Why solar energy storage capacity has nearly doubled since Trump took office
Solar energy storage capacity in the US has nearly doubled since President Trump took office, driven by increased profitability and the growing demand for power, particularly from data centers. This trend is making renewable energy commercially viable without subsidies, with a significant portion of new capacity added in states that voted Republican.
Solar energy storage capacity in the U.S. has significantly increased, nearly doubling since the Trump administration, despite its previous stance on renewable energy. The second quarter of this year saw a record 14% increase in storage capacity, reaching a total of 165 gigawatt hours, which is enough to power 6 million homes for a day on a single charge.
This growth is primarily attributed to two factors: the increased commercial viability of renewable energy technology, making it profitable even without government subsidies, and a surge in national power demand, largely driven by the rapid build-out of data centers across the country.
Experts like Philip Krein, an electrical engineering professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, emphasize that data center expansion is a quickly growing pressure on the energy grid. Brian Korgel, director of the University of Texas at Austin Energy Institute, notes that consumers prioritize reliable electricity over political considerations.
Notably, three-quarters of the new energy storage capacity added in the second quarter of this year was installed in states that voted for President Trump, indicating a broad-based, economically driven demand for more power generation and storage, regardless of political affiliation.