United States plans to double renewable energy capacity by 2035 for a sustainable future

The United States announces the ambition to double renewable energy capacity by 2035, consolidating a long-term path toward cleaner, stable, and accessible electricity. For those following the design of efficient houses and the energy transition, this is a clear signal: it is worth planning now with practical goals and solutions.

Why doubling renewable capacity in the US by 2035 is a game changer for efficient homes

Doubling renewable capacity in an electric market as large as the North American one is not just an engineering goal; it marks a fundamental shift for consumption, construction, and cities. With a cleaner and more predictable system, efficient homes will benefit from electricity with lower carbon intensity and greater price stability throughout the day. This enables more rational models of energy autonomy — combining smart insulation, solar on rooftops, and smaller batteries designed to “smooth peaks” rather than to live “off-grid”.

Leading states like Texas, California, and regions in the Midwest are already functioning as “open-air laboratories”. Markets with strong midday solar penetration and nighttime wind have price curves and emissions that favor passive homes and high-efficiency appliances. The public experiences this in practice: heating water with heat pumps at the right times, charging electric cars when the sun is plentiful, scheduling climate control without compromising comfort. The result? More predictable energy bills and a home that works in favor of the grid.

What changes in the consumer’s energy bill

With more solar and wind, hourly rates tend to reward flexibility. In states already operating with dynamic pricing, small adjustments in household usage yield clear benefits. A recurring example: scheduling laundry and vehicle charging for windows of renewable surplus. In addition to saving, this action balances the grid, reducing the need for expensive peak power plants. In entire neighborhoods, this coordinated behavior makes a difference — and has been leveraged by energy cooperatives with simple participation platforms.

Another transformation comes from the increased competitiveness of corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs). Large data centers, technology companies, and manufacturers sign long-term PPAs that enable solar and wind projects, “anchoring” the cost of electricity. Even if you are not part of a PPA, this effect “pulls” clean supply into the system, indirectly impacting tariffs and emissions associated with your household consumption.

Passive houses find cleaner grids

Homes with good thermal envelopes, controlled ventilation, and bioclimatic solutions reap dividends in a decarbonizing system. The little they consume is, in an increasing proportion, renewable. Moreover, predictability encourages technologies like heat pumps, which perform better in stable scenarios with incentive tariffs. In recent developments in Arizona and Colorado, resident cooperatives have proven that reducing peaks with community batteries allows for sizing photovoltaic generators without oversizing, cutting construction and maintenance costs.

In the end, the equation is sensible: if the grid becomes cleaner and more flexible, the home design can be simpler, more robust, and economical, without relying on redundant systems. This raises comfort standards and reduces risks for families and small communities.

In summary, doubling renewables by 2035 is not an abstract goal; it’s an invitation to design homes that operate with the real pulse of 21st-century electricity.

Projections 2024-2035: solar, wind, and the reconfiguration of the American energy mix

Recent reports indicate that the US, the largest electric market in the world, is on track to more than double renewable capacity by 2035, rising from about 414.5 GW in 2024 to approximately 1.06 TW. The main driver is a combination of state renewable portfolio standards and clean electricity standards, combined with long-term integrated resource planning and demand from corporate PPAs. This set of forces creates a stable pathway for investors, despite federal changes and cost pressures.

Photovoltaic solar in rapid expansion

Solar energy is expected to grow from about 231.4 GW (2024) to approximately 737.8 GW by 2035. Texas and California lead, but the Midwest emerges as a key player with competitive auctions and transmission lines that open new production zones. At the same time, residential and commercial rooftops are maturing, supported by more professional O&M chains. An observed pattern is the advancement of “solar + battery” systems, allowing optimized self-consumption and reducing backfeed during network saturation hours.

Resilient onshore wind and offshore in a wait-and-see mode

In onshore wind, capacity could advance from ~156 GW to nearly ~269 GW by 2035, supported by long-term contracts and state targets. Offshore wind, however, faces a more delicate journey. Regulatory issues and recent federal decisions have caused temporary suspensions in flagship projects like Empire Wind 1 (New York) and Revolution Wind (Rhode Island/Connecticut). While offshore potential remains relevant, the predictability of schedules will require adjustments in licensing, financing, and local content.

The role of gas and nuclear in capacity adequacy

Even with the rise of renewables, natural gas (~620.9 GW by 2035) and nuclear (~102 GW) remain crucial for stability, inertia, and ancillary services. With the phase-out of coal and oil units, these sources provide “backing” to the system during periods of low wind/solar generation. The logic is one of complementarity, not direct competition: ensuring the grid accommodates more renewables without compromising reliability. Thus, we see a more diversified and resilient matrix, reducing the risks of supply shocks.

For consumers and builders, this scenario translates into lower carbon intensity per kWh, more dynamic tariffs, and a more mature equipment market. In pilot neighborhoods in New Mexico, for example, solar roofs were combined with modular heat pumps and simple demand controls; the result was a decrease in local peaks and fewer technical calls, gaining comfort and management.

As these projections move from paper to reality, new patterns of design and operation for homes become the standard. Planning today saves costly reworks tomorrow.

Practical impacts for consumers and builders: prices, jobs, materials, and innovation

Between 2025 and 2030, investments in renewables in the US could total about US$ 442.2 billion, signaling a robust economic cycle. This movement brings positive side effects — such as skilled jobs in installation, operation, and maintenance — and real challenges, especially in the supply chain. Since 2025, tariffs on solar modules, turbines, batteries, steel, aluminum, and copper have altered capital costs, delaying projects and forcing schedule revisions.

For the end consumer, these movements may seem distant, but they impact the price of residential systems and the availability of equipment. In 2026, some regions report longer delivery times for batteries and inverters. The practical response is to combine advance planning with flexible specifications, maintaining equivalent options from manufacturers and prioritizing distributors with local stock. In housing developments, bulk purchases and contracts with well-defined deadlines mitigate volatility.

Supply chain: what to watch when making decisions

Those designing or renovating an efficient home should consider the origin of materials and regional technical support. A common inverter with assistance within 50 km is worth more than an exotic model without a maintenance network. The same applies to high-performance windows, natural fiber insulation, and heat pumps: parts, assistance, and guarantees are just as important as nominal efficiency. In 2026, manufacturers who opened assembly lines in the US and Mexico gained traction by shortening lead times and reducing logistical costs.

There is also a shift in mindset among housing cooperatives. The “GreenVale Cooperative”, an illustrative case in Texas, adopted a charter with three pillars: low-footprint materials, locally maintained equipment, and a demand response plan. Thus, the condominium purchased community batteries, reduced the need for individual UPSs, and ensured greater resilience without exceeding the budget.

Best practices that work in construction and real life

• 🧭 Plan early: order critical equipment in advance and coordinate schedules for construction and grid connection.
• 🏷️ Prefer suppliers with local stock: reduces time and risk of downtime due to lack of parts.
• 🔁 Have equivalent alternatives: list 2-3 compatible brands for inverters/batteries.
• 🧰 Focus on maintenance: warranty + nearby assistance are worth more than marginal efficiency gains.
• 🤝 Consider joint purchases: condominiums and cooperatives negotiate better and standardize solutions.

In practice, the gain lies in the sum of small assertive decisions, avoiding last-minute surprises. When the chain flows, the result is a comfortable and predictable home all year round.

Real risks in 2026: tariffs, licensing, and how not to derail the 2035 goal

Not everything is smooth sailing. Federal tariffs applied since 2025 have brought cost uncertainty and reshuffled investment priorities. Developers adjusted projects to maximize local content and redesigned schedules. Meanwhile, environmental and connection licensing remains a bottleneck: long interconnection queues, lengthy impact studies, and state coordination for transmission require firm governance.

In offshore projects, 2026 recorded temporary pauses in ongoing works, such as Empire Wind 1 and Revolution Wind. These episodes illustrate that the renewable timeline is not linear. The solution lies in regulatory predictability, strengthening the technical capabilities of licensing bodies, and improving risk-sharing models among promoters, suppliers, and funders.

Mitigations within reach of decision-makers

For public decision-makers, accelerating authorizations with clear deadlines and uniform technical criteria creates a healthy pipeline. For businesses and cooperatives, contracts with tariff adjustment clauses, redundant supplier portfolios, and sensitivity testing in financial models protect against shocks. What matters is having plan B and C, without sacrificing quality.

There is also a little visible but decisive pillar: transmission and storage. Bringing electricity from where the wind blows to where the demand is requires new lines and digital modernization. At the same time, utility and community batteries become central pieces for absorbing solar and wind peaks. In neighborhoods that adopted shared batteries, intermittency has turned into predictability — and local managers reported fewer voltage drops on extreme days.

Why does this matter for your home? Because a system with better “orchestration” reduces the need to oversize everything. Instead of betting on oversized equipment, it makes more sense for a well-insulated home, with efficient HVAC, solar sized to the profile, and a moderate battery to handle peaks and short outages. Less capital cost, more daily performance.

In summary: recognizing risks is not pessimism; it is what allows achieving the goal of 1.06 TW efficiently and with fewer jolts along the way.

How to take advantage now: concrete steps to prepare your home for the renewable wave in the US

If the system is going to be cleaner and more dynamic, it’s worth aligning your home with this tide. The first step is always the envelope: insulation, airtightness, and shading solve half the problem. With less loss, any installed kW yields more. Then, invest in equipment that “talks” to the grid: heat pumps with modulating control, timed water heating, and smart thermostats with realistic comfort profiles.

Practical sequence that works

1) Energy audit: simple measurements and a priority map. 2) Low-cost, high-impact interventions: seals, thermal curtains, ventilation adjustments. 3) Structural upgrade: roof and wall insulation, efficient windows. 4) Active systems: rooftop photovoltaic sized to consumption and a 5–10 kWh battery to manage peaks. 5) Integration: automation app that executes financial routines (charge when it’s cheap, export when it makes sense).

For many neighborhoods, the “secret sauce” is in collective scale. Community solar and joint purchases reduce project costs, improve after-sales service, and standardize parts, avoiding chaos in maintenance. The “Bosque do Oeste” condominium, an illustrative case in Arizona, adopted this approach: phased installation by blocks, ensured stock of compatible inverters, and trained a local provider. In two summers, peak demand decreased without sacrificing comfort — and the bill became predictable.

Grounded finances

In 2026, interest rates and timelines are as important as efficiency. A well-structured project combines equity with credit lines aligned to the equipment’s lifespan. If your market offers dynamic electricity contracts, simulate scenarios: when does your home “consume” kWh? What times are worth optimizing? This understanding defines the size of a sensible solar-battery system, avoiding both under and oversizing.

To conclude, a reminder: technologies change, principles do not. Comfortable, low-consumption homes start with good materials, well-executed details, and a simple operation plan. By syncing the home with the grid that the US is building, you gain robustness, predictability, and a quality of life felt every day.

Today’s action: list three efficiency measures for the envelope, quote a heat pump system compatible with hourly tariffs, and request two bids for solar-battery with equivalent brand options. Simple, concrete, and ready for the future. 💡

Source: www.forbespt.com