Combined solar and wind energy capacity exceeds one-fifth of total US energy capacity

Americans continue to strongly invest in solar power plants. For the ninth consecutive month, solar power remains the largest source of newly installed energy production capacity in the U.S. It is on track to become the second-largest source of electricity generation within three years, just behind natural gas.

According to a report by the SUN DAY Campaign, based on the latest data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), renewable energy sources (biomass, geothermal, hydro, solar, and wind) now account for nearly 30% of the total electricity generation capacity in the U.S.

Solar power represents 73.91% of all new capacity installed in the first five months of this year. Wind energy also contributes but with a smaller share of 14.51%. In May alone, solar energy accounted for an impressive 78.93% of all new installations, with wind energy contributing 8.69%. This reinforces the continued dominance of the solar sector in adding new energy production capacity.

Solar energy has consistently been the largest new source from September 2023 to May 2024. During seven of these nine months, wind energy occupied second place, further confirming the significance of renewable sources in the U.S. energy transition.

Together, solar and wind energy represent more than one-fifth (20.55%) of the total installed electricity generation capacity in the U.S. However, a significant portion of solar energy comes from smaller systems, such as rooftop solar panels, which are not included in the FERC data. Including these additional capacities would raise the share of solar and wind energy to around a quarter of the country's total capacity.