Navigating the Complex Landscape of Energy Storage Permitting

A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data recently released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that, during the first ten months of 2025, solar and battery storage have dominated growth among competing energy sources. Moreover, all net new generating capacity in 2026 is forecast to be provided by renewable energy sources and batteries.

Solar electrical generation set new records in October and the first ten months of 2025:

EIA’s latest monthly "Electric Power Monthly" report (with data through October 31, 2025), once again confirms that solar is the fastest growing among the major sources of U.S. electricity.

In October alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar (i.e., >1-megawatt (MW)) expanded by 23.3% compared to October 2024 while “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar PV increased by 12.6%. Combined, they grew by 20.6% and provided 9.1% of the nation’s electrical output during the month, up from 7.8% a year ago. [1]

Moreover, utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 34.5% while that from small-scale systems rose by 11.3% during the first ten months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by almost a third (28.1%) and produced a bit over 9.0% (utility-scale: 6.86%; small-scale: 2.16%) of total U.S. electrical generation for January-October - up from 7.2% a year earlier.

Similarly, solar-generated electricity year-to-date (YTD) easily surpassed - by over 67% - the output of the nation’s hydropower plants (5.4% of total generation). In October alone, solar-generated electricity nearly doubled hydro’s output. In fact, in both October and YTD, solar produced significantly more electricity than hydropower, biomass, and geothermal combined. [2]

Wind continues to hold the lead among renewables:

Wind turbines across the U.S. produced almost a tenth (9.9%) of U.S. electricity in the first ten months of 2025 – an increase of 1.1% compared to the same period a year earlier and 84% more than hydropower.

Wind + solar are almost one-fifth of total U.S. electrical generation – a larger share than that provided by either coal or nuclear power:  

During the first ten months of 2025, electrical generation by wind plus utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by 12.4% and provided almost a fifth (18.9%) of the U.S. total, up from 17.3% during the first ten months of 2024.

Further, the combination of wind and solar provided 16.6% more electricity than did coal during the first ten months of this year, and 10.8% more than the nation’s nuclear power plants. In fact, while solar and wind expanded, nuclear-generated electricity experienced zero growth.

Electrical output YTD by the mix of all renewables was almost 26% of total U.S. generation:

The mix of all renewables (i.e., wind and solar plus hydropower, biomass and geothermal) produced 8.6% more electricity in January-October than they did a year ago and provided (25.7%) of total U.S. electricity production compared to 24.3% twelve months earlier.

Renewables’ share of electrical generation is now second to only that of natural gas whose electrical output actually dropped by 3.6% during the first ten months of 2025.  

During the past year, solar and battery storage have dominated capacity additions, coupled with a strong showing by wind:

Between January 1 and October 31, 2025, utility-scale solar capacity grew by 19,477.6-MW while an additional 4,837.7-MW was provided by small-scale solar. EIA foresees continued strong solar growth, with even more utility-scale solar capacity - 36,071.9-MW - being added in the next twelve months.

Explosive growth was also experienced by battery storage, which grew by 45.0% since the beginning of the year and added 12,150.3-MW of new capacity. EIA also notes that planned battery capacity additions during the next 12 months total 21,940.4-MW - a further increase of 56%.

Wind has also made a strong showing since January 1, adding 3,796.0-MW, while planned capacity additions over the next year total 9,567.0-MW (on-shore) plus 800.0-MW (off-shore).

On the other hand, during the past ten months, natural gas capacity increased by only 3,479.6-MW and nuclear power added a mere 46.0-MW. Meanwhile, coal capacity plummeted by 3,241.1-MW and petroleum-based capacity fell by an additional 476.3-MW.

Thus, since January 1 - roughly the beginning of the Trump Administration, renewable energy capacity, including battery storage, small-scale solar, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass ballooned by 40,174.4-MW while that of all fossil fuels and nuclear power combined actually declined by 218.0-MW. [3]

In 2026, all net new generating capacity is projected to come from renewables and battery storage:

EIA forecasts the trends seen in 2025 YTD to continue and accelerate during the coming 12-month period.

Utility-scale renewables plus battery storage are projected to increase by 68,528.0-MW (EIA does not provide a forecast for small-scale solar, but the SUN DAY Campaign estimates it will provide an additional 7,200-MW). [4]

Meanwhile, natural gas capacity will have a net increase of only 4,167.4-MW, which will be completely offset by a drop of 4,287.0-MW in coal capacity. Petroleum and “other gases” will decrease by 42.2-MW. In addition, EIA does not project any new growth for nuclear power in the coming year.

Thus, in 2026, all net new capacity growth will be attributable solely to renewables and battery storage.

Should that forecast materialize, by October 31, 2026, the mix of all renewables, including small-scale solar, would reach 504,634.6-MW - almost equal to that of natural gas (514,018.2-MW) - and account for over 36% of U.S. generating capacity.

Moreover, the installed capacity of utility-scale and small-scale solar combined (244,308.6-MW) would surpass that of wind (166,260.3-MW). Solar capacity would also handily exceed that of coal (166,649.5-MW) and more than double that of nuclear power (98,437.2-MW) although the latter two sources would still have significantly higher capacity factors. [5]

"As 2025 draws to a close, it is clear that - notwithstanding the roadblocks created by the Trump Administration - growth by renewable energy sources and battery storage has greatly outpaced fossil fuels and nuclear power," noted the SUN DAY Campaign's executive director Ken Bossong. "Moreover, it now appears highly possible that renewables and batteries could account for 100% of net new capacity additions in 2026."

EIA | https://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly

[1] In its “Electric Power Monthly” report, EIA refers to small-scale or distributed solar as “Estimated Small Scale Solar Photovoltaic.” Unless otherwise indicated, all calculations presented in this release include electrical generation by small-scale solar which EIA estimates to have totaled 81,887-GWh in January-October 2025 and 7,588-GWh in October alone. Utility-scale solar totaled 260,117-GWh for the first ten months of 2025 and 24,439-GWH in just October.  

[2] In January-October 2025, wind produced 376,465-GWh (9.9%) of total U.S. electrical generation while utility-scale and small-scale solar combined produced 342,004-GWh (9.0%), hydropower produced 204,619-GWh (5.4%), biomass produced 38,459-GWh (1.0%), and geothermal produced 13,050-GWh (>0.3%).

[3] EIA presents its capacity data as “summer capacity”. See Table 6.1.

[4] Between November 1, 2024 and October 31, 2025, utility-scale solar accounted for 30,134.9-MW of new capacity while small-scale solar accounted for 6,049.4-MW (or approximately one-sixth of the total). For the next 12 months, EIA anticipates 36,071.9-MW of new utility-scale solar to be added. Assuming the same ratio of utility-scale vs. small-scale solar, that yields an approximation of 7,200-MW in new small-scale solar capacity.

[5] During the first ten months of 2025, EIA reports average monthly capacity factors of 48.8% and 90.3% for coal and nuclear power respectively. By comparison, the average monthly capacity factor for utility-scale PV is 26.1%. See Tables 6.07.A and 6.07.B. Capacity factors for small-scale systems are usually lower – i.e., 10%-25%.

FranklinWH Energy Storage Inc., a leading provider of home energy solutions, proudly announces that the FranklinWH System with aPower battery storage has obtained the world’s first TIA-942 certification across the full rating spectrum spanning from rated 1 through rated 4 (4 is the peak of the certification hierarchy) for residential systems. TIA-942 is a well-known data center standard for ensuring reliability and availability of equipment and extending that to home energy systems is critical for providing homeowners the confidence that they will have power when it is needed. This milestone sets a new benchmark in the residential energy storage system (ESS) sector, signifying the FranklinWH System meets the stringent data-center standard for reliability, resiliency, and availability.

The demand for exceptional energy reliability is increasingly required in modern homes. However, the residential ESS industry today lacks a universally accepted benchmark for reliability. Adopting the data center standard offers consumers and partners a transparent, objective assurance that the ESS performs to the highest standard of reliability and robustness, with ultra-clean and stable UPS-grade power delivery.

“With this certification, we are raising the bar for residential energy storage, giving homeowners added confidence that their system will perform when they need it most,” said Gary Lam, CEO of FranklinWH. “TIA-942 is a rigorous, measurable standard trusted by the world’s most critical facilities. Bringing this level of proven reliability to the home means performance isn’t just promised, it’s verified.”

Developed by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and accredited by ANSI, TIA-942 certification evaluates infrastructure across power systems, redundancy, monitoring, fault tolerance, and overall resiliency. The standard is issued by Enterprise Products Integration (EPI) and defines four increasing levels of reliability, each requiring stringent engineering and system design to minimize downtime and ensure continuous operation. It is widely considered the leading standard for uptime in data centers and other always-on facilities and, until now, it had never been applied to residential energy systems.

The standard defines four rated levels, with rated 4 representing the highest level of redundancy, fault tolerance, maintainability, and resiliency. For decades, the standard has served as one of the most rigorous and complete reliability frameworks.

With this milestone, FranklinWH sets a new industry standard that brings enterprise-level reliability to homeowners for the first time.

FranklinWH | franklinwh.com

The global wind‑energy market is entering its strongest growth phase to date, driven by accelerating national decarbonization targets, energy‑security needs and long‑term industrial strategies. The aggregate installations are expected to reach 934.6GW in 2030, forecasts  GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.

GlobalData’s latest report, “Wind Turbines Market Size, Share and Trends Analysis by Technology, Installed Capacity, Generation, Key Players and Forecast, 2024–2030,” reveals global annual wind‑turbine installations totalled 115.3GW in 2024. Onshore wind accounted for 91.8% of installations, with offshore wind representing the remaining 8.2%.

Bhavana Sri Pullagura, Senior Power Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region leads the global wind turbine market, accounting for the largest share of annual installations and possessing the most advanced manufacturing capabilities for turbines, components, and offshore technologies. APAC's dominance is primarily driven by China's extensive onshore and offshore development, India's rapidly growing domestic manufacturing and auction-driven expansion, and the emerging offshore projects in Japan and Australia.”

Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) represents the second-largest market. Europe serves as the regional anchor, bolstered by binding climate mandates under the EU Green Deal, the revised Renewable Energy Directive III, and a strong offshore wind trajectory led by countries in the North Sea.

The Middle East and North Africa are advancing utility-scale renewable energy projects through government-backed procurements and decarbonization initiatives, while certain areas of Sub-Saharan Africa are gradually unlocking wind projects with the help of international financing and regional power pool initiatives.

The Americas ranks as the third-largest market, with the US leading the way, where the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has stimulated clean energy manufacturing, repowering activities, and the development of an emerging offshore wind supply chain.

Pullagura adds: “Market share leadership is increasingly concentrated among China's major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), supported by cost-efficient manufacturing and unmatched domestic deployment volumes. Meanwhile, European and US manufacturers remain competitive through advanced offshore technology, digital optimization, and robust service portfolios. The current trends such as turbine upscaling, hybrid project integration, and supply chain localization are transforming how and where turbines are produced and deployed.”

The global wind turbine market is on the brink of a new era of accelerated growth, fuelled by increasing clean energy commitments, rapid technological advancements, and more resilient manufacturing ecosystems.

Pullagura concludes: “With Chinese OEMs leading global capacity additions and Western manufacturers driving innovation in offshore and digital turbine platforms, the industry is entering its most competitive and transformative phase to date. As nations ramp up wind deployment to meet climate targets and ensure long-term energy independence, the global wind turbine market is expected to grow significantly, reinforcing wind power's role as a cornerstone of the world’s renewable energy future.”

GlobalData | https://www.globaldata.com/

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) issued the following statement from ACORE President and CEO Ray Long in response to the Department of the Interior’s action to halt fully permitted offshore wind construction projects:

"Americans expect their government and private sector to work together to ensure that the lights stay on and their electric bills are affordable. The five East Coast offshore wind projects that have been paused should be a total success story: $28 billion in committed private sector capital, expanded port infrastructure, support for domestic shipbuilding, and 10,000 good-paying local jobs—all to support a more robust, affordable, reliable, and secure electricity resource base for decades to come. Given skyrocketing electricity demand forecasts and consumers' clear concerns about affordability, projects like these need to get over the finish line to give people confidence that government and the private sector can still deliver on big things. Unfortunately, actions like this send the opposite message at exactly the wrong time."

ACORE | http://www.acore.org

GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE: GEV) announced that its Electrification Systems business has been awarded a contract by Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), India’s national transmission utility, to refurbish the Chandrapur back-to-back High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) link—a key 1,000 MW interconnection between the country’s western and southern grid systems. This marks GE Vernova’s first HVDC refurbishment contract in India.

Modernizing a vital interconnection between West and South India

The 1,000 MW back-to-back HVDC link plays a pivotal role in balancing regional power flows between India’s western and southern regions. Originally commissioned in the late 1990s, the link enables bi-directional energy transfer between fossil-rich and hydro-rich zones—improving dispatch efficiency and conserving regional energy reserves.

Under the new contract, GE Vernova will upgrade both 500 MW converter stations at each end - Chandrapur (Western region) to Ramagundam (Southern region) - modernizing the HVDC control and protection systems and replacing the legacy converter valves with advanced technology manufactured at GE Vernova’s facilities in India.

“This landmark contract reinforces our long-standing relationship with POWERGRID and our commitment to India’s grid modernization,” said Johan Bindele, Leader of GE Vernova’s Grid Systems Integration business and teams. “Refurbishing this HVDC link with next-generation controls and digital capabilities will not only enhance its reliability but also strengthen India’s efforts toward a secure and sustainable power system.”

Extending grid life, improving stability

Refurbishment of HVDC systems involves upgrading essential components such as converter valves, automation systems, and grid protection infrastructure, all while ensuring minimal operational disruption. The modernization is expected to extend the asset’s lifespan, enhance energy efficiency, and improve grid flexibility to handle growing renewable penetration.

Investments in refurbishment offer utilities a cost-effective way to strengthen infrastructure resilience—preserving prior capital investments while aligning with today’s energy transition needs.

Supporting India’s energy goals

India’s ambitious goal to reach 500 GW of non-fossil capacity by 2030 relies on robust, flexible transmission infrastructure. HVDC systems are essential to move large volumes of renewable power efficiently across long distances.

Refurbishing this strategic inter-regional corridor will help unlock that potential—enabling cleaner energy flows, improving system reliability, and contributing to India's long-term energy security.

GE Vernova | https://www.gevernova.com/

BorderPlex Digital Assets (BorderPlex) announced the launch of Project Green, a market process to source up to 500 MW of renewable energy generation capacity by 2028 and scaling to a total of 1 GW of renewable energy generation capacity by 2032 to support economic growth and development in southern New Mexico.

Project Green would create one of the largest arrays of renewable energy generation infrastructure in the State of New Mexico. Project Green will evaluate solar and other renewable energy resources, including wind, geothermal, and hybrid configurations that can support long-term reliability and performance.

BorderPlex expects to issue a Request for Information (RFI) by Jan. 16, 2026 to gather market input from qualified developers and partners, followed by a Request for Proposal (RFP) for select solutions.

“Project Green is a priority initiative to advance renewable power as part of a portfolio-based approach to power generation and storage that delivers infrastructure affordability and reliability,” BorderPlex Digital Assets said in a statement. “BorderPlex Digital Assets believes in the power of ‘and’ – by utilizing advanced technologies, we can build infrastructure for economic growth AND deliver sustainable environmental outcomes. Project Green reflects a disciplined, pragmatic approach to incorporating renewable energy in a way that supports long-term reliability and the substantial power needs of the growth economy.”

Project Green is aligned with BorderPlex’s commitments under its Memorandum of Understanding with the State of New Mexico, dated Feb. 25, 2025, which contemplates the development of reliable, low-carbon electricity generation as part of a broader portfolio of power resources supporting critical infrastructure and long-term economic growth.

The renewable generation capacity evaluated through Project Green may support a range of potential offtake solutions, including new on-campus demand, micro-grid configurations, and delivery to broader market or utility partners, subject to applicable approvals. By evaluating multiple delivery profiles and commercial structures, Project Green is designed to enhance overall system affordability, resilience, and reliability while maximizing the long-term value of new generation resources for the State of New Mexico.

The project is evaluating off-site solutions across solar, wind, geothermal and hybrid technologies capable of delivering large scale power to the Project’s defined point of delivery, subject to required permits and approvals. Project Green’s objective is to deliver affordable, renewable energy that supports the citizens of the State of New Mexico’s environmental and economic goals.

The RFI will be used to assess technical feasibility, development timelines, delivery profiles, and commercial structures. RFI feedback will inform the final structure and scope of the subsequent RFP and ultimate solution selection.

Interested parties can register at https://projectgreennm.com/ to receive updates and access RFI materials when released.

BorderPlex Digital Assets | https://www.borderplexdigital.com/

A subsidiary of Glenfarne Group , LLC (“Glenfarne”) announced the completion of a previously announced acquisition of four energy projects in Chile with a combined 909 Megawatts (“MW”) of installed capacity comprised of 588 MW of solar and associated battery energy storage system (“BESS”) facilities with a capacity of 1.61 Gigawatt-hours (“GWh”) (321 MW equivalent). Glenfarne acquired the assets from METLEN Energy & Metals (“METLEN”).

The projects are located in Chile’s northern provinces, which feature some of the highest levels of solar irradiance in the world. The projects feature fully operational solar infrastructure integrated with BESS assets METLEN will complete during the first half of 2026. The projects’ geographic diversity and multiple interconnection nodes across Chile’s Sistema Eléctrico Nacional (SEN) enable enhanced asset optimization and utilization.

The transaction is valued at $865 million including the assumption of debt, based on certain financing and post-closing assumptions. Concurrent with the transaction, Glenfarne executed an over $1 billion finance package to fund the acquisition and provide flexibility for future acquisitions and refinancings. Scotiabank, BNP Paribas, and Societe General led and underwrote the facilities.

Glenfarne Chief Executive Officer and Founder Brendan Duval said, “With this acquisition, Glenfarne is increasing the technology diversity of our infrastructure by adding battery capacity and increasing geographic and revenue diversification. METLEN has been a terrific partner throughout this transaction and our common focus on energy security and sustainability create opportunities for future cooperation in Glenfarne’s businesses across the Americas.”

METLEN Chairman Evangelos Mytilineos added, “Co-located Solar and BESS projects will pave the way forward in METLEN’s Global Asset Rotation Plan. With new projects developed on a hybrid basis but also through the hybridization of existing solar projects, METLEN’s Energy Transition Platform is uniquely positioned to capture this emerging and growing opportunity.”

Glenfarne Group Partner and President Bryan Murphy added, “Along with this accretive transaction that provides high quality, stable EBITDA to the portfolio in a great market, Glenfarne has created a comprehensive funding package that financially optimizes our portfolio and positions Glenfarne for future opportunistic growth.”

Glenfarne’s assets, including the assets of EnfraGen and Termonorte, total over 3.1 GW of capacity and 1.61 GWh of battery storage (321 MW equivalent) across Chile, Panama, Colombia, and Costa Rica, and 32.8 million tonnes of LNG per year under development in North America.

Paul Hastings LLP, White & Case LLP, and Claro & Cia acted as legal advisors for Glenfarne. Milbank LLP and Larrain acted as legal advisors for Metlen. Milbank LLP and Garrigues acted as legal advisors for Scotiabank, BNP Paribas, and Societe General.

Glenfarne Group | www.glenfarne.com

METLEN Energy & Metals Plc | https://www.metlengroup.com/