Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Maguire: US clean energy capacity grows slower, but wider by 2025

August 13, 2025

This year, the pace of adding new solar, wind, and battery capacity in the U.S. has slowed down nationally and in some key states, which is hurting sentiment for clean energy. Climate trackers should take heart in the fact that growth has continued outside of Texas and California.

According to data collected by the energy data platform Cleanview by mid-2025, combined installations of solar and wind power systems, as well as battery storage, are expected to increase by 7% by 2025 compared to the previous year.

This would be the smallest percentage increase in these energy technologies over the past decade. It comes in the wake of aggressive cuts in support for clean power, since U.S. president Donald Trump took office.

Climate activists are especially alarmed at the slowing of capacity growth in Texas, and California. These two states account for more than a third combined of the nation's clean energy capacity. However, they have grown less this year than the average.

While there is plenty to worry about for those who track clean energy, there are also signs that the U.S. transition to energy may continue to expand outside the major clean energy states even though it may slow down in 2025.

SOLAR SLOWDOWN

Cleanview data indicates that solar power has grown at the fastest rate of any clean energy generation in the last five years. The national capacity increased by 181% between 2020 and 2025 to 136,250 Megawatts (MW).

The total U.S. capacity of solar has increased by 27% annually since 2020. However, the growth in 2025 is only 10% higher than in 2024 due to a sharp decline in developer activity.

California and Texas, the two states that produce the most solar energy, have combined to grow at a rate of 8% in 2025. This is lower than the average growth rate in the US due mainly because California has experienced the slowest capacity growth on record.

Florida, Nevada Georgia and Virginia, all of the top 10 solar states, also saw capacity growth that was well below national average.

Arizona, Ohio, and Indiana, all of which were in the top 10, posted growth rates that were well above the national average, sustaining the overall growth trend.

WIND WOES

The growth of wind power capacity has slowed down in recent years, due to the cost increase for parts and labor as well as the difficulty in finding new sites suitable for wind farms.

The 1.8% increase in U.S. total wind capacity this year has been the smallest increase in U.S. annual wind power footprint at least since 2010.

Only Texas (+2,1%) and Illinois (+4,5%) have seen growth this year that is above the national average, while the remaining seven states in the top 10 have not yet recorded any increase in wind energy capacity since 2024.

It is worth noting that states outside of the top 10 wind producers have increased their capacity this year by 3% compared to the total for 2024, helping the total national increase even though the wind-producing states are still treading water.

BATTERY BUFFERS

In recent years, battery energy storage systems have grown at the fastest rate in the clean energy sector. They will continue to grow faster than wind and solar farms by 2025.

Cleanview data indicates that the total installed utility-scale BESS capability was 33,212MW by mid-2025. This is an increase of 22% over 2024.

California and Texas, respectively, have shown growth rates of 11% and 14 % below the national average in 2025.

Arizona, Nevada Massachusetts and Idaho, all of which are in the top 10 for battery capacity, have seen capacity increases that are far greater than the national average.

Batteries are expected to continue being the main growth driver for U.S. Clean Energy Capacity in the future, with federal support still available for battery systems under the Trump Administration even though incentives for solar and winds power have been slashed.

Take-outs in Combination

As of mid-2025 the combined capacity of solar, battery and wind systems reached 325.700 MW, a rise of 7%, or 20,700MW, from last year.

Texas, Arizona, California, and Indiana are the top 10 states in terms of combined solar, battery, and wind capacity.

Florida and Illinois have also increased their clean energy footprints. This was primarily due to battery systems. These markets will continue to be attractive for battery developers in the future, given that local utilities need to reduce grid strain.

Batteries are also in high demand for areas where there is a surplus of solar power that utilities wish to use at peak times.

This suggests that even if solar and wind power capacity continues to be slowed down as federal funding is phased out, clean technology's overall footprint will continue to grow as more batteries are installed.

These are the opinions of a columnist who writes for.

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(source: Reuters)

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