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IEA Raises US Renewable Capacity Forecast by Almost 40%

lite News Desk 1 min read

The International Energy Agency has increased its forecast for renewable power capacity growth in the United States by almost 40% relative to its previous report. The agency said that revision compares projections for 2026–2030, rather than the full period of its latest outlook, because the earlier forecast stopped at 2030.

For 2026–2031, the IEA projects that the United States will add nearly 314 gigawatts of renewable power capacity, according to GreentechLead’s account of the forecast. The projection is part of Renewables 2026, the agency’s published annual assessment of renewable-energy deployment through 2031.

The agency identifies greater deployment of solar photovoltaic technology as the main reason for its higher U.S. forecast. In its explanation, the IEA said solar PV and battery storage offer short installation times for serving electricity demand that is growing quickly, including demand from data centres.

Separately from its capacity projections, the IEA’s electricity-generation outlook puts renewables at 32% of U.S. generation in 2031, compared with 24% in 2025. Within that outlook, solar PV accounts for a projected 14% of generation in 2031, up from 8% in 2025. The agency forecasts an 11% share for wind in 2031.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.

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