USA Rely on 33 GW of Solar Power Instead of Coal – Market Ignores Trump’s Fossil Fuel Agenda

Washington, USA – While U.S. President Trump continues to tirelessly promote fossil fuels under the motto "Drill, Baby, Drill", the U.S. energy market in 2025 is clearly favoring renewables: Solar power and battery storage dominated new capacity additions in the first half of 2025. No changes are expected for the second half of the year either.

According to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), a total of 64 GW of new utility-scale capacity is expected in 2025. This includes solar, wind, and gas power plants, as well as battery storage systems that support grid stability and the integration of renewable energy sources.

USA: 64 GW of New Capacity Planned in 2025

According to EIA figures, around 12 GW (12,000 MW) of new solar capacity were installed in the first half of 2025. An additional 21 GW of large-scale solar projects are scheduled for the second half of the year, bringing the total expected solar expansion for 2025 to over 33 GW. About 27 percent (3.2 GW) of the solar capacity added in the first half of 2025 is located in the state of Texas. Developers are planning to add another 9.7 GW in Texas during the second half of the year.

Battery storage accounted for the second-largest share of capacity additions in the first half of the year, with 5.9 GW (26%), about half of which was installed in Arizona or California. In Texas, developers expect a total of 7.0 GW of new battery storage capacity for 2025, most of which is set to go online in the second half of the year.

For the full year, the EIA forecasts 64 GW of new U.S. utility-scale capacity. Of this, more than half - 33.3 GW - will be solar PV, followed by 18.3 GW of battery storage, 7.8 GW of wind power, and just 4.7 GW of gas-fired power plants. No new coal or nuclear power installations are planned for 2025.

Fewer Power Plant Retirements Than Planned

The retirement of power generation capacity was relatively low in the first half of 2025. Of the 8.7 GW of capacity that operators intended to shut down in 2025, only 2.0 GW have been retired so far. More than 3.6 GW of the originally planned retirements have been postponed or canceled, including the Brandon Shores coal units 1 and 2, the Herbert A. Wagner oil units 3 and 4 in Maryland, and gas units 1, 2, and 3 at the V.H. Braunig plant in Texas.

If current plans are carried out, coal-fired plants will account for 71 percent of the retired capacity, followed by gas-fired plants at 19 percent.

Source: IWR Online, 27 Aug 2025