The U.S. solar industry added nearly 18 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity in the first half of 2025, even as the Trump administration rolled out a series of restrictive clean energy policies, according to the latest Solar Market Insight (SMI) Q3 2025 report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie.
Solar and storage dominated new electricity generation, accounting for 82% of all new power added to the grid during the first six months of the administration. However, the report warns that the combined impact of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (HR1) and recent executive actions could slash solar deployment by 44 GW by 2030, an 18% decline compared to baseline forecasts.
“Solar and storage are the backbone of America’s energy future,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “Instead of unleashing this economic engine, the Trump administration is deliberately stifling investment, raising energy costs for families and businesses, and jeopardizing grid reliability.”
The report highlights that 77% of new solar capacity installed this year has been built in Trump-won states, including top markets such as Texas, Indiana, Arizona, Florida, and Ohio. Meanwhile, U.S. solar manufacturing added 13 GW of new module production in the first half of the year, bringing total capacity to 55 GW. Still, no new upstream manufacturing investment was announced in Q2 amid growing policy uncertainty.
Wood Mackenzie’s head of solar research Michelle Davis cautioned that federal permitting changes from the Department of the Interior could threaten 44 GW of planned projects, particularly in Arizona, California, and Nevada.
SEIA has urged the administration to reverse course, warning of potential job losses, higher power prices, and weakened U.S. competitiveness. The group recently released a grid reliability policy agenda to promote solar and storage as essential tools for meeting America’s growing energy demand.
