The U.S. solar sector added 11.7 gigawatts of new capacity in the third quarter, a sharp 49% increase from the previous three months, according to a report published Tuesday by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie.
Solar accounted for the majority of new electricity-generation additions this year, contributing 58% of all capacity brought online through the end of the third quarter. Total installations for 2025 have now surpassed 30 gigawatts.
This surge comes after the industry worked through disruptions tied to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which had slowed deployment earlier in the year.
The analysis highlighted that much of the quarter’s expansion reflected the completion of utility-scale projects that had been scheduled and largely built during the second quarter.