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So much solar: Digging into the list of every US power plant that went online this year
US power-sector data show that 368 utility-scale plants began operating in the first half of 2026, with solar and battery projects dominating both the number of completions and much of the added capacity. The figures matter because they offer a concrete view of current construction trends, even as much larger natural-gas projects have been announced but are not expected to come online for several years.
The largest additions were the two SunZia wind farms in New Mexico, totalling 3,650MW, followed by Ohio’s 900MW Trumbull Energy Center gas plant and Utah’s 800MW Green River solar-and-battery project. Solar accounted for 207 projects and 11,458MW, while batteries added 95 projects and 8,207MW; gas technologies added 2,707MW in total, and onshore wind added 5,473MW largely because of SunZia. Analysts say smaller and mid-sized solar schemes, often paired with batteries, are easier to site and build, though capacity figures do not directly measure how much electricity each technology produces.
In short
- Solar and batteries dominated new US power plants.
- SunZia supplied most new wind capacity.
- Major new gas capacity is still years away.
Explained simply
US power plants use a mix of technologies, including gas, wind and solar. Solar panels generate electricity when the sun shines, while batteries can store electricity for use later; gas plants can generate power when needed.
A megawatt measures a plant’s capacity to produce electricity at a given moment, rather than how much it generates over time. The mix of projects being built matters because it shows how the US electricity system is changing, while large plants can take years to develop and bring online.