REPORT: Clean Power Maintains Strong Momentum in Q2 2026, with Capacity Additions Up 45% Year Over Year

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 3, 2026 — The American Clean Power Association (ACP) released its 2026 Q2 Clean Power Quarterly Market Report today, highlighting record deployment levels as the clean power industry moves quickly to meet rising energy demand.

Developers brought 164 utility-scale solar, storage, and wind projects online in the second quarter, adding 17.1 GW of new capacity and pushing total clean power capacity to nearly 388 GW, enough to power 83 million American households. The quarter marked the strongest second quarter and first half of a year on record for clean energy deployments, demonstrating that companies and utilities continue to recognize the value of clean energy as a fast, affordable power source, even in an unstable policy environment. These record-setting results could have been even stronger absent federal actions that have delayed, stalled, or otherwise impeded the development of new clean energy projects.

Utility-scale solar led with 7.4 GW deployed, along with nearly 5 GW of land-based wind and 4.7 GW of battery storage. Land-based wind recorded its strongest second quarter on record, driven by Pattern Energy’s 3.65 GW SunZia Wind project in New Mexico, the largest land-based wind project ever built in the United States. The project produces more energy than the Hoover Dam and will supply power for up to one million households across the Western United States.

The clean energy project pipeline also reached a record high of 205 GW, including 111 GW of utility-scale solar and 56 GW of battery storage. Clean power procurement totaled 14.5 GW, up 23% year over year, with power purchase agreement announcements reaching an all-time first-half record. Clean energy projects are the fastest to deploy in a time of rising demand, and companies see the strong business case for clean energy.

Despite the sector’s strong performance, federal permitting and review delays continue to threaten future development. In particular, the land-based wind project pipeline fell 4% quarter-over-quarter.

“Clean energy continues to prove itself in the marketplace — it’s the fastest to build, the fastest to scale, and is delivering the energy our country needs,” said ACP Chief Policy Officer JC Sandberg. “When clean energy is allowed to compete fairly with other technologies, we know that it can deliver reliable, affordable energy to power American homes and businesses.”

Highlights from the report include:

• New Mexico led the nation in new clean power capacity additions, adding 3.6 GW to the grid from Pattern Energy’s SunZia project and ending Texas’ two-and-a-half-year streak as the top state.
• Battery storage surpassed 50 GW of installed capacity nationwide and now stands at nearly 53 GW.
• The clean power pipeline reached a record 205 GW, up 20 GW (11%) year-over-year.

While clean power projects are booming and remain the fastest sources of energy to deploy and scale, the industry continues to face barriers that limit its growth. In Q2, deployment was expected to be even stronger before federal permitting delays and other policy barriers slowed or stalled projects.

Policy certainty is essential to sustaining this momentum and clean power’s ability to deliver the energy Americans need and businesses demand.

Explore the full report for more data and analysis.