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ERCOT to capture big share of U.S. solar power growth through 2027

solar growth

A new report predicts solar power supplied to the ERCOT grid will jump by 89 percent by the end of 2027. Photo by Red Zeppelin/Pexels

Much of the country’s growth in utility-scale solar power generation will happen in the grid operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), according to a new forecast.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that solar power supplied to the ERCOT grid will jump from 56 billion kilowatt-hours in 2025 to 106 billion kilowatt-hours by the end of 2027. That would be an increase of 89 percent.

In tandem with the rapid embrace of solar power, EIA anticipates battery storage capacity for ERCOT will expand from 15 gigawatts in 2025 to 37 gigawatts by the end of 2027, or 147 percent.

EIA expects utility-scale solar to be the country’s fastest-growing source of power generation from 2025 to 2027. It anticipates that this source will climb from 290 billion kilowatt-hours last year to 424 billion kilowatt-hours next year, or 46 percent.

Based on EIA’s projections, ERCOT’s territory would account for one-fourth of the country’s utility-scale solar power generation by the end of next year.

“Solar power and energy storage are the fastest-growing grid technologies in Texas, and can be deployed more quickly than any other generation resource,” according to the Texas Solar + Storage Association. “In the wholesale market, solar and storage are increasing grid reliability, delivering consumer affordability, and driving tax revenue and income streams into rural Texas.”
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A new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that wind and solar supplied more than 30 percent of ERCOT’s electricity in the first nine months of 2025. Photo via Unsplash.

Wind and solar supplied over a third of ERCOT power, report shows

power report

Since 2023, wind and solar power have been the fastest-growing sources of electricity for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and increasingly are meeting stepped-up demand, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The report says utility-scale solar generated 50 percent more electricity for ERCOT in the first nine months this year compared with the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, electricity generated by wind power rose 4 percent in the first nine months of this year versus the same period in 2024.

Together, wind and solar supplied 36 percent of ERCOT’s electricity in the first nine months of 2025.

Heavier reliance on wind and solar power comes amid greater demand for ERCOT electricity. In the first nine months of 2025, ERCOT recorded the fastest growth in electricity demand (5 percent) among U.S. power grids compared with the same period last year, according to the report.

“ERCOT’s electricity demand is forecast to grow faster than that of any other grid operator in the United States through at least 2026,” the report says.

EIA forecasts demand for ERCOT electricity will climb 14 percent in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period this year. This anticipated jump coincides with a number of large data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities coming online next year.

The ERCOT grid covers about 90 percent of Texas’ electrical load.

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HETI's new executive director takes the helm

new leader

The Houston Energy Transition Initiative has a new executive director.

Sophia Cunningham assumed the position this month, succeeding the organization's founding executive director, Jane Stricker.

"Four years ago, I could never have imagined the opportunities, experiences and relationships this role has enabled," Strickler wrote in an address earlier this year. "I am truly grateful for the support and engagement of Houston’s business and community leaders, the visionary leadership of Bobby Tudor, Scott Nyquist, HETI Members, and the Greater Houston Partnership in creating this initiative at exactly the right moment in time. I am incredibly proud of the HETI and the Partnership team members who have delivered with purpose and passion, and I greatly appreciate Houston’s energy and climate leaders and champions who have supported my agenda, challenged my thinking, broadened my perspectives, and worked with HETI to demonstrate the power of partnership in developing, innovating and advancing the ideas and technologies needed to meet this challenge for our region and the world."

Stricker shared on LinkedIn that she has joined the advisory board of FluxPoint Energy, which launched last month during CERAWeek, in addition to her other roles at Greentown Labs, Prana Low Carbon Economy Investments and UNC Kenan-Flagler Energy Center.

Cunningham previously served as vice president at HETI, where she was responsible for efforts related to carbon capture, use and storage; methane management; community engagement and stakeholder activation. Before joining HETI, she was director of public policy at The Greater Houston Partnership.

She earned her master's in Energy Management and Systems Technology from Texas A&M University and holds a bachelor's degree from Davidson College.

“I’m honored to step into the role of Executive Director of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative at such a pivotal moment for our industry," Cunningham said over email. "Houston has the talent, infrastructure, and leadership to meet growing global energy demand while reducing emissions, and I’m excited to work alongside our members and partners to accelerate solutions that are reliable, affordable, and scalable.”

The Greater Houston Partnership launched HETI in June 2021 to "meet a Dual Challenge of producing more energy that the world needs with less emissions," according to its website.

Pattern Energy expands clean energy portfolio with acquisition of Canadian producer

acquisition closed

Clean energy and transmission infrastructure company Pattern Energy completed the acquisition of Canadian independent power producer Cordelio Power this month.

Pattern Energy, which is headquartered in San Francisco and has major operations in Houston, will now own one of the largest independent clean energy infrastructure platforms in North America, according to a release.

Pattern Energy will add approximately 1,550 megawatts of operating and in-construction assets, including 16 wind, solar and energy storage projects across the United States and Canada, as part of the deal. In addition, they have also acquired the majority of Cordelio’s development pipeline in key U.S. markets and members of Cordelio’s team.

“Closing this transaction marks a significant milestone for Pattern Energy as we continue to scale our platform to meet North America’s growing energy needs,” Hunter Armistead, CEO of Pattern Energy, said in the release. “Cordelio brings a highly complementary portfolio of quality assets and a talented team. Together, we are even better positioned to power the future.”

Currently, Pattern Energy’s portfolio includes wind, solar and energy storage projects in over 40 facilities in North America. Pattern Energy had 12,000 megawatts of operating and in-construction capacity before the deal.

The acquisition was first announced Jan. 6, 2025.

“Pattern and Cordelio share a commitment to responsible development and the communities in which we work,” Chris Hind, CEO of Cordelio Power, said in a news release. “We look forward to joining with Pattern Energy to deliver high-quality projects with expanded product offerings to support customers across more markets.”


Pattern Energy doubled down on its Houston commercial space in 2023, moving the company's development, meteorological, transmission and energy trading teams to a new office in the Montrose Collective. The company's Operations Control Center is also based in Houston.

Its Houston-based development team was assigned to work on Pattern's SunZia Transmission and Wind project in New Mexico and Arizona, expected to be one of the largest clean energy infrastructure projects in U.S. The project is targeting commercial operations this year, according to Pattern Energy's website.

Solidec secures pre-seed funding from Houston VC firm

fresh funding

Houston-based Flathead Forge Fund 1 has invested in Houston startup Solidec, which specializes in modular onsite chemical manufacturing.

The investment was part of Solidec’s recent round of more than $2 million in pre-seed funding. The amount of Flathead Forge’s investment wasn’t disclosed.

“Flathead Forge brings exactly the kind of domain-specific capital and operational network that a company at our stage needs. Their focus on water and critical minerals makes this a genuinely strategic relationship,” Ryan DuChanois, co-founder and CEO of Solidec, said in a news release.

Other investors in the round included New Climate Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Echo River Capital, Ecosphere Ventures, Plug and Play Ventures, Safar Partners and Semilla Climate Capital.

Solidec produces industrial chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, formic acid and acetic acid, using only air, water and electricity. Its modular reactors eliminate the need for energy-intensive production and long-haul distribution.

“Solidec’s platform cuts cost, emissions, and supply-chain fragility at the source,” Douglas Lee, managing director of Flathead Forge, added in the statement.

DuChanois said in an email that the company plans to use the funding to "scale (its) modular chemical manufacturing platform."

Solidec recently announced a pilot project with Lynas Rare Earths, the world’s only commercial producer of separated light and heavy rare earth oxides outside China, for production of hydrogen peroxide for a Lynas facility in Australia.

Solidec, a member of Greentown Labs Houston, spun out of associate professor Haotian Wang’s lab at Rice University in 2024. Wang focuses on developing new materials and technology for energy and environmental uses, such as energy storage and green synthesis.
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