Co-located solar, storage jumps to 16% of all installations, up from 2% in 2017: EIA

Utility Dive · Diana DiGangi · 2026-11-05 11:37 UTC

The share of solar projects co-located with storage is projected to pass 30% over the next two years, based on planned additions, according to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The share of new solar projects deployed with co-located battery storage this year is 16% — or about 41 GW — as of September, and may reach 19% by year’s end, said an Oct. 30 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It is likely to pass 30% in the next two years, the agency estimated.

The trend has increased significantly over the last decade, as only around 2% of projects, or 5 GW, of new solar capacity was co-located with storage in 2017. In 2023, co-location jumped to 25% of projects, then fell over 2024 and 2025, according to EIA’s data — but is projected to pass 30% over the next two years, based on planned additions.

“When operators co-locate battery storage with solar, they can direct solar electricity output to the grid or to the battery, depending on the wholesale prices,” EIA’s report said. “Wholesale prices in regions with large solar participation tend to fall when solar contributions are high and rise as they decrease.”

Read the full story at Utility Dive · All coverage of this story