New data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), analysed by the Sun Day Campaign, shows that renewable energy generation increased by 10.1% in the first five months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Renewables accounted for 30.3% of total US electricity generation during the period, up from 28.2% a year earlier.
Wind generation increased by 4.8% year-on-year, while solar, including utility-scale and small-scale installations, recorded stronger growth. Together, wind and solar supplied more than 22% of US electricity generation, producing 57% more electricity than coal plants and 26% more than nuclear power plants during the first five months of the year.
Renewable capacity continued to expand, with almost 45 GW added between June 2025 and May 2026. Wind capacity increased by 10,253 MW, while utility-scale solar grew by almost 28 GW and small-scale solar by 6,664 MW. Battery energy storage capacity also increased by 16,552 MW during the same period.
EIA expects renewable energy capacity growth to continue over the next year. Utility-scale renewable capacity is projected to increase by 53.7 GW by May 2027, including 9.4 GW of new wind capacity, of which 3.4 GW will come from offshore wind projects. Utility-scale solar is expected to add nearly 44 GW. Over the same period, fossil fuel capacity is forecast to decline by 4.7 GW, while nuclear capacity remains unchanged.
Including small-scale solar, renewable energy capacity could surpass natural gas capacity by 2027. Battery storage capacity is also expected to grow significantly, with EIA forecasting an additional 23.2 GW by June 2027, bringing total installed battery capacity to around 72 GW.
