The United States reached a milestone in energy storage deployment during the second quarter, installing 20.2 gigawatt-hours of new capacity, according to data released by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. This represents the largest quarterly installation on record for the nation’s energy storage sector.
Cumulative installations during the first half of 2026 reached 30.8 GWh. Utility-scale energy storage capacity has expanded significantly, nearly doubling from 88 GWh to 165 GWh over the preceding 18 months. The surge in deployments has prompted industry analysts to increase their forecasts, with the 2030 projection revised upward by 11.5% to reach 683 GWh. More than one-tenth of all currently installed U.S. energy storage capacity came online during this single quarter.
Geographic distribution shows concentrated growth in specific regions. More than 74% of Q2 installations occurred in states that voted for President Donald Trump in 2024, with Arizona, Texas, and Utah leading deployment. Arizona alone installed 6.2 GWh, marking its strongest quarter on record and reflecting the state’s strategy of pairing its substantial solar resources with storage solutions. Other states experiencing notable pipeline growth include Nevada, Oregon, and Colorado. Texas and California, traditionally dominant in energy storage deployment, added 3.8 GWh and 3.6 GWh respectively during the quarter.
The expansion has been driven by multiple factors including grid reliability demands and rising electricity consumption. Battery storage systems provided more electricity to the grid in the first eight months of this year than during the entirety of 2025, with particular importance demonstrated during extreme heat events when storage systems supported peak demand periods and helped mitigate price volatility.
Domestic manufacturing capacity has expanded alongside deployment growth, with new battery cell facilities opening in Ohio and Tennessee, plus a 50 GWh battery module facility in Texas, bringing overall U.S. battery manufacturing to record levels. Utility-scale projects accounted for the majority of installations at 17.9 GWh, with commercial and industrial storage representing 1.8 GWh and residential storage contributing 657 megawatt-hours.
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