Nevada’s Solar Installations Crash As Trump-Era Tax Incentives Expire, Despite Battery Storage Growth

Nevada’s solar installation boom has hit a wall. The state ranked 27th in the U.S. for new solar installations in 2025. That’s a big drop from its top-ten spot in 2023 and 2024. Federal tax incentives for clean energy have been phasing out, and that’s hurt the industry badly.

Nevada’s solar boom has stalled—the state plummeted from a top-ten ranking to 27th in new installations.

Policy uncertainty and changes to federal incentives contributed to delays. Then the result was delays and cancellations across the industry.

Public land rules created more problems. Solar and wind projects on federal land now need approval from the Interior Secretary. Gov. Lombardo said several Nevada solar projects stalled because of this. On top of that, reportedly $156 million in Solar for All grant funding got frozen. That program reportedly targeted 10 solar and storage projects, which made up an estimated 95% of Nevada’s planned new power.

Nationally, the numbers weren’t great either. Total solar installations dropped significantly, around 14%, from 2024. Community and utility-scale solar saw larger declines, while residential solar dipped roughly 2%. Commercial solar was the bright spot, growing an estimated 6% and adding roughly 2,300 megawatts nationally.

Despite the slowdown in new installations, Nevada’s total solar capacity still stands strong. The state ranks sixth in the nation with 8.2 gigawatts of total solar capacity. That’s enough to power approximately 1.4 million homes every year. Solar now generates approaching one-third of the state’s electricity. In December 2025, solar made up roughly 25.4% of Nevada’s electricity. Nationally, U.S. solar production increased from 17,914 to 22,227 thousand megawatt-hours year over year, reflecting how much ground Nevada is losing relative to the broader growth trend.

Battery storage’s been a different story. Nevada ranks fourth in the nation for battery storage capacity, with over 6.3 gigawatt-hours installed. The state added 1.4 gigawatt-hours more in 2025. The Gemini Solar project also finished construction, becoming the largest source of new grid generation.

Looking ahead, challenges are piling up. Data centers alone could add 187,000 megawatts of power demand nationally. New gas power plants could potentially surpass 3 gigawatts in Nevada over the next decade. There’s little solar development happening in the state right now. Experts warn that without policy certainty, less solar will be built and energy bills for consumers may rise significantly.