The United States now has enough operating solar capacity to power more than 50 million American homes, equivalent to more than one-third of households nationwide, according to the latest US Solar Market Insight report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie.

The US solar industry added 11.4 GWdc of new generating capacity in the second quarter of 2026, marking a 45% increase from the same period last year and a 43% rise from the first quarter, the report found. The strong growth reflects a broader expansion of solar and storage, which together accounted for 70% of all new capacity added to the US grid during the first half of the year.

Utility-scale projects were responsible for most of the quarterly additions, with 9.6 GWdc installed between April and June. That was 61% more than in the second quarter of 2025, as developers accelerated construction and project completions ahead of the July 2026 safe-harbor deadline for tax credit eligibility.

The latest figures also point to continued expansion beyond the current quarter. SEIA and Wood Mackenzie forecast that the US solar market will nearly double over the next five years, with project pipelines and safe-harbored capacity expected to support around 44 GWdc of annual additions through 2031.

“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 CEO Tim Pawlenty.

For the residential segment, however, the near-term picture is more challenging following the expiration of the residential solar tax credit. The report expects the residential market to return to growth in 2027, as households continue to turn to solar to reduce electricity bills and improve energy resilience.

Permitting constraints and the transition following the investment tax credit (ITC) also remain significant challenges for the industry, according to Caitlin Connelly, senior analyst at Wood Mackenzie. At the same time, the analysts expect the substantial pipeline of projects already in development to continue supporting solar deployment in the coming years.