The U.S. installed a record 20.2 GWh of energy storage in the second quarter of 2026, more than double the previous quarter and equal to over 10% of all capacity ever installed in the country, according to a report  published by Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence on August 31.

Arizona led all states with 6.2 GWh, the strongest quarterly result for any single state on record. Texas added 3.8 GWh and California 3.6 GWh, with Utah also cited as a key driver. Seven projects of a GWh or more came online, four in Arizona, two in California and one in Utah.

First-half installations totaled just under 31 GWh, up 23% year on year. Utility-scale projects supplied nearly all growth at about 18 GWh, while commercial and industrial storage added 1.8 GWh. Residential storage was the only segment to contract, falling 27% year on year to 657 MWh.

The report raised cumulative installations forecast through 2030 by 11.5% to 683 GWh. SEIA said utility-scale storage capacity has nearly doubled to 165 GWh in the 18 months through June 2026.

Manufacturing is following deployment, with new battery cell plants announced in Ohio and Tennessee and a 50 GWh module facility in Texas. Planned North American battery manufacturing capacity exceeds 250 GWh.

The record quarter landed in the same week as a federal executive order took effect restricting foreign-produced bulk power components, including batteries and inverters, from connecting to the U.S. grid.

Analysts at BloombergNEF said battery storage faces more near-term risk than other industries, with China accounting for 80% of global lithium-ion supply chain capacity and Chinese inverter makers supplying about 40% of U.S. volumes in 2025.