Looking Ahead to 2026

A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data just released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that the mix of renewable energy sources provided nearly 26% of U.S. electrical generation in 2025 as well as over 36% of installed generating capacity. Further, solar, wind, and batteries are projected to add over 60% more generating capacity in 2026 than in 2025 thereby assuring that those sources provide virtually all net new generating capacity this year.

Solar electrical generation set new records in 2025:

EIA’s latest monthly "Electric Power Monthly" report (with data through December 31, 2025), once again confirms that solar is the fastest growing among the major sources of U.S. electricity.

Electrical generation by utility-scale (i.e., >1-megawatt (MW)) solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 34.5% while that from “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar PV systems rose by 11.0% during 2025 compared to 2024. [1]

The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by almost a third (28.0%) and produced a bit under 9.0% (utility-scale: 6.54%; small-scale: 2.06%) of total U.S. electrical generation last year - up from 6.9% a year earlier. Further, solar now accounts for over a third (33.46%) of U.S. electrical generation by renewable energy sources.

Wind continues to hold the lead among renewables:

Wind turbines across the U.S. produced more than a tenth (10.3%) of U.S. electricity in 2025 – an increase of 2.8% compared to 2024. In December alone, wind-generated electricity was 19.0% greater than a year earlier.

Wind + solar were almost one-fifth of total U.S. electrical generation – a larger share than that provided by either coal or nuclear power:  

In 2025, electrical generation by wind plus utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by 12.9% and provided almost a fifth (18.9%) of the U.S. total, up from 17.2% during 2024.

Further, the combination of wind and solar provided 15.7% more electricity than did coal last year, and 8.7% more than the nation’s nuclear power plants.

Electrical output by the mix of all renewables was almost 26% of total U.S. generation:

The mix of all renewables (i.e., wind and solar plus hydropower, biomass and geothermal) produced 9.6% more electricity in 2025 than they did a year ago and provided (25.7%) of total U.S. electricity production compared to 24.1% twelve months earlier. [2]

Renewables’ share of electrical generation is now second to only that of natural gas whose electrical output actually dropped by 3.3% in 2025.  

Solar, wind and battery storage dominated capacity additions in 2025 and will do so again in 2026:

In 2025, utility-scale solar capacity grew by 27,738.4-MW while an additional 6,277.4-MW was provided by small-scale solar. EIA foresees continued strong solar growth, with even more utility-scale solar capacity - 44,470.0-MW - being added by the end of 2026.

Explosive growth was also experienced by utility-scale battery storage, which grew by 58.4% during the year and added 15,775.1-MW of new capacity. EIA also notes that planned battery capacity additions during 2026 total 24,268.5-MW - a further increase of 56.7%.

In addition, wind made a strong showing in 2025, adding 6,173.6-MW, while planned capacity additions in 2026 would nearly double that amount: 10,369.0-MW (on-shore) plus 1,515.0-MW (off-shore).

By the end of 2025, renewables were 33.2% of utility-scale capacity (not including storage). Adding estimated small-scale solar capacity, renewables' share was 36.3%.

Should EIA’s forecasts come to fruition, new capacity additions by solar, wind, and batteries in 2026 would be 62% more than those in 2025.

On the other hand, last year, natural gas capacity increased by 5,731.5-MW and nuclear power added a mere 60.3-MW. Meanwhile, coal capacity plummeted by 4,397.4-MW, petroleum-based capacity fell by an additional 559.4-MW, and “other” fossil fuel gases dipped by 62.2-MW.

Thus, during the first year of the Trump Administration, renewable energy capacity - including battery storage, small-scale solar, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass - ballooned by 55,808.8-MW while that of all fossil fuels and nuclear power combined grew by just 772.7-MW. [3]

In 2026, all net new generating capacity is projected to come from renewables and battery storage:

The second year of the Trump Administration is projected to be even more lop-sided. Capacity growth by utility-scale renewables and batteries in 2026 is projected to total 80,809.2-MW (EIA does not provide a forecast for small-scale solar but, based on recent growth rates, the SUN DAY Campaign estimates it will provide an additional 6,000-MW or more). [4]

Meanwhile the net capacity of natural gas, coal, and oil is forecast to fall by 4,211.6-MW. No new nuclear capacity is currently predicted.

Thus, in 2026, renewables and battery storage will account for all of net new utility-scale capacity additions.

Should EIA’s forecast materialize, by the end of 2026, the mix of all renewables, including estimated small-scale solar, would reach 525,356.1-MW – surpassing that of natural gas (514,212.5-MW – and that does not include the capacity provided by battery storage.

Moreover, the installed capacity of utility-scale and estimated small-scale solar combined (261,166.0-MW) would surpass that of wind (170,154.9-MW). Solar capacity would also handily exceed that of coal (163,425.8-MW) and more than double that of nuclear power (98,451.5-MW) although the latter two sources would still have significantly higher capacity factors. [5]

Further, including estimated small-scale solar, renewables’ share of generating capacity could reach 40% by the end of this year – and, again, that does not include the contribution of battery storage.

"Dramatic growth by solar, wind, and battery storage is the key take-away of EIA’s 2025 data," noted the SUN DAY Campaign's executive director Ken Bossong. “And if EIA’s projections for 2026 prove correct, (to paraphrase Al Jolson) you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

EIA | https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly

For the data cited in this release, see:

Table ES1.A (“Total Electric Power Industry Summary Statistics, 2025 and 2024”);

Table ES1.B (“Total Electric Power Industry Summary Statistics, Year-to-Date 2025 and 2024”);

Table 1.1.A (“Net Generation from Renewable Sources”);

Table 6.1 (“Electric Generating Summer Capacity Changes (MW), November 2025 to December 2025”);

Table 6.1.A (“Estimated Net Summer Solar Photovoltaic Capacity from Utility and Small-Scale Facilities”); and

Table 6.07.C (“Usage Factors for Utility-Scale Storage Generators”).

[1] In its “Electric Power Monthly” report, EIA refers to small-scale or distributed solar as “Estimated Small Scale Solar Photovoltaic.” Unless otherwise indicated, all calculations presented in this release include electrical generation by small-scale solar which EIA estimates to have totaled 93,148-GWh in 2025. Utility-scale solar totaled 295,671-GWh in 2025.  

[2] In 2025, wind produced 464,391-GWh (10.3%) of total U.S. electrical generation while utility-scale and small-scale solar combined produced 388,819-GWh (8.6%), hydropower produced 247,023-GWh (5.4%), biomass produced 46,187-GWh (1.0%), and geothermal produced 15,669-GWh (<0.4%).

[3] EIA presents its capacity data as “summer capacity” defined as the maximum output that generating equipment can supply to system load at the time of summer peak demand. See Table 6.1.

[4] In 2025, estimated small-scale solar accounted for 6,277.4-MW in new capacity additions. The SUN DAY Campaign is therefore assuming that at least 6,000-MW in new small-scale solar capacity will be added in 2026.

[5] For 2025, EIA reports capacity factors of 48.7%, 58.4%, and 91.0% for coal, natural gas, and nuclear power respectively. By comparison, the capacity factors for wind and utility-scale PV are 34.2% and 24.4% respectively. See Tables 6.07.A and 6.07.B. Capacity factors for small-scale systems are usually lower – i.e., 10%-25%.

Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading energy and environmental advocate for families and businesses, commends President Trump for his commitment to ensuring America remains a global energy leader. In his State of the Union address, President Trump reaffirmed the need for policies that will reduce costs for customers and expand energy infrastructure development. 

“Over the last year, the Trump Administration has moved to accelerate permitting and construction of energy projects across the country, helping to provide Americans with increased access to affordable and reliable sources of energy,” said CEA President David Holt. “The Administration continues to prioritize energy dominance and policies that will help get shovels in the ground faster to build American energy infrastructure. 

Holt emphasized that despite the President’s actions, continuing to modernize our nation’s siting and permitting rules is critical to meeting the energy demand our nation faces and to ensure America’s energy leadership. 

“A central component to affordability and access is infrastructure.” Holt added. “Reforms are needed at the federal level that continues to accelerate the approval of energy projects to create jobs and economic opportunity to communities. Across the nation, states are working with a patchwork of siting and permitting policies that simply cannot keep up with the need for new infrastructure projects. Our hope is states and Congress will take the President’s lead and take real action on siting and permitting reform for the benefit of American energy consumers.”

Consumer Energy Alliance | https://consumerenergyalliance.org/

Vaisala, a global leader in measurement instruments and intelligence for climate action, launches Vaisala Care, a renewed service offering that maximizes uptime, measurement quality, and asset lifetime for Vaisala weather systems and sensors. Vaisala Care combines the company's in-house expertise, remote capabilities, and proactive lifecycle care into two tiers with clear value for customers.

From reactive support to predictable lifecycle partnerships

When challenges are managed on a one-off basis, recovery often takes more time. Vaisala Care ensures planned support that brings together prioritized access to Vaisala’s global technical support teams, remote services, defined response times, and extended warranty coverage.

Vaisala Care+ builds on this foundation with proactive lifecycle services including managed calibration programs performed by Vaisala experts, preventative maintenance, and performance enhancements to ensure long-term system reliability, stable performance, and trusted data quality across the network.

The program is designed for airports, meteorological institutes, energy companies, road authorities, and infrastructure operators who manage weather observation networks where uptime and long-term accuracy are critical.

Two tiers designed around operational criticality

With two clear tiers, customers can choose the level of support that matches their operational criticality, while Vaisala takes long-term responsibility for keeping systems performing as intended. Both tiers are structured as annual contracts that bring fewer surprises, predictable costs, less effort, and confidence that critical observation infrastructure stays accurate, reliable, and available year after year.

"Customers told us they wanted clearer choices and more predictable budgeting," said Anne Jalkala, Executive Vice President, Weather, Energy and Environment at Vaisala. "Vaisala Care makes it straightforward to select the right level of support, whether that is responsive expert help when needed, or fully proactive lifecycle management where we handle scheduling and execution."

Vaisala manages service delivery through a combination of remote support, service centers, and onsite services provided by Vaisala or authorized partners. Customers select their preferred tier when purchasing new systems or sensors, or at contract renewal for existing installations, protecting the value of their measurement infrastructure throughout its lifecycle.

The framework addresses growing customer preference for planned maintenance approaches over reactive service calls, while providing cost predictability through annual pricing rather than variable charges for individual service events.

"Our technical capabilities and global service organization have evolved to better support our customers worldwide," said David Rey, Vice President, Project, CareTech and Service at Vaisala. "Vaisala Care brings that expertise together in a clear framework aligned with customers’ operational requirements, from essential support to comprehensive lifecycle management."

Vaisala Care launches first for airport weather observation systems, with rollout planned for weather radars, wind lidars, and road weather systems throughout 2026.

The program reflects Vaisala's strategy to strengthen customer relationships through long-term lifecycle support partnerships.

Vaisala | www.vaisala.com

No longer HELUKABEL, just HELU—the idea behind this change is both deliberate and strategic as we have developed step by step from a manufacturer of only cables into an internationally leading systems supplier for electrical connection technology. In addition to cables and wires, our portfolio now includes assemblies and drag chains with which we create integrated, custom, and installation-ready solutions for our customers' wide range of applications. This evolution will also have an impact at a market level with a new brand name, new logo, and our new claim: "Always stay electrified."

"The future of connection technology is no longer defined by the quality of individual components. Instead, it's about combining them into intelligent, installation-ready systems and services," explains Managing Director Marc Luksch. "In the previous years, we've consistently expanded our competencies and our vision." Customers benefit from this solution-based approach through fewer and more clearly defined points of contact, time-saving implementation, and a consistently proven high level of quality.

As a sole supplier, HELU produces more than cables—they also produce drag chains and assemblies in their own factories. Unifying their entire range of products under the roof of the HELU brand is taking a step towards greater clarity and simplicity for customers. "Our goal is to combine our competencies as a group to provide the users of our solutions with real added value," emphasises Marc Luksch. "Regardless of how complex or unique the challenges may be."

HELU Canada | https://www.helu.com/ca-en/home/

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) applauds the House for passing the bipartisan Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act (H.R. 4626). As manufacturers of consumer appliances, advanced industrial equipment, and products that power our world, we commend Rep. Allen (R-GA) and lawmakers for acting to replace an outdated, arbitrary, and lengthy rulemaking process with a common-sense approach for efficiency standards. 

The 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) currently requires the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to review equipment efficiency standards every six years, regardless of whether meaningful additional energy savings are achievable or economically justified. H.R. 4626 amends this burdensome rulemaking cycle that consumes government and industry resources, causes regulatory uncertainty, and discourages long-term investment in domestic manufacturing. 

“This legislation provides much needed reforms to federal efficiency regulations by combining a common-sense approach with outcomes-based policy,” said NEMA President and CEO Debra Phillips. “Removing the arbitrary six-year review mandate incentivizes electrical manufacturers to make research, development, and production investment decisions in alignment with their customers’ needs. We thank Congress for removing distribution transformers from the efficiency standards process after achieving near maximum efficiency — an important step that will help manufacturers meet rapidly growing demand while supporting affordability and reliability.” 

Requiring repeated reviews for products already approaching maximum achievable efficiency increases costs and uncertainty while delivering little to no real efficiency results. For example, distribution transformers, critical grid equipment that today face long lead times, already operate at extremely high efficiency levels between 97.5% and 99.5%, meaning future efficiency gains will yield marginal results at best.  

NEMA, which represents diverse, mission-critical sectors of the American economy, thank the House for taking this critical step toward regulatory certainty and market stability. 

Looking forward, NEMA urges the Senate to proceed with legislation that preserves the government’s ability to pursue new efficiency standards when economically justified and technically feasible while eliminating procedural mandates that create uncertainty and discourage long-term investment in energy infrastructure.  

Now, 50 years after EPCA was enacted, it is time to update this framework to reflect the significant equipment efficiency gains manufacturers have already achieved and enable them to invest in meeting new electricity demand, expanding domestic production capacity, and strengthening supply chains.

NEMA | https://www.nema.org/

Pioneer Power Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPSI) (“Pioneer” or the “Company”), a leader in the design, manufacture, service and integration of distributed energy resources, power generation equipment and mobile electric vehicle (“EV”) charging solutions, announced a strong start to 2026 with approximately $1.8 million received from new orders through mid-February.

“Securing over $1.75 million in new orders within the first few weeks of the year confirms the continued relevance of our broad suite of charging and power solutions,” said Nathan J. Mazurek, Chairman and CEO of Pioneer. “Enterprises simply cannot secure enough reliable power in an economically reasonable timeframe. Our ability to deliver high-capacity, off-grid power solutions to customers across North America today is a more significant competitive advantage than ever before. We believe this early momentum positions us for another year of high revenue growth as we continue to convert a robust pipeline into tangible results for our shareholders.”

Select New Business Highlights

• Order from a top-tier California public school district

In partnership with A-Z Bus Sales, Inc., Pioneer has agreed to provide an e-Boost Mobile unit that delivers 180KW of power dispensed via six DCFC charging ports to one of Southern California’s leading school districts to support its growing fleet of electric school buses. Currently serving 13,000 students with a fleet of more than 50 buses, the school district requires an off-grid charging solution to bridge chronic utility connection delays, ensuring uninterrupted deployment of its zero-emission buses.

A-Z Bus Sales, Inc., a premier alliance partner for e-Boost and California’s largest and longest-serving Blue Bird bus dealer, has been at the forefront of electric and alternative-fuel student transportation. A-Z expects this project to be part of a larger series of e-Boost orders it anticipates securing and delivering in 2026. A-Z Bus Sales recently delivered its one-thousandth all-electric, zero-emission bus, supporting many West Coast school districts’ shift to cleaner, greener fleets.

• Order from one of the top ten largest public-school districts in the U.S.

To support a rapidly expanding fleet of all-electric buses for a nationally-ranked metropolitan school district in Central Florida facing infrastructure dealys, Pioneer has agreed to deploy two e-Boost PureEnergy units with twelve 60KW fast-charging ports, providing the critical infrastructure needed to charge the school districts recent acquisition of 26 IC (International) and Thomas Built electric school buses. As Florida’s largest student transportation system carrying 52,000 students daily across more than 500 routes with a fleet of over 900 buses, this school district is expected to power its growing clean energy fleet reliably while reinforcing its leadership in electric bus adoption statewide.

• Award from the largest investor-owned utility (IOU) in the Southeast U.S.

Supporting a Southeastern utility at the forefront of grid modernization and EV infrastructure expansion, Pioneer eMobility will provide skid-mounted, advanced PureCharging with four dual-port 60KW Heliox DCFC chargers in collaboration with Heliox Energy (a Siemens company) for off-grid deployment at several of the utility’s remote service sites. This infrastructure is expected to power more than 50 EVs in the utility’s fleet to operate reliably in challenging locations, replacing traditional trucks and demonstrating how clean transportation solutions can be integrated seamlessly into large-scale electric fleet operation and maintenance.

• Order for e-Boost-D in collaboration with the largest airport operator in Canada

Working in conjunction with a leading provider of EV charging infrastructure for commercial and municipal vehicle fleet electrification in Canada, Pioneer secured an e-Boost order for the leading Canadian aviation hub serving over 45 million annual passengers. This was a competitive bid that challenged the vendors on innovation, experience and value of Pioneer’s solution. As part of this order, Pioneer has agreed to provide two e-Boost D Mobile units integrated with chargers from the leading Canadian EV charger company to support daily charging of airside EV fleet vehicles and equipment. Each of the e-Boost-D units are expected to distribute 100kW of power to four 80A Autel level 2 charging ports to support the expanding fleet at the airport.

• A new year, a new platform that meets market demand – e-Boost D Mobile

During the second half of 2025, Pioneer, in its efforts to continuously expand its addressable market, designed e-Boost D Mobile, an e-Boost Mobile model that is powered on diesel or renewable diesel. Propelled by robust policy tailwinds and the Clean Fuel Production Credit (45Z), renewable diesel demand surged in 2025. e-Boost D has been a widely requested model that accelerated in momentum over late 2025 and with this first purchase order for the largest Canadian airport operator, Pioneer officially unveils this solution.

“From electric school bus deployments in California and Florida to off-grid charging solutions for utilities in Southeastern U.S. and aviation mega-hub in Canada, we are removing the primary barriers to EV adoption,” added Geo Murickan, President of Pioneer eMobility. “We aren't just selling chargers or power, we are providing operational certainty for large-scale fleet transitions.”

Pioneer believes that these orders underscore a critical shift in the market and reaffirm how organizations are increasingly bypassing multi-year utility upgrade timelines in favor of Pioneer’s "Energy-at-the-Edge" solutions, which provide immediate, off-grid power for mission-critical fleets, businesses and beyond. These orders also further bolster Pioneer’s introduction of PRYMUS, the “Pure Power” version of e-Boost and its role as the foundational, mobile, "Private Grid" for large-scale electrification including powering “Edge” Computing Data Centers.

Pioneer Power Solutions | www.pioneerpowersolutions.com

Pioneer's e-Boost | www.pioneer-emobility.com

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) announced it will power a new Google data center in Pine Island, Minnesota. The data center and associated Electric Service Agreement will provide a significant contribution to the state’s economy, including a large buildout of new clean energy projects that will contribute to Minnesota’s clean energy goals while ensuring that Xcel Energy’s current customers benefit as a result of this growth.

Data centers serve as the core infrastructure that powers the internet, from personal electronics to business operations to government services. Xcel Energy recently signed an agreement to supply power for the Google data center that will support core services — including Workspace, Search, YouTube and Maps — that people, communities and businesses use every day.

Xcel Energy is committed to ensuring that new large loads do not increase costs for existing customers and that service remains reliable. Under the agreement, Google will pay all costs for its new service in line with its typical practices and Minnesota’s regulatory and legislative requirements for large loads. Over the past five years, Xcel Energy’s average Minnesota residential customer’s electric bills were 27% below the national average. Since 2013, residential electric bills have increased by 1.55% a year, well below the rate of inflation.

“Data centers are the backbone of the 21st century economy, and we’re excited to work with Google to advance the prosperity of our region and ensure our current customers benefit,” said Bria Shea, president of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. “This unique agreement is a model for data center partnerships in that it fulfills and protects Minnesota’s goals for a carbon-free future and drives investment deep into our communities — all while ensuring our current customers are not paying more for this growing demand.”

As part of the agreement, Xcel and Google are partnering to bring 1,900 megawatts of new clean energy to the grid. In addition, Google will cover any new grid infrastructure costs associated with the project and has planned carefully with Xcel Energy to ensure electricity in the area remains reliable and affordable for all of Xcel Energy’s customers. A Clean Energy Accelerator Charge (CEAC) will provide for 1,400 MW of wind, 200 MW of solar and 300 MW of long-duration energy storage, along with a $50 million investment towards Xcel Energy’s Capacity*Connect Program, which will help drive reliability on the grid. The additional generation will help advance Xcel Energy beyond its current energy mix of 70% carbon-free electricity.

“Our commitment to Minnesota goes beyond building infrastructure; it’s about being a responsible partner, neighbor, and a good citizen of the grid,” said Amanda Peterson Corio, head of Data Center Energy at Google. “This agreement supports our goal of expanding AI and cloud capabilities in a way that provides long-term value to the places we operate. By integrating new carbon-free energy and pioneering long-duration storage with Xcel Energy, we are helping to build a more resilient system that benefits the entire community.”

The clean energy resources funded through the agreement include a 300 megawatt (30 gigawatt-hour) Form Energy iron-air battery system installation, the largest battery project by gigawatt-hour energy capacity announced to date in the world. This 100-hour battery system will store energy during periods of high production and low demand and dispatch it to the grid during times of high demand, providing firm capacity and strengthening grid reliability when it is needed most, even over multiple days.

“Data centers are critical tools for economic development and growth in our state,” said Doug Loon, president and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “Last year’s law that extended incentives for operation of data centers while balancing environmental considerations like water and energy use is a model for other states. The Minnesota Chamber is excited about the partnership between Google and Xcel Energy to deliver this project and we look forward to the economic benefits it will bring to Minnesota.”

The Electric Service Agreement will be filed for review with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in the coming weeks. The MPUC must formally approve the agreement between Xcel Energy and Google to supply power to the site.

Xcel Energy | xcelenergy.com