U.S. installs 11.7 GW of new solar capacity in Q3
The U.S. solar industry added 11.7 GW of new capacity in Q3 2025, according to a new report, but permitting and political roadblocks could endanger 73 GW in future installations. The solar industry marked its third-largest quarter on record, pushing total installations this year past 30 GW. Despite actions in Washington targeting renewable energy, solar and storage accounted for 85% of all new power added to the grid in the first nine months of the Trump administration.
According to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Q4 2025 report released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, 73% of all solar capacity installed this year has been built in states won by President Trump, including eight of the top 10 states for new installations: Texas, Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Utah, Kentucky and Arkansas. Utah surged into the top 10 solar states this quarter with two utility-scale projects coming online totaling over 1 GW of capacity.
“This record-setting quarter for solar deployment shows that the market is continuing to turn to solar to meet rising demand,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “Remarkable growth in Texas, Indiana, Utah, and other states won by President Trump shows just how decisively the market is moving toward solar. But unless this administration reverses course, the future of clean, affordable, and reliable solar and storage will be frozen by uncertainty and Americans will continue to see their energy bills go up. America’s manufacturing surge, our global competitiveness, and billions of dollars in private investment are on the line.”
Growth in spite of roadblocks
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) July memo and other federal actions to impede utility-scale solar and storage projects in the pipeline have created significant business uncertainty. In the absence of clarity from DOI on permitting timelines or project approvals, the report’s forecasts for utility-scale solar deployment through 2030 remain virtually unchanged from last quarter.
With the opening of two new solar module manufacturing facilities in Louisiana and South Carolina totaling 4.7 GW, the United States has now added 17.7 GW of new module manufacturing capacity in 2025. With a new wafer facility opening in Michigan in Q3, the United States can now produce every major component of the solar module supply chain.
“We expect 250 GW of solar to be installed from 2025-2030. But the U.S. solar industry has more potential,” said Michelle Davis, head of solar research at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report. “Wood Mackenzie is tracking substantial increases in power demand across the nation. The solar industry would be well positioned to meet more of this new demand if existing constraints were alleviated, presenting upside to our forecast.”
Last month, SEIA released an analysis of EIA data showing that over 73 GW of solar projects have permits pending and are vulnerable to politically motivated delays or cancellations.
