Environment & Climate
US battery storage capacity expands by record 20.2 gigawatt-hours in second quarter
Utility-scale projects led total installations to 30.8 gigawatt-hours in the first half of 2026, even as home battery installations declined.
The short version
- The United States added a quarterly record of 20.2 gigawatt-hours of battery storage capacity in Q2 2026, bringing the first-half total to 30.8 gigawatt-hours.
- Growth was driven primarily by utility-scale installations in Arizona, Texas, and California, while residential installations dropped 27% year over year.
- Benchmark Mineral Intelligence revised its total 2026 US installation projection upward to approximately 71 gigawatt-hours.
Key facts
- The US added 20.2 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery storage capacity in Q2 2026, raising first-half installations to 30.8 GWh, a 23% year-over-year increase.[Electrek]
- Utility-scale projects comprised approximately 18 GWh of Q2 additions, led by 6.2 GWh in Arizona, 3.8 GWh in Texas, and 3.6 GWh in California.[Electrek]
- Among Q2 utility-scale additions, 56% were standalone storage and 44% were paired with solar generation.[Electrek]
- Residential battery storage installations fell 27% year over year in Q2 to 657 megawatt-hours.[Electrek]
- Benchmark Mineral Intelligence increased its US storage forecast through 2030 by 11.5% to 683 GWh.[Electrek]
What remains uncertain
- The extent to which residential battery installation declines will persist following the removal of the federal 25D residential clean energy tax credit.[Electrek]