U.S. Solar Installations Fell in 2025 as Trump Attacked Clean Energy

Source: New York Times

U.S. Solar Installations Fell in 2025 as Trump Attacked Clean Energy

More solar energy was added to U.S. grids than any other technology, but the amount installed fell by 14 percent, according to a new report.


A solar field in Riesel, Texas, in 2023. Solar power is projected to account for just over half of the new power projects that will be added this year. Mason Trinca for The New York Times

By Ivan Penn
March 10, 2026, 12:01 a.m. ET

Solar power installations declined in the United States last year, as the Trump administration sought to impede the growth of renewable energy, according to an industry report released on Tuesday.

Solar energy maintained its position as the largest source of new electricity generation added to the electric grid, but the amount added was 14 percent lower than in 2024, according to the report and data published by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie, an energy research firm.

Last year was much better for battery storage installations, which increased to their highest annual level, the report said. Trump administration officials have not criticized batteries as much as they have criticized solar and wind power.

“The emphasis in federal energy policy that happened throughout 2025 on fossil fuels and a kind of a move away from renewables definitely made an impact on the solar industry, to be sure,” said Michelle Davis, head of global solar at Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables. “It’s undeniable.”

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Ivan Penn is a reporter based in Los Angeles and covers the energy industry. His work has included reporting on clean energy, failures in the electric grid and the economics of utility services.



Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/business/energy-environment/donald-trump-solar-energy-batteries.html