Industrial Info Data: U.S. Wind, Solar Completed Project Spending Down Slightly in First-Half 2026

Written by Paul Wiseman for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

Summary

U.S. wind and solar power generation continued to grow in the first half of 2026, but at a slightly less rapid pace, and in fewer states than in 2025, according to Industrial Info Resources data.

U.S. Renewable Energy Outlook: Mostly Sunny, with Some Wind

According to Industrial Info Resources data, the nation saw 58 new capital wind, solar and geothermal projects reach completion in first-half 2026, with a total investment value (TIV) of $15.5 billion, across 19 states. In first-half 2025, 104 projects with a TIV of $18.34 billion reached completion. These counts include both utility-scale and behind-the-meter installations. Many also include battery energy storage systems (BESS) to help level out the intermittency of wind and solar generation in relation to power demand and markets.

Solar project counts outshone wind for both years: 93 solar projects versus nine wind projects in first-half 2025 and 44 solar projects versus eight wind projects in first-half 2026. TIV also favored solar, $16.15 billion (solar) to $2.12 billion (wind) in first-half 2025; and $10.4 billion (solar) to $4.5 billion (wind) in the first half of 2026.

There were two geothermal projects completed in 2025--a U.S. Navy plant at Little Lake, California, and an installation at Ann Arbor University in Michigan--and one in 2026, at Boone University in North Carolina.

It's Always Sunny in Texas, But New Mexico Has the Biggest Wind Farm

For the first half of each year, Texas, with its abundance of both sunshine and wind, led the nation in TIV in these categories.

The first-half 2025 list included:

1.   Texas (10 projects, worth $3.5 billion)

2.   California (13 projects, worth $2.28 billion)

3.   Ohio (nine projects, worth $1.6 billion)

4.   Indiana (five projects, worth $1.4 billion)

5.   Arizona (four projects, worth $1.4 billion)

The first-half 2026 list included:

1.   Texas (eight projects, worth $2.64 billion)

2.   New Mexico (five projects, worth $2.59 billion)

3.   Arizona (six projects, worth $2.0 billion)

4.   Utah (two projects, worth $1.6 billion)

5.   Michigan (six projects, worth $1.3 billion)

Significantly, in first-half 2025, Industrial Info Resources had tracked no wind/solar/geothermal project completions in New Mexico at all. This year, the state leaped up to second place in spending, and fifth in project count.

A single wind farm, Pattern Energy's SunZia plant, accounted for New Mexico's leap. It was completed on June 18 this year. With 916 wind turbines stretching across three counties, totaling 3,515.40 megawatts (MW) of capacity, the plant is the largest in the U.S. It was in planning and development for more than 10 years.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), SunZia has more than three time the capacity of the next two-largest wind farms, one in Texas and one in California. It uses a high voltage transmission line to deliver power to customers in Arizona and California.

What's Operating Today

According to Industrial Info Resources data, there are 2,437 wind and solar plants operating in the U.S., on either side of the meter, with at least two in every state. Here are the top five states:

1.   Texas, 398 plants

2.   California, 209 plants

3.   Florida, 140 plants

4.   North Carolina, 124 plants

5.   Virginia, 95 plants

California is home to the largest solar farm in the U.S., Terra-Gen Operating Company's Edwards AFB Sanborn PV Solar & BESS Hybrid plant in the Mojave Desert, with 809 MW of generation capacity and an attached BESS system with 3,287 megawatt hours of storage. Like the SunZia wind facility, it has a massive footprint, covering 4,660 acres with almost 2 million solar panels. It went online in February 2023.

Despite recent changes in funding, regulations and credits, wind and solar are continuing to gain ground in the U.S. power mix.

By the Numbers

• $14.88 billion: TIV of wind, solar, geothermal projects that were completed in first-half 2026 in the U.S., according to Industrial Info Resources data
• $18.34 billion: TIV of those projects that were completed in first-half 2025 in the U.S. according to Industrial Info Resources data

Key Takeaways

• Wind and solar projects decreased slightly in investment and by almost half in count in 2026 compared to 2025, but nonetheless there is still momentum.
• Many projects, including the massive SunZia wind projects in New Mexico, take years to develop, permit and construct, so they are not always affected by current events.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).