40% Renewables Figure Depends on Small-Scale Solar — SkimNews
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- EIA reported that renewable electricity generation rose 10.2% year over year through August 31, 2026, led by utility-scale solar at 20%, small-scale solar at 12% and wind at 7.8%; all renewables supplied 28.1% of U.S. electricity, up from 26.2% a year earlier.
- Wind and solar together accounted for 21.1% of U.S. electricity from January through August 2026, generating 44.4% more power than coal and 24.8% more than nuclear; wind supplied 10.6% and solar nearly 10.5%.
- U.S. renewable capacity grew by 43,497.9 MW from September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2026, nearly 17 times the 2,612.6 MW net addition from fossil fuels and nuclear combined; coal fell 2,703.4 MW, nuclear was flat and natural gas still added 5,316.0 MW.
- EIA projects utility-scale renewables will add 53,117.3 MW over the next 12 months, 44% more than the prior year, lifting their share of utility-scale capacity from 34.5% to 37.3% by August 31, 2027; utility-scale solar contributes 44,603.1 MW and wind 8,312.3 MW.
- Nuclear and fossil fuels see no capacity growth in EIA’s forecast: no new nuclear generating capacity is projected, while fossil-fuel capacity declines by a net 1,997.0 MW by September 1, 2027.
- SUN DAY Campaign estimates renewables will reach about 550,000 MW and 40.4% of total U.S. generating capacity by September 1, 2027, exceeding projected natural-gas capacity of 518,312.8 MW; that result assumes at least 6,000 MW of small-scale solar growth that EIA does not forecast.
- Battery energy storage is projected to add 23,656.2 MW by September 1, 2027, a 43.7% increase to 77,753.2 MW; together with utility-scale renewables, the additions total 76,773.5 MW of clean-energy capacity.
Why it matters: Gas and nuclear lose relative ground as EIA projects 53,117.3 MW of net additions to utility-scale renewables and a 1,997 MW decline in fossil-fuel capacity. The shift is already visible in output: renewables supplied 28.1% of U.S. electricity through August, up from 26.2% a year earlier.
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