BloombergNEF: Solar-Plus-Storage Investment Nearly Doubles to $25 Billion

BloombergNEF reported on August 28, 2026 that investment in solar projects co-located with batteries reached a record $25 billion in the first half of the year, nearly double the previous six months and three times the amount invested a year earlier.

The shift reflects uncertainty over revenue from solar price cannibalization, generation curtailment, and transmission grid saturation, according to the balance report published by the consultancy and summarized by pv magazine. Investment in standalone solar photovoltaic fell 20% year-over-year to $75.4 billion, its lowest level since 2021. In the United States, the second-largest global market for renewable investment, developers accelerated financing to meet federal tax credit deadlines amid growing electricity demand driven in part by data centers; U.S. solar investment rose 41% to a record $45.8 billion.

The data confirms a reallocation of capital toward assets that combine generation and storage to manage price volatility, which is eroding standalone solar projects. The segment nearly doubled investment from the second half of 2025 and tripled it compared with the first half of that year, with the United States and Australia leading the way. At the other end of the spectrum, wind investment fell 27% to $92.3 billion, and offshore wind fell 72% due to weak auction results and higher capital and financing costs. Onshore wind, by contrast, fell just 4% to $80.7 billion, with records in Germany, Romania, and Serbia following recent auctions. China accounted for a quarter of global investment, down from more than half in 2022, following its electricity market reform, while Vietnam quadrupled its share.

BloombergNEF projects that new renewable installations in 2026 will fall below 2025 levels, the first year-over-year decline in more than a decade, with a recovery expected in 2027. For Mexico and the region, the pattern documented by BloombergNEF signals which type of project will attract capital in the coming quarters: solar with batteries rather than standalone solar.

This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.