Solar met 61% of US electricity demand growth in 2025

In 2025, US solar generation increased by 83 TWh, meeting 61% of the 135 TWh rise in electricity demand. This growth was most concentrated in regions with the highest demand increases, such as Texas and the Midwest. While utility-scale solar capacity additions fell by 6% due to tariff uncertainties and grid connection delays, battery capacity surged by 133% to 26 GW, enabling solar to meet some evening demand and reducing curtailment pressure, particularly in California.

• Solar generation grew by 83 TWh (a 27% increase) in 2025, accounting for 61% of the 135 TWh increase in US electricity demand, which rose by 3.1%.
• Solar growth was most aligned with demand increases in specific regions: Texas and the Midwest both saw solar meet 81% of their demand rise, while the Mid-Atlantic region saw solar meet 33% of its demand rise.
• Solar generation met all of the US electricity demand growth during daytime hours (10:00-18:00 ET) and, supported by batteries, met some of the growth during evening hours (18:00-02:00 ET).
• Despite generation gains, US utility-scale solar capacity additions decreased by 6% compared to 2024, attributed to grid connection delays and uncertainty regarding imported solar panel tariffs.
• Battery capacity additions increased by 133% to 26 GW, facilitating the transition of solar into a dispatchable all-day energy source, as evidenced by California's utility solar and battery generation rising 58% over six years.

APA

Jones, D., Rangelova, K., & Fulghum, N. (2025). Solar met 61% of US electricity demand growth in 2025. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/Solar-met-61-of-US-electricity-demand-growth-in-2025.pdf

Chicago

Jones, Dave, Kostantsa Rangelova, and Nicolas Fulghum. Solar met 61% of US electricity demand growth in 2025. Ember, 2025. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/Solar-met-61-of-US-electricity-demand-growth-in-2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jones |first1=Dave |last2=Rangelova |first2=Kostantsa |last3=Fulghum |first3=Nicolas |title=Solar met 61% of US electricity demand growth in 2025 |publisher=Ember |date=16 January 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/Solar-met-61-of-US-electricity-demand-growth-in-2025.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jones2025solar, author = {Jones, Dave and Rangelova, Kostantsa and Fulghum, Nicolas}, title = {{Solar met 61\% of US electricity demand growth in 2025}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/Solar-met-61-of-US-electricity-demand-growth-in-2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }