November 21, 2025
Despite the apparent regulatory onslaught on solar energy this year, projects saw fewer delays in the third quarter than the same period last year. While that progress is good news for U.S. energy demand, solar industry advocates are calling on federal agencies to speed up the process for connecting major projects to meet consumer needs.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that solar projects representing about 20% of planned capacity showed a slowdown in the third quarter of 2025, down from 25% in the same period in 2024. The report was based on data collected from multiple Preliminary monthly inventory of electrical generators reports.
Solar energy is the fastest growing source of new electricity generation capacity in the United States, driven by large-scale solar PV projects built by electric utilities and independent power producers, according to a report by EIA analysts Katherine Antonio and Tyler Hodge. Delays in commissioning these solar projects have decreased in recent months.
Despite the relatively large number of projects reporting delays in 2024, that year was a record year for U.S. solar capacity expansion. Power plant developers added 31 GW of utility-scale solar PV generation capacity by 2024, increasing total U.S. utility-scale solar capacity by 34%. According to the EIA, delays in solar project scheduling are typically relatively short-lived, and reports of delays are more common than cancellations, with less than 1% of planned solar capacity being completely canceled in a typical month.
Reporting on solar projects
Developers of new energy generation capacity report the initially planned operational date of their project on the EIAs Annual Report on Electric Generators (EIA-860) questionnaire. Beginning 12 months before a project’s scheduled online date, the EIA asks developers to provide updates on the project’s status and schedule in our monthly update of that annual survey, the Preliminary monthly inventory of electrical generators.
Because survey respondents may not anticipate the occurrence or duration of delays, eventual capacity additions are typically lower than the expected amount developers report to the EIA at the beginning of the year. In January 2024, developers reported plans to bring more than 36 GW of solar capacity online by December 2024, or 5 GW more than the 31 GW ultimately installed.
In addition to updates to the timelines, the EIA asks that developers also categorize the development phases, such as planning, permitting, construction and testing. Much of the reported delayed capacity occurs on projects that are in the late construction or testing phase, just before they come online. According to the agency, these delays typically only last a month or two.
In the EIA’s most recent monthly power plant inventory, developers reported plans to bring 32 GW of solar capacity online over the next twelve months (October 2025 through September 2026). About 5 GW of that capacity comes from solar projects whose expected online date was delayed from what they had previously reported.
SEIA calls for policy solutions to accelerate interconnection
The Association of Solar Energy Industries (SEIA) today filed comments in two federal proceedings aimed at meeting rising electricity demand in the United States. The association has submitted comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in its regulations on interconnecting large loads, including data centers, and responded to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) request for information. on strategies to bring new power to market faster under his “Speed to powerinitiative.
SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper expressed support for the administration’s focus on “bringing new energy online more quickly during this moment of surging energy demand.” She explained that energy prices are rising in the United States, and adding more power to the grid is the “only sustainable way to put downward pressure on those costs.”
“Solar and storage are the answer to this challenge, representing 82% of all new energy added to the U.S. grid this year,” said Hopper. “As more data centers and advanced manufacturing come online and drive unprecedented load growth, we need modern policy solutions to accelerate the deployment of all energy technologies, including solar and storage, which can be built faster and more affordably than any other energy source.”
According to SEIA comments to the DOE, building power quickly is “just one piece of the puzzle,” Hopper said. The United States also needs “a standardized process” for connecting large power loads to the transmission system, she added, explaining the reasoning behind the SEIA and also submitting comments on FERC’s rulemaking on the interconnection of large loads.
“Together, DOE’s Speed to Power initiative and FERC’s Large Load Interconnection Rule represent two elements of the same national priority: getting affordable, reliable power to the places that need it most,” Hopper said. “Smart, coordinated policies will enable us to meet this moment with more solar and storage production, strengthen the reliability of the electric grid, lower costs and keep America competitive in a global economy.”
Keywords: Department of Energy, EIA, FERC, SEIA
