Planned solar projects in the US, by state and grid
The FieldProspects database lists 3,475 planned solar projects in the United States totalling 568.6 GW, about 3.4 times the 168.9 GW of solar already operating. Texas is the largest planned state with 197.1 GW, and planned entries that state a capacity average 163.8 MW against 20.3 MW for operating units.
Data as of
What counts as a planned solar project?
A planned solar project is a solar generating unit that appears in a grid operator interconnection queue or in federal generator filings but is not yet supplying power. Projects the sources label as solar plus storage hybrids are counted as their own technology, not here.
Planned versus operating solar
Solar is the technology with the most planned capacity of any in the database. The planned 568.6 GW is spread over 3,475 entries. Those that state a capacity average 163.8 MW each, while operating units average 20.3 MW. New solar is being filed in far larger blocks than the fleet built so far.
Two lenses give different pictures. Counting entries, the planned list is 41.8% the size of the operating fleet. Counting capacity, it is 3.4 times larger.
| Planned projects | 3,475 |
|---|---|
| Planned capacity | 568.6 GW |
| Operating projects | 8,315 |
| Operating capacity | 168.9 GW |
| Planned projects with a developer attributed | 60.7% (2,110 of 3,475) |
| Operating projects with a developer attributed | 18.6% (1,545 of 8,315) |
Where solar is planned: the leading states
Texas holds 34.7% of planned solar capacity, 197.1 GW across 834 projects, and also leads on operating solar capacity, 33.6 GW against 25.5 GW in California. California has far more operating units, 1,167 against 257, averaging 21.9 MW each against 130.6 MW in Texas.
Illinois shows the opposite pattern from California: 290 planned entries, more than California's 250, but 38.4 GW against 52.1 GW. The ten states shown hold 74.8% of planned solar capacity.
| State | Planned projects | Planned capacity | Operating projects | Operating capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 834 | 197.1 GW | 257 | 33.6 GW |
| California | 250 | 52.1 GW | 1,167 | 25.5 GW |
| Illinois | 290 | 38.4 GW | 467 | 5.2 GW |
| Indiana | 160 | 30.7 GW | 127 | 5.3 GW |
| Arkansas | 102 | 21 GW | 73 | 2.8 GW |
| Virginia | 199 | 20.6 GW | 149 | 5.3 GW |
| Michigan | 125 | 18.9 GW | 78 | 3.1 GW |
| Ohio | 119 | 17.4 GW | 81 | 4.9 GW |
| Arizona | 46 | 15.2 GW | 172 | 8.8 GW |
| Louisiana | 84 | 13.8 GW | 21 | 1.6 GW |
Solar by grid
ERCOT leads planned solar with 190 GW, then MISO with 130.4 GW and PJM with 96.4 GW. PJM has the most entries of any grid, 884, but they are smaller on average, so it ranks third on capacity. The three grids hold 73.3% of the planned total.
| Grid | Planned projects | Planned capacity | Operating projects | Operating capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERCOT | 795 | 190 GW | 244 | 32.7 GW |
| Midcontinent ISO (MISO) | 839 | 130.4 GW | 1,388 | 24.4 GW |
| PJM Interconnection | 884 | 96.4 GW | 1,404 | 19.3 GW |
| California ISO (CAISO) | 298 | 72.2 GW | 1,068 | 25.8 GW |
| Southwest Power Pool (SPP) | 175 | 31 GW | 156 | 2.4 GW |
| New York ISO (NYISO) | 168 | 12 GW | 706 | 3 GW |
| Bonneville Power Administration | 15 | 5.5 GW | 18 | 467.7 MW |
| Southern Company | 21 | 4.3 GW | 173 | 6.1 GW |
| Not assigned to a grid | None | None | 57 | 158.3 MW |
When planned solar is expected in service
Among dated entries, 2027 has the most, 776, and 2028 holds the most capacity, 126.8 GW from 634 projects. After that the yearly volume steps down, to 90.6 GW in 2029 and 41.1 GW in 2030.
780 planned solar entries, 22.4% of the list and 103.9 GW, either carry an expected year before 2026 (605) or no date at all (175). The year rows include them so the table adds up to the full planned count.
| Expected in-service year | Projects | Capacity | Share of capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 2026, still listed as planned | 605 | 83.8 GW | 14.7% |
| 2026 | 696 | 77.4 GW | 13.6% |
| 2027 | 776 | 106.4 GW | 18.7% |
| 2028 | 634 | 126.8 GW | 22.3% |
| 2029 | 366 | 90.6 GW | 15.9% |
| 2030 | 155 | 41.1 GW | 7.2% |
| 2031 | 56 | 16.4 GW | 2.9% |
| 2032 | 6 | 2.7 GW | 0.5% |
| 2033 | 5 | 3.2 GW | 0.6% |
| 2034 | 1 | 117 MW | <0.1% |
| No expected date | 175 | 20.1 GW | 3.5% |
| All planned projects | 3,475 | 568.6 GW | 100% |
The five largest planned solar entries
The largest planned solar entry shown is 2.3 GW, 13.8 times the average among entries that state a capacity. One entry carries a voltage in its name, 345 kV, which marks a connection point, and another is named as a solar and storage project although the source files it under solar. Each figure is that entry alone.
| Entry name | Capacity |
|---|---|
| Atlas Complex | 2.3 GW |
| Sanborn Hybrid 3 | 1.4 GW |
| Nelson-Electric Junction 345 kV | 1.2 GW |
| Pepper Hammock Solar and Storage | 1.2 GW |
| Spectra Solar | 1.2 GW |
What the database adds for solar
A developer is attributed on 60.7% of planned solar projects (2,110 of 3,475) and 18.6% of operating ones, against 17.2% across all projects of every technology. The remaining rows show a project and its capacity but not the company behind it.
For each attributed developer the database also holds the contacts at the company, which is what turns a capacity figure into a list of people to call.
Go further
- Largest solar developers Solar developers ranked by capacity, with the share of projects that name one.
Source. U.S. Energy Information Administration Form EIA-860M and ISO/RTO interconnection queues, compiled by FieldProspects.
Related pages
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- Natural gas Planned and operating natural gas in the database, by state, grid and in-service year.
- Interconnection queue data Planned projects from the grid operator queues, combined into a single table.
- Investors and lenders Screen the pipeline by technology, grid and sponsor before you underwrite it.
- MISO Planned and operating projects on the MISO grid, by technology, state and in-service year.
- Largest solar developers Solar developers ranked by attributed project count and capacity, with how much of the market is attributed.
- FieldProspects vs Cleanview A dated comparison of what each product costs and includes, using only public information.
- Pricing Flat monthly access to the database, on a Solo, Unlimited or data license plan.