2025 to be record year for U.S. big batteries, EIA says

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects utility-scale solar and battery storage to lead new generating capacity additions in 2025.

Following a record growth in utility-scale battery storage in 2024, which saw 10.3 GW of newly added capacity, the EIA expects an even bigger year ahead. In 2025, the agency forecasts capacity growth from battery storage to reach an all-time high fueled by the need for renewable energy integration and improved grid stability. It expects 18.2 GW of utility-scale BESS projects to join the grid this year, up by 77% on 2024.

Overall, the EIA expects 63 GW of new utility-scale electric-generating capacity to be added to the U.S. power grid in 2025, according to its latest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory report. This amount represents an almost 30% increase from 2024 when 48.6 GW of capacity was installed, the largest capacity installation in a single year since 2002.

Together, solar and battery storage account for 81% of the expected total capacity additions, with solar making up over 50% of the increase.

In 2024, a record 30 GW of utility-scale solar joined the U.S. grid, accounting for 61% of newly added capacity. The EIA expects this trend to continue in 2025, with 32.5 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity to be added. Texas (11.6 GW) and California (2.9 GW) will lead the pack.

Furthermore, the agency expects 7.7 GW of wind capacity to be added to the U.S. grid, up from only 5.1 GW in 2024, which was the smallest wind capacity addition since 2014. Finally, developers plan to build 4.4 GW of new natural gas-fired capacity in the U.S. during 2025, the agency said.