In 2025, the U.S. renewable energy market demonstrated its resilience. Despite setbacks ranging from weather and climate disasters, global trade tensions, and the termination of tax credit eligibility, 92% of new power capacity added to the grid in 2025 came from renewable energy sources, according to Cleanview analysis.

In the face of uncertainty—climatic, economic, and political—U.S. renewables developers were able to call on their experience and sustained market appetite to drive new projects through to completion and pave the way for additional projects in future. 90% of the projects queued up for grid connection in the U.S. today are renewable.

Following this show of strength, the renewables sector must adapt to the new rules of engagement in the U.S. energy market. Some behaviors are already shifting in response to new market pressures and opportunities; others will have to change soon if the record-breaking growth of renewables is to maintain its long-term momentum sustainably.

Here are the key market risks and adaptation strategies that we expect to occupy the minds of renewables leaders in 2026.

Accelerated Solar Deployment with Co-located Battery Storage

While the wind sector has been heavily disrupted by cost and planning pressures, solar continues to scale at a remarkable pace. The U.S. energy market experienced rising demand for the first time in two decades last year and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reported that solar accounted for approximately 75% of new generation.

U.S. energy demand will grow again this year and the need for 24/7 power is becoming increasingly acute for users such as data center operators. The low cost and speed of installing solar will ensure it remains a dominant force in meeting the country’s energy requirements.

Supporting this, the solar market is approaching a point of maturity where the expiration of tax credits should not have a calamitous impact on project pipelines. Equally, the improved diversification of supply in recent years means that the market is more resilient than before.

Even so, the race against the clock to either complete projects or safe harbor solar components introduces new construction risks as project timelines compress, limiting flexibility in the event of a setback or loss. This is likely to stretch the capacity of the limited pool of experienced contractors, increasing the risk of contractor error.

Meanwhile, developers are starting to favor co-location models of solar + battery energy storage systems (BESS) to improve project profitability and benefit from load-shifting possibilities. Co-located models enhance the value of projects both to the grid and offtakers; however, using two different cost methods builds more risk into projects as developers work to ensure their projects meet varying and complex criteria.

We expect co-located solar + BESS to grow in response to high offtaker and grid stabilization demand this year, but the priority will be to secure solar components before the tax credits run out. The challenge is to maintain sustainable practices under time pressure.

The clustering of new installed capacity is increasing the concentration of exposure and changing the way the insurance market assesses project risk profiles. This is compounded by today’s preference for co-location models.

This “aggregation” risk is most pronounced in areas like California, Arizona, and Texas where new projects commonly share grid connection infrastructure and are more vulnerable to contingent business interruption as a result.