Solar and storage represent 91% of clean power additions in Q3 2025

Of the 11.7 GW of clean power capacity added in Q3 2025, utility-scale solar and battery energy storage accounted for 91% of the total, said a report from the American Clean Power Association.

December 8, 2025 Ryan Kennedy

Image: American Clean Power Association

The third quarter of 2025 saw significant additions across the clean power sector. Of the 11.7 GW of total capacity added, utility-scale solar and battery storage accounted for 91% of the total, said a quarterly report from the American Clean Power Association (ACP).

Solar provided 6 GW, representing 51% of quarterly capacity additions. Energy storage capacity accounted for 4.7 GW resulting in 40% of additions for the quarter, said ACP.

*Image: American Clean Power Association*

Developers connected 5,932 MW of utility-scale solar capacity to the grid during the third quarter of 2025. Quarterly solar additions were 4% higher than the previous quarter. However, installations were about 5% lower than the third quarter of 2024, the report said.

The cumulative operational solar capacity in the U.S. reached 146,228 MW at the close of Q3 2025. This capacity delivers electricity to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The sector has maintained a high rate of construction, with developers connecting more than 71 GW of new capacity since the start of 2023.

The largest utility-scale solar project phase brought online in Q3 2025 was Excelsior Energy Capital’s Faraday B Solar. Located in Utah County, Utah, the project added 525 MW of generation capacity. The project features 1.2 million solar panels. Construction was completed in a period of under two years. This project alone contributed significantly to Utah joining the top ten states for clean power additions in the quarter.

Battery storage capacity surpassed 40 GW of operational capacity in Q3 2025. The quarter ended with a total operational capacity of 40,321 MW, corresponding to 112,002 MWh of energy storage.

Developers commissioned 50 new battery storage projects during the third quarter. These projects added 4,686 MW of new capacity to the grid. The addition of 4.7 GW established Q3 2025 as the strongest third-quarter on record for new storage capacity installations. It ranks as the second-largest quarter for new storage additions in U.S. history. Installations increased by 32% year-over-year compared to Q3 2024 installations.

The largest battery storage project to achieve commercial operation in Q3 was Enel Green Power North America’s 359 MW GulfStar Storage. The project is located in Wharton County, Texas. GulfStar Storage is co-located with a 450 MW solar phase, GulfStar Solar.

Texas remained the top state for clean power additions in Q3 2025. The state accounted for 39% of total added capacity in the U.S. during the quarter. The 63% growth in clean power capacity added by Texas in Q3 compared to Q2 was largely due to the increase in storage capacity, which the GulfStar Storage project contributed to.

The total clean power project pipeline reached186 GW at the close of Q3 2025. Battery storage and solar accounted for 90% of pipeline growth over the last year. Solar made up the largest share of the pipeline, accounting for 53% with nearly 100 GW of capacity under development.

The solar pipeline has grown at an average pace of 2% each quarter over the last two years. Battery storage represents the second largest share of the pipeline at 24% The storage pipeline contains over 45 GW of capacity.

This capacity has more than doubled since Q3 2023. The technology’s average quarterly growth over the past two years was 11%, making it the technology with the highest average growth rate. The storage pipeline did contract slightly over the past two quarters. The total clean power pipeline expanded 9% year-over-year, said the ACP report.

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