The United States energy storage sector achieved a milestone in the second quarter, with installations reaching 20.2 gigawatt-hours of new capacity, marking the largest quarterly deployment on record. This performance brings total additions during the first half of the year to 30.8 GWh, according to the U.S. Energy Storage Market Outlook released by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.
Utility-scale energy storage capacity has experienced substantial growth, nearly doubling from 88 GWh to 165 GWh over the first 18 months of the Trump administration. This expansion reflects increased reliance on storage solutions among grid operators, utilities, and energy purchasers seeking to enhance grid reliability and accommodate climbing electricity demand. The robust performance has prompted the industry to raise its deployment forecast through 2030 by 11.5 percent to 683 GWh.
Geographic distribution of deployments shows significant concentration in states won by President Donald Trump in 2024, with more than 74 percent of quarterly capacity installed in these regions. Arizona emerged as the leading state with 6.2 GWh of new installations, marking the strongest quarter for any single state. Texas and California followed with 3.8 GWh and 3.6 GWh respectively. Storage has increasingly been paired with solar resources, particularly in Arizona, which possesses the nation’s fourth-largest solar market.
Battery storage supplied more electricity to the grid during the first eight months of 2026 than throughout all of 2025, with deployments proving critical during periods of extreme heat in Texas and California by supporting grid reliability and mitigating price pressures. Utility-scale projects dominated quarterly installations at 17.9 GWh, while commercial and industrial storage contributed 1.8 GWh and residential storage added 657 megawatt-hours.
Domestic manufacturing capabilities have also reached record levels, with two new battery cell facilities opening in Ohio and Tennessee and a new 50 GWh battery module facility beginning operations in Texas, positioning the United States for increased domestic battery production to support grid deployment initiatives.
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