Report: Clean Power Maintains Strong Lead, Faces Challenges Due to Administration Policy Reversals and Barriers

Environmental Defense Fund and Atlas Public Policy today released a new report, The State of Clean Power in Q1 2026, finding that clean power is poised for another record year and accounts for nearly three-quarters of all new power generating capacity planned or under construction nationwide.

"The United States needs more affordable, reliable electricity, and clean energy remains one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to deliver it," said David Villagrana, EDF's Lead Counsel for Clean Energy Tax Solutions." Developers continue to invest in clean energy because the economics are strong and demand is growing. But the administration’s reckless and damaging policy reversals and new barriers to growth are slowing progress at exactly the moment the country needs more clean and affordable energy resources on the grid." 

The report finds that a record 51.6 gigawatts (GW) of new clean power capacity came online in 2025, equivalent to about 25 Hoover Dams, and developers are poised to add a new record 79.7 GW in 2026. A total of 222 GW of clean power projects remain planned or under construction across the U.S. The findings come as U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow significantly in coming decades, driven largely by manufacturing, electrification and data center development.

However, the report also finds that recent policy changes are making it harder to deploy the affordable, reliable energy resources needed to meet growing demand. Fossil fuel projects’ share of planned U.S. power development has increased from 9% to 27% since the end of 2022. Developers canceled more than 8 GW of planned clean power capacity in Q1 2026 alone, bringing total cancellations since the start of 2025 to more than 21 GW and highlighting significant headwinds to deployment.

The administration has delayed project approvals, increased review requirements for renewable energy projects and cut policies that helped drive private-sector investment in American clean energy. Several of those actions are now facing legal challenges, including a recent federal court ruling blocking the administration's attempt to halt access to critical tax credits for approved clean energy projects.

Key findings from the report include:

• Fossil fuel projects accounted for 27% of planned U.S. power development at the end of Q1 2026, compared to just 9% at the end of 2022, a threefold increase.
• Planned natural gas projects grew by 20.7 GW in Q1 2026, more than four times the combined growth of planned solar, battery storage and onshore wind projects during this period.
• Developers canceled more than 8 GW of planned clean power projects in Q1 2026 alone, including 4.7 GW of solar projects, bringing total cancellations since the start of 2025 to more than 21 GW nationwide.
• Developers announced 693 GW of clean power projects nationwide, including projects that are operating, planned and under construction. Planned investment in clean power projects is estimated to reach $377 billion through 2031.
• An additional 222 GW of clean power projects remain planned or under construction nationwide, with solar and battery storage accounting for 85% of that pipeline.
• Texas continues to lead the nation in clean power development, with nearly twice as many announced clean power projects as California.

The analysis tracks operational, planned, under-construction and canceled clean power projects across the United States using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration compiled through Atlas Public Policy's Clean Economy Tracker. Additional reports and analysis from EDF's clean power and clean energy manufacturing series are available at edf.org/us-clean-energy-manufacturing.

Read the full report: The State of Clean Power in Q1 2026