Solar power continues to add capacity to the U.S. electricity grid at a pace exceeding that of all other domestic energy sources, according to an analysis based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and sector summaries of the data. This is happening despite political pressure aimed at reducing support for wind and solar power, and despite the industry’s heavy reliance on silicon-cell technology, whose practical applications in solar energy date back to 1954.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), solar power now covers the equivalent of the consumption of 50 million American households. Part of this expansion is linked to the major decline in the cost of silicon-based cells, while thin-film cells made from cadmium telluride (CdTe) have helped strengthen solar power’s presence in large-scale U.S. projects.
A Clear Gap Between Solar Power and Fossil Fuels
In a report issued on September 9, 2026, the EIA forecasts that solar generation will grow by 21% during 2026 and by 18% during 2027. These percentages include utility-scale, grid-connected solar projects. According to the SUN DAY Campaign, which summarizes EIA data, small-scale solar could add about two percentage points to the growth rate in each of the two years.
By contrast, demand for coal used in U.S. power plants is expected to decline by 8% during 2026 and then by 6% in 2027. As for natural gas, the EIA expects it to add only 2% to electricity generation in 2026, before its growth rate falls to 1% in 2027. The article links part of the limited growth of gas to delays in manufacturing gas turbines, noting that supply chains and factories face waiting periods of up to about five years.
The analysis does not attribute this shift entirely to renewable energy, as it sees gas also contributing, albeit to a limited extent, to pressure on coal. The figures also concern grid-connected generation and capacity, and therefore should not be read as a comprehensive measure of all solar activity outside the utility sector.
Why Does This News Matter?
The practical importance of the data is that it reveals a gap between market trends and policy trends. Even with U.S. policies that favor other sources and place wind and solar power in a less-supported position, new solar capacity continues to be installed at a rapid pace. But the continuation of this trend does not eliminate the impact of political decisions on financing, research and development, tax incentives, and the speed of project deployment.
For this reason, some sector representatives have begun treating elections as a direct arena for defending renewable-energy interests. Steve McBee, chief executive of Huck Capital, announced the launch of the organization Amped with the aim of building greater political and cultural power for the clean-energy industry. McBee wrote that the sector has so far failed to build the political and cultural power needed to protect its commercial position and accelerate the expansion of the modern energy economy.
The article points to another example in the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, which spent $1.7 million opposing the campaign of U.S. Representative Chip Roy for Texas attorney general because of his positions calling for an end to renewable-energy tax incentives. The coalition said its supporters had pledged to provide at least $15 million before the midterm elections, with the aim of making attacks on the wind and solar industries politically costly.
American Power Forward PAC, which is affiliated with SEIA, has also begun supporting pro-solar candidates at the state and local levels. Its first arena was Nevada, where it announced its support for Democratic Assemblywoman Elaine Marzola in the election for Legislative Assembly District 21, against Republican candidate Patsy Carvalho. The choice of a politically competitive district reflects the sector’s political activity shifting from general lobbying to targeting specific races.
New Materials and Open Constraints
The industry’s bet is not limited to reducing the cost of silicon. The article points to growing interest in perovskite cells, a class of synthetic optical materials that have been used in solar-energy research since 2006. Current commercial activity is moving toward tandem cells that combine silicon, to support durability, with perovskite to increase conversion efficiency at a lower cost.
CdTe technology also stands out. It is not widely deployed outside the United States, but it receives support from the U.S. Department of Energy because of what the article describes as a reliable and secure domestic supply chain. One example is the allocation of $20 million to the Cadmium Telluride Accelerator Consortium, with the goal of raising solar-energy conversion efficiency to 26% or more and reducing the cost to less than $0.15 per watt.
These goals and technologies remain paths under development rather than completed results. The reduction in funding for solar-thermal research and development programs during the Trump administration also demonstrates that technological progress can be directly affected by changing government priorities. Thus, the open question concerns not only solar power’s ability to grow, but also its ability to maintain this trajectory when policies, incentives, and elections change.