Renewable Energy Shines Amid Unprecedented Growth
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the United States is using record amounts of electricity.
If the news sounds like a broken record, it’s for a good reason. After 15 years of fairly stagnant electricity use, consumption has risen quickly in recent years. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), consumption has grown 2.1% annually for the last five years.
But what factors are causing energy use to jump so quickly? Unfortunately, there isn’t a problem we can safely point a finger toward, but rather a combination of variables. For example, the United States is in the midst of a data center boom. Data centers consume an incredible amount of electricity to move data around, perform complex tasks, and cool servers.
Simultaneously, more Americans are jumping on the electrification bandwagon, powering everything from cars to stoves with electricity. As more products shift away from traditional fossil fuels, they need power from somewhere. And finally, severe weather is shellacking the country more often, with stronger storms.
These factors, combined with myriad others, have made electricity a hot commodity, and the markets have responded in kind. Electric rates are up, sending ratepayers reeling and leaving utilities scratching their heads for answers.
But the ongoing energy issue has also opened the door for emerging energy sources to jump in. Amidst a perfect storm, solar energy, wind power, and battery storage are uniquely positioned to thrive.
Mitigating Clean Energy’s Intermittency
Renewable energy generation could reach new heights in 2026, thanks to critical improvements to battery storage.
Previously, wind and solar were only as reliable as the sun and wind. If the sun was shining and the wind blew, panels worked and turbines spun. However, once the sun set and the wind died down, so too did the power production. Although battery energy storage systems (BESS) don’t fully solve clean energy’s intermittency issues, improved dispatching helps mitigate them.
For the clean energy industry, battery storage is a cheat code. But it isn’t just developers who see the potential; the EIA thinks renewable power could make another leap in 2026.
The EIA predicted that renewables will comprise roughly 93% of planned 2026 electric generating capacity. Even better, solar energy may be 51% of all planned capacity additions, with wind and battery storage combining for 42%.
And, unsurprisingly, states with large solar footprints, like Texas, Arizona, and California, are leading the way. Not only are they at the vanguard of the green energy transition, but they’re also breaking renewable energy generation records.
Solar’s Massive Swing
Under the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, the renewable energy industry found itself in the crosshairs.
The Trump administration moved quickly, gutting tax incentives for solar and wind, and reversing policies supported by the Biden administration. Experts feared the moves, which ended some programs and early sunsetted others, would have a chilling effect on the industry.
That hasn’t been the case so far.
BESS Make Renewables Stable and Strong
Even without federal support, solar and wind energy have kept the momentum going.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) data shows solar added 26.5 GW of new grid capacity in 2025. Meanwhile, wind power added another 5.8 GW of installed capacity, while coal capacity fell slightly because of planned retirements.
Overall, developers aren’t as phased by Trump’s rhetoric as initially thought. EIA data also supports this claim, estimating 43.4 GW in additional capacity this year. Battery storage may also expand, with 24.3 GW expected to come online in 2026.
The renewable segment is benefitting from several bits of good news. Solar eBOS costs have stabilized after years of decline, though soft costs (permitting, labor, etc.) are more stubborn. Still, solar PV’s Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) is generally lower than natural gas, even without tax credits. Plus, projects billed as “solar + storage” deals are generally less expensive than natural gas or other fossil fuels.
Renewable Energy Breaks Records in 2026
Amid rising electricity demand and outrageous electricity bills for ratepayers, solar and wind projects have been pulling their weight.
States that invested in solar, wind, and battery power are already reaping the rewards in 2026, thanks to the season. Springtime tends to be when renewable energy sources pick up steam. Strong winter winds still blow in March and even into April, while sunnier days amp up solar generation.
Of course, more utility-scale solar projects also mean more opportunities to produce power. 2026 year-to-date totals through Q1 outpace 2025 and 2024, and it isn’t even close – production has nearly doubled from 22.1 GW in 2024 to 39.3 GW in 2026.
States Set New Milestones
Renewable energy is picking up nationwide, with several states and grid operators leading the way. Their investments in solar panels and wind turbines are paying off, helping meet crucial sustainability and grid reliability goals.
Texas (ERCOT):
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) recently set personal bests for wind and solar energy production this spring.
On March 14, ERCOT set a one-day record of 28,470 MW of wind power generated, breaking its previous record from March 2025. One week later, on March 21, ERCOT set a new solar energy generation record, producing 33,452 MW of electricity. Not only did it break the previous day’s record, it was one of three solar generation records in March.
Texas is also resetting its battery discharge records, regularly outproducing its previous best. The news arrives at a perfect time for the state, as Texas has become a hotbed of activity. Not only is Texas a renewable energy leader, it might become the data center capital by 2030.
California:
In March 2026, clean energy met or exceeded electricity demand for a portion of the day on 30 of 31 days.
Last year, clean energy achieved this goal on 279 out of 365 days. Each year, the number has grown as more renewable projects connect to the grid.
Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO):
This large region, which covers 15 states and Manitoba in Canada, has also broken clean energy records this year. On January 13, the regional transmission organization broke its previous wind production record, reaching 26,572 MW. The new mark beat its previous best set only a couple of weeks earlier in December 2025.
More recently, on April 20, MISO broke its solar production record, setting a new high of 18,790 MW. The previous personal best was set during March.
Unlocking Renewable Energy’s Potential
Clean energy is on the rise across the United States, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its difficulties.
For solar, wind, and battery storage to maintain momentum, two things must happen: streamline both our processes and projects. In each case, slow processes and inefficient operations bog down potential renewable projects. The result is long delays, more expensive projects, and continued difficulties meeting rising demand.
But where should we focus our energy?
Less Red Tape
The easiest way to streamline processes is to get all the required players on the same page. This means finding ways to align federal, state, and municipal guidelines when possible.
Current projects can wait for years to connect to the grid. That means a project proposed today might not see the light of day for four to five years. For developers, those delays lead to lost revenue spent on land leases, labor, reviews, and more.
Compounding the issue is that the soft costs of solar energy aren’t falling as the hard costs have. Hard costs, which include racking, panels, and PV wire, have dropped and stabilized over the years. Soft costs, though, like permits, inspections, interconnection, and labor, have been more difficult. Reducing those costs could make clean energy development much more attractive across the country.
As the industry and government find common ground and establish guidelines, it ultimately saves time and money for everyone. Streamlining reviews and other processes can shave months off the permitting process for developers, reducing costs and delays. For governments, more unity leads to faster reviews, fewer redundant processes, and more opportunities to add grid capacity.
Update the Grid
The U.S. electrical grid contains components more than 50 years old, leading to unreliability. As the grid gets older, it also struggles to incorporate new generation capacity and electricity generation options.
Improving the grid can go a long way toward addressing ongoing issues, but it’s an expensive task. However, those updates can increase overall reliability and open the door for queued solar and wind projects to interconnect.
In the meantime, it’s possible to update and stabilize the grid in smaller, less expensive ways. One idea is to invest in microgrids and other distributed energy resources (DERs). These installations can reduce overall grid strain, encourage local energy production, and reduce overall electricity costs for ratepayers.
A New Dawn
Now is the clean energy industry’s time to shine.
Solar and wind energy are completely renewable, domestic, and clean. Add in battery storage options, and clean energy becomes much more attractive to large-scale developers and utilities.
With that said, something needs to replace coal power, which has been cut back somewhat. Renewables can pick up the slack, utilizing brownfields, former coal plants, and other undesirable areas to generate electricity. As a bonus, these sites also help communities right away by generating low-cost electrical power and creating jobs.
Renewable energy is ready and able to do its part to support the power grid. Energy consumption is rising, and consumers want lower prices, cleaner energy, and more reliability. Clean energy does all these well, using infinitely renewable resources as its engines.
