Utility-scale solar development is spreading beyond established renewable energy markets, creating new opportunities and siting considerations for developers, contractors and infrastructure owners. Mortenson's latest industry analysis points to continued growth across the United States, with Texas and California maintaining leading positions while several Midwestern and Southern states expand their solar capacity.
Texas remains the largest U.S. market for utility-scale solar. The state added 7,637 megawatts of capacity during 2025, bringing its total to nearly 35,000 MW. Large available sites, strong solar resources and the state's competitive electricity market continue to support utility-scale development.
California follows Texas with more than 24,000 MW of operating utility-scale solar capacity. The state is also pursuing measures intended to accelerate approvals for clean energy projects.
A new Opt-In Certification Program provides an expedited approval pathway for qualifying clean energy developments. The Darden Solar + Storage project, developed by Mortenson and IPX Power, was the first project approved through the program.
California's renewable energy policy also calls for electricity generation to reach 100% from renewable and zero-carbon sources by 2045.
Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma recorded some of the fastest growth in utility-scale solar capacity during 2025. More than 60% of each state's current operating capacity was added during the year.
Although the four states collectively have substantially less capacity than leading markets such as Texas, their growth demonstrates that utility-scale solar development is becoming more geographically diverse.
For developers, expanding markets can introduce additional options for project siting, while also requiring evaluation of available land, transmission infrastructure, permitting processes and local market conditions.
The geographic expansion of utility-scale solar is increasing the range of markets available to developers and construction companies. The spread of operating projects across every U.S. state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico indicates that solar development is no longer concentrated in a small number of markets.
Source: Mortenson.
