The United States has surpassed a major clean energy milestone, reaching enough operating solar capacity to power more than 50 million American households. The cumulative national solar footprint now stands at 299.4 GWdc across more than 6.2 million installed systems, meaning solar power generation can now cover the equivalent electricity needs of more than one-third of all households across the country.
The national landmark was highlighted in the latest U.S. Solar Market Insight report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie. The report reveals that the domestic solar industry installed 11.4 GWdc of new generating capacity in the second quarter of 2026 alone. That quarterly deployment figure represents a 45% increase compared to the same period last year and a 43% step-up from the first quarter.
Utility-scale installations led the second-quarter expansion, accounting for 9.6 GWdc of new grid capacity, up 61% year-over-year. The surge was driven in part by developers expediting project timelines to bring capacity online ahead of the July 2026 safe harbor deadline for federal tax credit eligibility. Together, solar and storage technologies represented 70% of all new electricity generating capacity added to the national power grid during the first half of the year.
The expanding deployment footprint reflects broader structural growth across the domestic solar economy. Today, solar supplies nearly 9% of total U.S. electricity generation, nearly seven times its grid share from a decade ago. The sector employs over 280,000 workers across more than 10,000 businesses nationwide, with private solar investment totaling $69.1 billion in 2025 alone.
“Solar and storage have grown to a scale most Americans have yet to fully realize, and we simply can’t meet America’s growing energy needs without these technologies,” said SEIA President and CEO Tim Pawlenty.
Deployment gains continue to concentrate heavily across Republican-led states. Geographically, states won by President Trump in the 2024 election accounted for 57% of total cumulative capacity and 71% of all new solar capacity brought online during the first six months of 2026. Eight of the top 10 states for new capacity additions this year were red states, driven by rapid project execution in major sunbelt markets.
California and Texas continue to anchor national totals, holding 56,457 MW and 55,125 MW of cumulative solar capacity, respectively. Florida ranks third with 22,550 MW, followed by Arizona with 13,197 MW and North Carolina with 10,127 MW. Rounding out the top 10 markets are Illinois at 9,337 MW, New York at 8,410 MW, Nevada at 8,253 MW, Virginia at 7,868 MW, and Georgia at 7,786 MW.
Alongside generation deployment, domestic clean energy manufacturing has scaled significantly. More than $18 billion has been invested in U.S. solar factory construction, expanding active facilities across 43 states. Operational U.S. module manufacturing capacity has reached 75.3 GW, with an additional 14.4 GW currently under construction. Domestic solar cell manufacturing infrastructure is also taking shape, with 10.6 GW of operational capacity and 19.1 GW actively being built.
Despite macroeconomic pressures and the expiration of residential tax credits that temporarily cooled the rooftop sector, long-term industry projections remain robust. Wood Mackenzie forecasts that the domestic solar market will nearly double over the next five years, maintaining an average annual buildout of roughly 44 GWdc through 2031. Cumulative U.S. solar deployment is projected to reach 769 GW by 2036.
Looking out toward mid-century grid projections, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that solar and storage will account for 67% of all planned grid capacity additions through 2030, with solar specifically representing 44% of new grid builds. By 2060, roughly half of all new annual power generation added to the national electrical grid is projected to come from solar energy.
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