New data released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shows that wind and solar energy accounted for almost all new generating capacity added in the USA in November 2025, according to an analysis by the Sun Day Campaign. Combined wind and solar additions represented 93% of total new capacity during the month, making November the second strongest month of the year for renewable energy growth.
Wind power made a significant contribution, with 818 MW of new capacity entering service in November. This represented 20.6% of all new capacity added during the month and marked the second-highest monthly increase for wind in 2025. The four wind farms commissioned were each larger than any of the 11 new natural gas projects brought online in the same period. By comparison, natural gas capacity increased by 283 MW.
Between January and November 2025, wind added 5,563 MW of new capacity, an increase of 71% compared with the same period a year earlier. Wind additions exceeded those of natural gas, which totalled 4,179 MW over the same timeframe. Wind accounted for 15.8% of all new capacity added during the first eleven months of the year and now represents 11.9% of total installed generating capacity in the USA.
Solar energy remained the largest source of new capacity additions. In November, 2,879 MW of utility-scale solar capacity was commissioned across 38 projects, accounting for 72.3% of new generating capacity added during the month. This was the second-largest monthly increase for solar in 2025. Thirteen of the new solar projects were larger than 100 MW, including the Parliament Solar Project in Texas and the Stampede Solar and Storage Expansion Project, also in Texas.
Over the first eleven months of 2025, utility-scale solar additions reached 25,467 MW, slightly below the level recorded during the same period in 2024. Solar accounted for just over 72% of all new generating capacity added during this period. Utility-scale solar capacity has grown steadily for more than two years and now represents 12.09% of total installed generating capacity, making it the largest renewable energy source in the country.
Taken together, wind and solar accounted for nearly 24% of total installed utility-scale generating capacity by the end of November. Year to date, renewables including wind, solar, hydropower and biomass represented 87.9% of all new capacity additions, while natural gas accounted for 11.8%. Small additions also came from oil and waste heat recovery.
FERC’s forward-looking data indicates that solar and wind are expected to continue leading capacity growth. Between December 2025 and November 2028, high-probability additions for solar are forecast at 86,130 MW, more than four times the projected additions for wind at 19,821 MW. Smaller increases are expected for hydropower and geothermal, while biomass capacity is forecast to decline slightly. Over the same period, coal and oil capacity are expected to decrease, while natural gas and nuclear power show limited growth.
If these projections are realised, renewable energy sources will continue to increase their share of the USA generation mix, driven primarily by sustained growth in wind and solar capacity.
