US clean power capacity surges, despite project delays
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Developers in the United States added 17.1 GW of clean power capacity during the second quarter of 2026, a 45% increase from the same period last year.
The American Clean Power Association reported this growth came from 164 utility-scale solar, wind, and energy storage projects. With these additions, the total clean power capacity in the country reached almost 388 GW, enough to power over 83 million households.
Utility-scale solar led the growth with 7.4 GW of new capacity, while land-based wind and battery energy storage contributed nearly 5 GW and 4.7 GW respectively. Pattern Energy’s 3.65 GW SunZia Wind project in New Mexico significantly boosted wind power deployment and moved New Mexico ahead of Texas as the state adding the most new clean power.
Nationwide battery storage capacity exceeded 50 GW, reaching nearly 53 GW total, and the overall clean power development pipeline grew by 11% year-over-year to 205 GW. Despite these record figures, the American Clean Power Association noted that permitting backlogs and regulatory delays continue to hinder project completion, causing delays to over 11.6 GW of expected clean power capacity.
