Share of new US utility-scale solar paired with batteries climbs past 16%

· Climate · United States

The share of new utility-scale solar capacity that comes with co-located battery storage keeps rising, according to data operators report to the US Energy Information Administration. As of September 2026, more than 16% of utility-scale solar capacity added this year was paired with operable battery storage, up from 2% in 2017. The trend reflects developers' growing preference for combining generation and storage at the same site, which lets solar output be shifted to later hours and improves the economics and grid value of new projects. The figures cover only utility-scale installations reported to EIA, not rooftop or smaller distributed solar. The shift matters for how much of the solar built each year can actually be dispatched when demand peaks.

Why it matters：Co-location is becoming the default way US solar is built, which changes how much new renewable capacity can serve evening peaks and alters demand forecasts for standalone storage.

Key points

  • More than 16% of 2026 utility-scale solar additions through September include operable batteries.
  • In 2017 only 2% of new utility-scale solar came with co-located storage.
  • Data come from operator reports to the EIA and cover utility-scale projects only.

Sources (original reporting)

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