The United States' cumulative clean power capacity reached 370 GW in the first quarter of 2026, enough to supply electricity to nearly 80 million homes, according to the latest quarterly market report released by the American Clean Power Association (ACP).

During the first three months of the year, developers brought 6.4 GW of new utility-scale solar, wind, and energy storage capacity online, reinforcing the growth of the clean energy sector despite ongoing permitting challenges and project delays.

Source:American Clean Power Association | Clean Power Quarterly Market Report: 2026 Q1

Solar and Storage Drive Growth

The report shows that the clean energy project pipeline expanded by 6% year-over-year, supported primarily by a 13% increase in solar projects and an 8% increase in battery energy storage projects.

Solar energy led new capacity additions during the quarter, with more than 3.6 GW of utility-scale solar capacity entering operation. As a result, cumulative installed solar capacity in the United States reached 161.1 GW.

According to ACP, the continued expansion of solar and storage reflects the sector’s ability to respond quickly to rising electricity demand and the need for additional generation resources across the country.

Wind Development Faces Headwinds

In contrast, wind development continued to face challenges. The report notes that the pipeline for onshore wind projects remained largely stagnant, while the offshore wind pipeline declined by 35% compared with the previous year.

ACP attributes the slowdown to permitting delays, difficulties in securing federal approvals, and regulatory uncertainty affecting new wind developments, particularly offshore projects.

The report also highlights that more than 6.4 GW of clean power capacity originally expected to become operational during the first quarter was delayed, bringing the total backlog of delayed projects in the United States to 53 GW. Developers cited lengthy permitting processes, interconnection bottlenecks, and fluctuating equipment costs among the key causes of delays.

Source:American Clean Power Association | Clean Power Quarterly Market Report: 2026 Q1

Texas Nears the 100 GW Milestone

Among US states, Texas continues to dominate clean energy deployment. The state now hosts more than 96.4 GW of operating clean power and energy storage capacity, representing approximately 26% of the nation’s total installed clean power capacity.

According to ACP, Texas is on track to become the first US state to surpass 100 GW of operating clean energy capacity, with more installed capacity than the next four states combined.

Despite the slowdown in wind development, ACP expects continued growth in solar and energy storage to support further expansion of the US clean energy sector as electricity demand continues to rise.