The US added close to 7.4 GW of clean energy capacity in Q1 2025, representing $10 billion of private investment
8 of the top 10 clean power states during the quarter were Republican-led, led by Texas
Battery storage surged 65% YoY to reach a cumulative 30 GW, but solar capacity fell 30% compared to Q1 2024
The US had its 2nd strongest Q1 on record in 2025 as it commissioned 7.38 GW of utility-scale solar, wind and energy storage projects, representing $10 billion of private investment into the US energy infrastructure, according to the American Clean Power Association (ACP).
This comprised 4.46 GW of solar, 1.6 GW of storage and 1.327 MW of onshore wind capacity.
Out of the top 10 US states that report these additions, 8 are Republican Party-run states, led by Texas. According to the ACP’s Clean Power Quarterly Market Report, domestic manufacturing and energy production in these Republican states have created nearly 650,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Utility-scale solar additions were 30% lower on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, expanding the total installed for this segment to 134.43 GW across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Florida-led utility-scale solar installations as it commissioned 894 MW of new capacity during the quarter. On an aggregate basis, Texas leads installations with 28 GW of utility-scale solar capacity.
It was the battery storage that saw a record high-capacity additions, surpassing 30 GW nationally with a 65% YoY increase.
The country’s total operational clean energy capacity at the end of March 2025 reached 320.85 GW, with 155.56 GW of onshore wind leading the pack, followed by 134.43 GW of solar, which was a contraction of 3% from Q1 2024, and 30.68 GW of storage.
In terms of the clean energy pipeline, the volume of capacity in advanced development or under construction expanded by 12% YoY to reach 184.4 GW. It is driven primarily by utility-scale solar that saw its pipeline contract by 3% YoY, but reported a net growth of more than 2 GW from the end of 2024. Since Q1 2022, this segment has added 21 GW to the pipeline.
The country’s battery storage pipeline is also building up fast, increasing 57% YoY to nearly 50 GW, while onshore wind capacity improved by 24% to 28 GW.
If all of this project pipeline is built, it will represent $328 billion in project investment, according to the association.
“We have the technology, investment capital, and workforce required to build the $300+ billion of clean energy projects in our development pipeline. The greatest threat to a reliable energy system is an unreliable political system,” said ACP CEO Jason Grumet.
ACP is pointing towards the US federal administration threatening to cut off clean energy incentives provided under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) through the One Big Beautiful Budget Reconciliation Bill. The bill cleared the House recently (see US House Passes Bill Threatening Clean Energy Incentives).
ACP demands that the Senate pass a reasonable energy policy for the country by rejecting the ‘strident’ House approach.
The association counts the domestic clean power manufacturing sector as contributing $18 billion to the US GDP. The country currently has over 800 manufacturing plants in the supply chain, with at least 1 in every state, and there are 200 manufacturing facilities in the pipeline, representing over $150 billion in investment.
“These credits for solar, wind, and energy storage manufacturing have been the most important driver for the $33 billion of annual domestic spending and the 122,000 jobs generated by new domestic clean energy manufacturing,” stated ACP in a recent report on clean energy manufacturing.
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