The US added a record 20.2 GWh of battery storage in just 3 months

US battery storage installations reached a record 20.2 gigawatt-hours in the second quarter of 2026, bringing first-half additions to 30.8 GWh, 23% above the same period a year earlier. Large grid batteries drove nearly all the quarterly growth, with about 18 GWh installed. Seven projects each exceeded one gigawatt-hour; Arizona led with a state-record 6.2 GWh, followed by Texas at 3.8 GWh and California at 3.6 GWh. More than half of new utility-scale capacity was standalone, while the remainder was paired with solar. Batteries can shift electricity from low-cost, high-supply periods to peak demand, including hot evenings after solar generation fades. Their grid contribution in the first eight months of 2026 already surpassed all of 2025.

Expansion is spreading to states beyond the traditional California and Texas markets, and forecasts now put US capacity additions at about 71 GWh for 2026 and total capacity at 683 GWh by 2030. In contrast, residential installations fell 27% year over year to 657 MWh in Q2, partly reflecting the end of a federal tax credit and a rush to install systems in 2025. Commercial and industrial projects added roughly 1.8 GWh, with data centers expected to drive future demand. Domestic manufacturing is also growing: Tesla opened a Texas factory capable of producing 50 GWh of Megapacks annually and began shipping units with US-made battery cells.