remains robust, with an expected addition of around 44 GWdc annually through 2031, although challenges like permitting and the post-ITC transition persist; residential solar is expected to rebound in 2027 as homeowners seek energy savings and resilience.
