Solar and wind power collectively accounted for nearly 96% of all new utility-scale electrical generating capacity added in the United States during the first four months of 2025, according to data released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and analyzed by the SUN DAY Campaign. This significant surge emphasizes the ongoing rapid transformation of the U.S. energy mix towards cleaner sources, driven by economic competitiveness and policy support.

In April 2025 alone, solar energy led new capacity additions for the 20th consecutive month, contributing 2,284 megawatts (MW) across 50 units, representing 86.7% of the month's total new capacity. For the period spanning January through April 2025, solar installations totaled 9,451 MW, making up 77.7% of all new generation placed into service. Wind power contributed an additional 2,183 MW during the same four-month period, accounting for 18.0% of new additions. Combined, solar and wind additions reached 11,634 MW, dwarfing the 511 MW from natural gas (4.2%) and 11 MW from oil (0.1%) over the same period.

As of April 30, 2025, the installed capacities of utility-scale solar (11.0%) and wind (11.8%) each exceed one-tenth of the total U.S. generating capacity. Together, they now constitute 22.8% of the nation's utility-scale capacity. Including an estimated 25-30% of U.S. solar capacity from small-scale (e.g., rooftop) systems, which are not reflected in FERC's utility-scale data, the combined share of solar and wind surpasses one-fourth of the total U.S. generating capacity. When factoring in hydropower (7.7%), biomass (1.1%), and geothermal (0.3%), renewables collectively represent 31.8% of total U.S. utility-scale generating capacity, approaching one-third of the total when small-scale solar is included.

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