U.S. Solar Kicks Off 2026 with Nearly $9 Billion of Development

Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

U.S. solar energy in 2025 already has outpaced its 2024 total installations, and two of the largest states are leading in first-quarter project developments.

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California, Texas Dominate Buildout

The U.S. has now seen more gigawatts (GW) of solar energy installed in 2025 than in the previous year, according to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). While renewable energy is facing much less receptive leadership in Washington, D.C., many states continue to support new developments for solar plants and accompanying battery energy-storage system (BESS) units. Industrial Info is tracking more than $8.8 billion worth of solar power-generation projects across the U.S. that it estimates have a medium-to-high likelihood (70% or more) of beginning construction in the first quarter of 2026. More than 80% of this investment is attributed to grassroot projects.

As of the end of September, the U.S. had installed about 21 GW of solar in 2025, compared with 20 GW for all of 2024, according to FERC. This accounts for 75% of the new generation installed to date in 2025.

More than half of first-quarter 2026's total planned spending on solar projects across the U.S. can be found in California and Texas, with each state hosting one of the two highest-valued projects. Intersect Power (San Francisco, California), which specializes in finding energy solutions for data centers, is preparing to begin construction on its Darden Clean Energy Project in Fresno, California, which will generate 1.15 gigawatts (GW) from more than 3 million solar cells provided by First Solar Incorporated (Tempe, Arizona). It will be accompanied by a 1.15-GW BESS unit and a 15-mile overhead transmission line.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved the Darden Clean Energy Project in June, about three years after the state fast-tracked it under Assembly Bill 205. The legislation created the "Opt-In Certification Program," which allows large clean-energy projects to evade local government approvals in favor of a state-led review. The CEC says the project is an example of how California can reach its 100% clean-energy target by 2045.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Plant and Project databases can learn more about the Darden Clean Energy Project--including capacities, investment values and necessary equipment--from a plant profile and detailed reports on the solar farm, BESS unit and transmission line.

In Texas, Core Solar LLC, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies (Courbevoie, France), is developing the Wichita Solar 1 Plant in Electra, which is roughly halfway between the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Oklahoma City. The project, which is designed to generate 625 megawatts (MW) from 1.5 million solar cells provided by First Solar, will include a 150-MW BESS unit. Subscribers can learn more from a plant profile and a detailed project report.

By the Numbers

• 21 GW: Amount of solar capacity installed in the U.S. from January through September 2025
• More than 50%: Share of first-quarter 2026's spending on U.S. solar project kickoffs that can be found in California and Texas
• 57%: EIR's projected increase in installed U.S. power-generation capacity, largely by solar and nuclear, by 2050.

Solar Set to Continue its Shine

Other states set to see significant solar-energy additions include Michigan, where Hecate Energy LLC (Chicago, Illinois) is preparing to begin construction on an expansion of its Sunfish Solar Plant in Olivet, which is about 20 miles southwest of Lansing. Hecate expects to increase the facility's output from 360 to 860 MW. Subscribers can learn more from a plant profile and a detailed project report.

RWE AG (Essen, Germany), which has more than $10 billion worth of active or proposed solar projects across the U.S., hopes to begin work in the coming months on its Buffalo Solar Farm in Morris, Illinois. It is designed to generate 116 MW from 275,000 PV panels. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed plant profile and project report.

A recent report from Enverus Intelligence Research (EIR), cited by Utility Dive, projected a 57% increase in installed power-generation capacity across the U.S. by 2050, fueled largely by solar and nuclear. EIR analysts expect solar additions to peak in 2028, "but remain competitive, supported by ongoing demand for power purchase agreements (PPAs) and low costs." Nuclear is expected to play a larger role in coming decades.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for U.S. solar projects that Industrial Info estimates have a 70% or higher likelihood of beginning construction in the first quarter of 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Solar installations across the U.S. in 2025 already have outpaced those for all of 2024.
• Some U.S. states continue to support solar development, despite a chillier tone in Washington, D.C.
• EIR analysts expect solar additions to peak in 2028, but to remain competitive.

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About Industrial Info Resources
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) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).