New solar and wind capacity additions in November were the second highest in 2025 and accounted for 93% of that month’s total. Solar continues to dominate new capacity additions and has held the lead among all energy sources for 27 consecutive months, according to data released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.

In its latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” report (with data through November 30, 2025, released just nine days after the tardy October report), FERC says 38 “units” of solar totaling 2,879 megawatts (MW) were placed into service in November, accounting for 72.3% of all new generating capacity added during the month. This was solar’s second-largest monthly capacity increase during the year, behind only that added in January 2025.

The 690 utility-scale (>1 MW) solar units added during the first 11 months of 2025 total 25,467 MW – slightly less than the 27,668 MW added during the same period in 2024 – and accounted for 72.1% of the total new capacity placed into service by all sources.

Solar has now been the largest source of new generating capacity added each month for 27 months straight: September 2023 to November 2025. During that period, total utility-scale solar capacity grew from 91.82 GW to 163.44 GW. No other energy source added anything close to that amount of new capacity. Wind, for example, expanded by 13.20 GW while natural gas’ net increase was just 6.83 GW.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

In terms of installed generating capacity, utility-scale solar now accounts for 12.09% of the US total. It has become the largest renewable energy source, surpassed only by natural gas and coal. Further, solar is on track to surpass coal capacity before the end of 2026.

The 818 MW of new wind capacity additions in November were 20.6% of total new capacity and the second-highest monthly increase for wind in 2025. By comparison, natural gas added just 283 MW. In fact, each of the four new wind farms that came online was larger than any of the 11 new natural gas projects.

Between January and November, wind provided 5,563 MW of new capacity, an increase of 71% compared to a year earlier and a third more than the new capacity from natural gas (4,179 MW). Wind thus accounted for 15.8% of all new capacity added during the first 11 months of 2025 and now accounts for 11.9% of total US installed generating capacity.

Wind and solar combined were 92.9% of capacity additions in November. They now constitute 24.0% of the US’s installed utility-scale generating capacity.

Year-to-date (YTD), wind and solar (plus 4 MW of hydropower and 6 MW of biomass) accounted for 87.9% of all new generating capacity, while natural gas added just 11.8%. The balance of net capacity additions came from oil (66 MW) and waste heat (17 MW).

Moreover, more than 25% of US solar capacity is in small-scale systems (e.g., rooftop) that are not reflected in FERC’s data. Including that additional solar capacity would bring the share provided by solar + wind to more than a quarter of the US total.

With hydropower (7.55%), biomass (1.05%), and geothermal (0.31%) included, renewables currently account for 32.9% of total US utility-scale generating capacity. If small-scale solar capacity is included, renewables are now well more than one-third of total US generating capacity.

FERC reports that net “high probability” net additions of solar between December 2025 and November 2028 total 86,130 MW – an amount more than four times the forecast net “high probability” additions for wind (19,821 MW), the second fastest growing resource.

FERC also foresees net growth for hydropower (555 MW) and geothermal (102 MW), but a decrease of 116 MW in biomass capacity.

Meanwhile, natural gas capacity would expand by 10,022 MW, and nuclear power would add just 335 MW, while coal and oil are projected to contract by 19,741 MW and 1,590 MW, respectively.

Taken together, the net new “high probability” utility-scale capacity additions by all renewable energy sources over the next three years – the Trump administration’s remaining time in office – would total 106,492 MW. Solar and wind alone would contribute 105,951 GW. On the other hand, the installed capacity of fossil fuels and nuclear power combined would shrink by 10,974 MW.

Should FERC’s three-year forecast materialize, by late fall 2028, utility-scale solar would account for 17.2% of installed US generating capacity, more than any other source besides natural gas (40.1%). Further, the capacity of the mix of all utility-scale renewable energy sources would exceed 38%. Inclusion of small-scale solar, assuming it retains its 25% share of all solar, could push solar’s share to over 20% and that of all renewables to over 41%, while natural gas’s share would drop to about 38%.

In fact, the numbers for renewables could be significantly higher.

FERC notes that “all additions” (net) for utility-scale solar over the next three years could be as high as 225,818 MW, while those for wind could total 59,664 MW. Hydro’s net additions could reach 8,341 MW while geothermal and biomass could increase by 212 MW and 44 MW, respectively. Such growth from renewable sources would significantly exceed that of natural gas (32,152 MW).

“Coupled with recent court decisions to lift ‘pauses’ on offshore wind construction, the continued dominant growth by solar and wind should send a clear wake-up call to the Trump administration,” said Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “Renewable energy is the future and will not be stopped by the short-sighted policies emanating from the White House.”

Read more: EIA: 99%+ of new US capacity in 2026 will be solar, wind + storage

If you’re looking to replace your old HVAC equipment, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable HVAC installer near you that offers competitive pricing on heat pumps, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to get a heat pump. They have pre-vetted heat pump installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions. Plus, it’s free to use!

Your personalized heat pump quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. – *ad