EIA Forecasts 80+ GW of US Solar, Wind & Battery Storage Added to Grid by February 2027

The US Energy Information Administration released its grid capacity outlook on April 27-29, 2026, projecting over 80 GW of new utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage additions to the US grid by February 28, 2027. Solar alone accounts for 42,628 MW of additions (raising solar's share of US capacity from 12.7% to 15.5%), wind adds 14,507 MW including 4,155 MW of offshore wind (share rises to 13.6%), and battery storage surges 51.4% from 44,630 MW to 67,549 MW. Renewables' combined share of US utility-scale capacity rises from 33.4% to 36.6% under the forecast. Fossil fuels and nuclear are expected to decline by approximately 5 GW. The forecast came amid rising private investment in US clean energy despite the Trump administration's rollback of federal incentives, with AI data center demand driving much of the new capacity additions.