U.S. Clean Energy Growth Holds Steady in Q1 2025: Solar Leads 7.4GW Additions Amid Policy Crosswinds

7.4 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale solar, wind, and energy storage capacity in Q1 2025, positioning it as the second-highest quarterly installation after the record 8.1 GW achieved in Q1 2024 . Solar power dominated the expansion with 4.4 GW of new installations, followed by a quarterly-record 1.6 GW1.3 GW for wind energy .

30% year-over-year compared to Q1 2024's peak . Florida emerged as the top solar market, deploying 894 MW-over 20% of the nation's new grid-scale solar capacity . The quarter's largest commissioned project was the 435 MW Dunns Bridge Solar Phase II in Indiana, developed by NextEra Energy Resources for Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO). This facility integrates a 56 MW/225 MWh battery storage system to serve northern Indiana customers .

Grid-scale battery storage installations surged 65% year-on-year

200 MW Silver State South

200 MW Pike County system (both with 4-hour duration) .

Cumulative U.S. clean energy capacity now totals 321 GW

156 GW

134 GW utility-scale solar

30.6 GW/83 GWh battery storage .
80 million homes .

184+ GW of solar, wind, and storage under development-a 12% annual increase . Battery storage (+35 GW since 2022) and solar (+21 GW) drive this growth . ACP CEO Jason Grumet warned: "Clean electricity is ready... but the biggest threat to a reliable energy system is an unreliable political system." He emphasized that Republican-leaning states are experiencing robust project activity, yet policy uncertainty threatens $300+ billion in planned investments

ACP stated that the industry is growing particularly strongly in Republican states, where domestic manufacturing and energy production create nearly 650000 direct and indirect jobs, generating $3.4 billion in taxes and inputs annually for landowners in rural communities.
But the Republican led House of Representatives passed a budget coordination bill, which the Solar Industry Association criticized as "unworkable legislation".
The uncertain direction of tax credit policies has led to the cancellation of approximately $14 billion worth of clean energy projects and factories in 2025 alone.
Among other changes, the proposed 'Big and Beautiful Bill' will cancel the Clean Energy Investment Tax Credit and Production Tax Credit five years earlier in 2028, and will subsequently enter the Senate for a vote.