The US solar sector just delivered a remarkable quarter, adding 11.7 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity in Q3 2025. This achievement marks the third-largest quarterly total on record and pushes year-to-date solar installations beyond 30 GW, despite ongoing political headwinds against clean energy.
In the SEIA and Wood Mackenzie report, US Solar Market Insight Q4 2025, it’s noted that during the first nine months of the year, solar and storage accounted for 85% of new grid power additions. Intriguingly, a substantial portion of this growth—73%—occurred in red states, with eight of the top 10 states for new installations falling into that category. Texas, Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Utah, Kentucky, and Arkansas led the pack, and Utah joined the top 10 this quarter thanks to two large utility-scale projects totaling over 1 GW.
However, there’s significant uncertainty ahead. Federal actions, including a July memo from the Department of the Interior, have slowed the approvals pipeline for utility-scale solar and storage. Without clear permitting timelines, Wood Mackenzie’s long-term forecast for utility-scale installations through 2030 remains largely unchanged from the previous quarter.
Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA’s president and CEO, described the quarter as a record-setting sign that solar is meeting rising demand. She emphasized that the strong growth in red states demonstrates a clear market shift toward clean energy. Yet she warned that unless policy direction changes, the future of affordable, reliable solar and storage could be hampered by uncertainty, potentially pushing energy costs higher for Americans.
Two new solar module factories began operations this year in Louisiana and South Carolina, adding a combined 4.7 GW of capacity. This brings the total new US module manufacturing capacity in 2025 to 17.7 GW. With a wafer facility coming online in Michigan in Q3, the US now has the capability to produce every major component of the solar module supply chain locally.
Michelle Davis, head of solar research at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report, projects 250 GW of solar installations from 2025 to 2030. She also noted that the industry’s potential is greater: with rising electricity demand nationwide, solar could deliver even more—provided current constraints are eased.
SEIA also highlighted that, after analyzing EIA data, more than 73 GW of US solar projects remain stuck in permitting limbo and are at risk of politically driven delays or cancellations.
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