The US built more grid batteries last quarter than ever before

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on Canary Media or enjoy below:

📰 Driving the news: The US added a record 20.2 GWh of grid battery storage in the second quarter of 2026, about a tenth of the nation's entire cumulative storage fleet in a single quarter
• That equates to roughly 6.7 GW of instantaneous capacity

🔭 The context: Most of the new battery capacity was built in states that voted for Donald Trump, despite federal rollbacks of other clean-energy support
• 44% of the new capacity was co-located with solar

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Grid batteries store abundant clean power and release it when needed, helping renewables displace fossil generation even as federal policy support wavers
• Growing storage capacity also reduces curtailment of wind and solar output

⏯️ What's next: Storage is now the fastest-growing part of the US power system, and developers are watching whether the pace of additions holds through the rest of 2026
• Continued political resilience in red states could keep momentum going

📈 One stat: 20.2 GWh added in Q2 2026 — about 6.7 GW of capacity — with 74% built in states that voted for Trump

Subscribe to our free newsletters to never miss a beat in sustainability.

The world needs sustainability knowledge. At illuminem, no interest group or shareholder can influence our work. Thank you for supporting our mission to make high-quality and independent sustainability information free for all. Every contribution helps. Thank you for donating today