Share of new US solar paired with batteries hits 16%

More new big solar plants in the US are being built with batteries on site. The US Energy Information Administration says over 16% of the utility-scale solar added this year is paired with working batteries. That is as of September. In 2017, that share was 2%. Utility-scale means large plants that feed the grid, not rooftop panels.

Solar plants all produce at once when the sun is out. That tends to push wholesale power prices down when solar output is high, and up when it fades. A battery lets a plant hold its power and sell it later. EIA says plants with both can steer their output to maximize its value as prices change. The pairing is more common in the Southwest. California, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada run at more than double the national average. Of all US utility-scale capacity, 13% is solar. And 18% of that solar is co-located with batteries.

Keep reading — what to watch

Will the plans turn into real projects? EIA's numbers for 2027 and 2028 come from what operators have reported so far. Watch the year-end count. EIA says plans for the last three months of 2026 could lift this year's share to 19%.