Texas at the Center of America’s Record Breaking Energy Buildout | Reading and Podcast Picks - Mar. 2, 2026
New EIA report; Texas solar and storage updates; local resistance to data centers; why electric bills may climb again; and ERCOT's poor grade from GridStrategies.
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A recent U.S. Energy Information Administration report has an eye-popping forecast for electricity generation across the country. As usual, Texas is helping to drive that growth.
The report predicted, unsurprisingly, that the nation will hit another electricity generation record this year, adding 86 gigawatts to its inventory. More than 90% of that will come from renewables and batteries – with solar power alone accounting for 51% of the growth. Batteries represent another 28%.
Texas is a key driver across the board, accounting for 40% of the solar growth and more than half of the battery growth. The conclusions echo other recent reports showing that renewables continue to boom in Texas, despite policies at the federal level – and some anti-energy activism in the state – seeking to curtail them. As the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank reported last month, “Utility-scale solar shines in Texas despite tariffs (and) federal policy changes.” That report included this remarkable graph showing Texas solar growth accelerating in the face of policy headwinds:
Here are highlights from the EIA report:
Solar. We expect 2026 to be another big year for solar additions, similar to the record utility-scale solar capacity added to the U.S. grid in 2024 (30.8 GW) and in 2025 (27.2 GW). Developers plan to add 43.4 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity in 2026, a 60% increase in capacity additions from last year if realized.
More than half of the new utility-scale solar capacity is planned for four states: Texas (40%), Arizona (6%), California (6%), and Michigan (5%).
A new project, Tehuacana Creek 1 Solar and BESS, adding 837 megawatts (MW) in Texas, is the largest solar photovoltaic project expected to come online in 2026; it will also offer an additional 418 MW in battery energy storage capacity.
Battery storage. Developers plan to add 24 GW of utility-scale battery storage to the grid this year, compared with a record 15 GW added in 2025. U.S. battery storage capacity has grown exponentially over the last five years with more than 40 GW added to the grid during this period.
Projects in three states make up the bulk of planned battery storage capacity in 2026, accounting for about 80% of the new U.S. battery storage capacity: 53%, or 12.9 GW, in Texas; 14%, or 3.4 GW, in California; and 13%, or 3.2 GW, in Arizona.
Three of the four largest battery storage projects scheduled to come online in 2026 are in Texas:
Lunis Creek BESS in Jackson, Texas, 621 MW
Clear Fork Creek Solar and BESS SLF in Wilson, Texas, 600 MW
Bellefield 2 Solar & Energy Storage Farm in Kern County, California, 500 MW
Tehuacana Creek 1 Solar and BESS in Navarro County, Texas, 418 MW
Texas on track to lead nation in energy storage, report finds | Houston Public Media
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) made waves last week with a report showing that Texas is on track to take the national lead in battery storage. It was picked up by, among others, Gov. Abbott’s office, which declared, “With our capabilities, Texas will continue to power the nation.”
