US Solar Powers 50M Homes as Red States Lead Boom — SkimNews
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- US solar capacity reached a Q2 2026 milestone, generating electricity equivalent to powering 50 million homes—more than one-third of all US households, per SEIA and Wood Mackenzie.
- Q2 2026 installations hit 11.4 GWdc of new solar capacity, a 45% jump year-over-year and 43% increase from Q1 2026.
- Utility-scale solar drove 9.6 GWdc of Q2's new capacity (up 61% YoY), as developers raced to break ground before a July 2026 safe harbor deadline for federal tax credits.
- Solar and battery storage together made up 70% of all new US power capacity added in the first half of 2026.
- Trump-voting states accounted for 71% of all solar capacity installed in H1 2026, with 8 of the 10 leading states for new solar being red states—despite the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans killing solar incentives.
- Wood Mackenzie projects roughly 44 GWdc of annual solar additions through 2031, nearly doubling the country's total solar capacity over five years.
- Residential solar faces steeper headwinds after the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit—which covered 30% of qualifying home solar and battery costs—expired for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025.
Why it matters: The headline contradiction is the story: the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans killed federal solar incentives, yet Trump-voting states delivered 71% of H1 2026 installations and 8 of the top 10 solar states went red. Utility-scale developers front-loaded 9.6 GWdc (+61% YoY) to beat the July 2026 tax credit safe harbor. Rooftop solar lost its 30% federal credit after December 31, 2025, but Wood Mackenzie still expects residential to resume growth in 2027 as homeowners pursue lower bills and outage resilience.
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