Batteries at U.S. solar plants slipped with their solar, never without it

Analysis of EIA Form EIA-860M data shows that U.S. energy developers reduced their 2026 capacity plans by August. Solar, wind, batteries, and natural gas each lost approximately one-quarter of their December 2025 projections. Specifically, solar decreased by 23.7%, wind by 23.0%, batteries by 24.8%, and natural gas by 25.6%. The study confirms that battery storage trends closely mirror solar developments, as 6.0 GW of the planned battery capacity left the 2026 schedule by August.