RESEARCH
US Solar Installed Capacity Overtakes Wind for the First Time: 164.5 GW at End-2025
For the first time in US energy history, utility-scale solar installed capacity surpassed wind energy at the end of 2025, with FERC data confirming 164.5 GW of solar versus 161.1 GW of wind. Solar dominated new capacity additions for 28 consecutive months, accounting for over 72% of all new generating capacity in 2025 alone. Wind and solar together generated a record 17% of US electricity in 2025, while their combined share of all new capacity built reached 88%. The milestone marks a structural shift in the US grid: solar has become the country's largest non-fossil power source by installed capacity.
Findings
- US utility-scale solar installed capacity reached 164.5 GW at end-2025, surpassing wind (161.1 GW) for the first time in history, per FERC Energy Infrastructure Update data released in 2026
- Solar accounted for 72.6% of all new US generating capacity added in 2025, holding the top spot for 28 consecutive months — the longest such streak on record
- The US added 43 GW of new solar capacity in 2025, the fifth consecutive year solar led all power sources in new additions, per SEIA and Wood Mackenzie data
- Wind and solar together generated a record 17% of US electricity in 2025, up from 15% in 2024, with combined new builds reaching 88% of all new US capacity for the year
Delta Engine result
↔ Divergence Detected — Δ 0.2353 (threshold 0.05)
- EIA T5 90
- Electrek / FERC T2 95
- SEIA T2 88
- Utility Dive T0 82
- Energy Central T0 75
Evidence quality
avg 51 · min 25 · max 95 · spread 70