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EIA projected that the US will add 86 GW of new capacity in 2026 — the largest annual increase in over two decades — with only 7% from natural gas, solar dominating at 51%, and batteries surpassing wind for the first time in American history
A silent revolution is happening in the United States.
Of all new electricity capacity to be installed in 2026, 99% will come from renewables and batteries.
That’s 86 gigawatts (GW) of new generation in a single year.
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It’s the largest annual increase since 2002 — over two decades ago.
And natural gas — which for decades dominated American capacity additions — accounted for only 7% of the total, equivalent to 6.3 GW.
The data was published by the EIA (US Energy Information Administration) on February 20, 2026.
To get an idea of the scale, 86 GW in a single year is enough to power all of Spain — a country of 47 million inhabitants.
This projection marks the moment when the American energy transition ceased to be a promise and became a proven fact in the numbers.
How the 86 GW are divided among sources
The distribution shows a structural shift in the American electricity sector that few predicted 10 years ago:
- Solar photovoltaic: 43.4 GW (51% of total) — a 60% increase over 27.2 GW in 2025
- Batteries (BESS): 24.3 GW (28%) — an absolute record, surpassing 15 GW in 2025
- Wind: 11.8 GW (14%) — more than double 2025, including unprecedented offshore projects
- Natural gas: 6.3 GW (7%) — with 3.3 GW combined cycle and 2.8 GW simple turbines
For the first time in United States history, batteries surpassed wind in annual capacity additions.
This signals that energy storage has ceased to be an accessory and has become an absolute protagonist of the American energy transition.
Furthermore, the total battery capacity in the US now exceeds 40 GW, after five consecutive years of exponential growth.
Texas leads with 40% of solar and 53% of batteries
The state receiving the most new energy is not sunny California — it’s Texas.
It concentrates 40% of all solar capacity and an impressive 53% of all batteries installed in the country in 2026.
Texas has two advantages: abundant and cheap land with intense sun, in addition to regulation that facilitates the quick connection of new projects to the electricity grid.
The largest solar project in the US in 2026 is precisely in Texas: Tehuacana Creek 1, in Navarro County, with 837 MW solar + 418 MW batteries, developed by Solar Proponent.
This project alone is equivalent to a medium-sized nuclear power plant.
Other highlights include Lunis Creek BESS in Jackson, Texas (621 MW of pure batteries), and Clear Fork Creek Solar + BESS in Wilson County (600 MW combined).
Together with California (14% of batteries, 3.4 GW) and Arizona (13%, 3.2 GW), these three states concentrate 80% of all battery capacity in the US.
Offshore wind finally takes off in the US
Two mega offshore wind projects that suffered years of delays are finally expected to come online in 2026:
- Vineyard Wind 1 (Massachusetts): 800 MW — will be the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the US
- Revolution Wind (Rhode Island): 715 MW — the second largest offshore project in the country
Together, they represent 1,515 MW of offshore wind energy.
It’s the beginning of an industry that Europe has dominated for over a decade, with countries like the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Germany leading the way.
Additionally, SunZia Wind in New Mexico, with 3,650 MW, will be the largest onshore wind farm in the United States when completed — surpassing any existing installation in the country.
From less than 1% to 17% in 20 years
Over the past 20 years, the share of solar and wind in American electricity generation has gone from less than 1% to 17%.
In absolute numbers, solar and wind together generated 760,000 GWh of electricity in 2025.
In January 2026, renewables already represented more than 25% of all electricity generated and 36% of all installed capacity in the United States.
It’s a transformation that happened faster than most analysts predicted in the early 2010s.
The projection of 86 GW in 2026 is not an isolated jump — it’s the acceleration of a two-decade structural trend.
Why 99% renewable in the US matters for Brazil
The United States is the second largest energy consumer on the planet, behind only China.
When the world’s second largest market decides that 99% of new capacity will be clean, it sends an unequivocal signal to global investors and manufacturers.
The American scale drives costs down worldwide.
The more solar panels and batteries the US buys, the cheaper it becomes for Brazil, India, and other developing countries to adopt the same technology.
Furthermore, American battery and solar companies establish supply chains that are then replicated globally.
Caveats
EIA projections are conditional estimates — “if realized,” as the agency itself highlights in its official reports.
Offshore wind projects have suffered significant delays before, and there’s no guarantee that Vineyard Wind and Revolution Wind will meet the 2026 schedule.
Additionally, natural gas still adds 6.3 GW, and the grid as a whole still relies heavily on fossil fuels for existing generation.
Coal and natural gas together still account for the majority of electricity effectively consumed by Americans.
Political uncertainties can also affect the pace of new installations in future years.
However, recent analyses show that 60% more renewables are being added in 2026 compared to the previous year — suggesting that the trend is economic and structural, not just political.
Still, 86 GW in a single year — with 99% clean — is a change that no policy can easily reverse, because the economics of renewables have already beaten that of fossil fuels in cost per megawatt-hour in most American markets.
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