2026 Solar Update: Why Renewable Energy Is The Future

Renewable energy is the future. The future of solar energy for homeowners and businesses across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware is not a distant prospect but a present-day financial reality.

The global energy system is undergoing the fastest transformation in modern history: solar power costs have fallen more than 90% since 2010, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 locked in a 30% federal tax credit for residential solar through 2032, and Pennsylvania alone added over 400 MW of new solar capacity in 2024, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

The question for Tri-State homeowners is no longer whether the renewable energy revolution is real. It is whether you are positioned to benefit from it.

Why Renewable Energy Is The Future of the Mid-Atlantic Power Grid

The renewable energy sector is currently undergoing a massive energy transition driven by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). As of 2025, the federal tax credit remains at 30%, making solar power more accessible than ever.

In Pennsylvania, the renewable power capacity is expanding rapidly through renewable projects like community solar initiatives. Meanwhile, New Jersey remains a leader in renewable energy technologies, particularly through its Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) program.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the clean energy market in the Northeast is essential for stabilizing the electricity grid. By reducing our reliance on the fossil fuel industry, we can lower greenhouse gas emissions and protect our local environment from the long-term effects of global warming.

Discover the direct benefits of installing solar panels to enlighten you more why it is part of the future.

Local Policy and Economic Growth

The shift toward a sustainable energy transition is not just an environmental choice; it is an engine for economic growth. In Delaware, recent updates to net metering policies allow homeowners to receive credit for the excess energy they produce.

This helps manage the rising electricity demand across the region. When homeowners generate their own energy, they bypass the volatility of the fossil fuel extraction market, ensuring long-term price stability even as energy demand fluctuates.

Clean Energy for the Future

For about two hundred years, the United States has obtained most of its power from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil. While these allowed us to build the world’s largest economy, they now have numerous serious drawbacks.

As non-renewable energy sources, they cannot be replenished. They are increasingly more difficult and damaging to our environment to retrieve, and their use pollutes the air and generates greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Fortunately, there are alternatives to fossil fuels that are being used more and more and will be able to provide the clean, renewable energy we need for the future. Here is a look at the most promising.

Solar

 Solar energy can be used directly for heating and light, and with photovoltaic technology can be converted to electricity. With more sunlight hitting Earth in a single day than can be used in a full year, solar is an inexhaustible source of energy that creates no pollution and has virtually no downside.

Advances in photovoltaic technology are making solar panels increasingly economical and efficient. They can be connected to the electric grid or to batteries to store energy or share it between interconnected homes or businesses.

Why switch your business to solar? Read our article about Switch Your Business To Solar Power and Save

Wind 

Windmills have long been used to pump water and grind grain on thousands of American farms. Windmills have evolved into modern wind turbines to turn wind energy into electricity.

Turbines can be used by themselves to generate electricity for a home or farm, or, like solar, they can be connected to a power grid or battery system to store or share power. Wind farms, where a large number of wind turbines are built close together, are also becoming more popular.

Geothermal

The heat from the earth is a powerful source of energy and can be drawn from hot water or steam reserves, from geothermal reservoirs, or from shallow ground near the earth’s surface.

The geothermal energy derived from these sources can be used to produce electricity and drive generators, and can also be harnessed to produce heat directly from the ground. The most popular and widely known form of geothermal energy is heat pumps used for both heating and cooling.

 Hydropower

Water, or hydropower, is easy and inexpensive to obtain, and all but two states in the US use it for electricity. In fact, almost 75 percent of Washington State’s power comes from water.

By using a dam or diversion structure to alter the natural flow of water in a river or other moving water source and send it through a turbine, hydropower is used to produce electricity.

It is a pollution-free source of energy, but the damming of rivers has significant environmental effects both up- and downstream.

Read the article: Taking Advantage of the Solar Energy Tax Credit

The Future of Solar Energy in Pennsylvania: What 2025 Data Means for PA, NJ & DE Homeowners

The global energy transition has reached an inflection point that energy economists now describe as irreversible. The International Renewable Energy Agency reports that global renewable power capacity surpassed 3,870 GW in 2024, with solar and wind accounting for more than 90% of the new power capacity added worldwide.

In the US, the renewable energy sector installed 43.1 GWdc of solar in 2024 alone (SEIA) — enough to power tens of millions of homes. The International Renewable Energy Agency projects renewable power capacity will triple globally by 2030, driven by collapsing technology costs and policy momentum.

The energy transition is accelerating on multiple fronts simultaneously. Wind turbines — both onshore wind installations and offshore projects along the Atlantic Coast — are adding gigawatts annually.

Wind farms in the mid-Atlantic and Great Plains are already supplying meaningful shares of regional electricity demand.

Wind and solar together now represent the path forward for every US utility planning new generation capacity, with renewable energy sources consistently winning competitive procurements against burning fossil fuels on pure economic grounds.

The EIA projects that solar and wind power will reach 56% of US electricity generation by 2050, a number that will reshape every energy system decision made between now and then.

Sources: SEIA U.S. Solar Market Insight 2025; EIA Electric Power Monthly 2025; IRENA Renewable Capacity Statistics 2024. Hyperlink each source in CMS.

The Renewable Energy Revolution in PA, NJ & DE — Local Data That National Publishers Can't Provide

The renewable energy revolution is not abstract for Tri-State homeowners. Pennsylvania has crossed 700 MW of installed solar capacity, driven by a combination of renewable portfolio standards, net metering policy, and active SREC markets that reward homeowners for clean energy generation.

Renewable portfolio standards in all three states create ongoing demand for solar certificates, which directly translate into income for system owners. PECO's residential rate reached $0.155/kWh in 2025 — a 31% increase since 2019 — making rooftop solar energy generation more financially compelling than at any previous point.

New Jersey’s renewable energy sector leads the region: NJ ranks among the top five solar states per capita, and the SuSI program provides $152 per Transition Renewable Energy Certificate for 15 years. One of the most generous renewable project incentive structures in the country.

Read the article: Solar Inventions of the Future We Want Now

Delaware’s DNREC Green Energy Fund provides cash rebates for qualifying solar panel installations.

All three states maintain retail-rate net metering, meaning excess energy exported to the electricity grid earns credits at the same rate as grid purchases — and that excess energy from summer surplus offsets winter bills automatically.

These policies make the sustainable energy future economically actionable today, not eventually.

Why the Sustainable Energy Transition Is Accelerating Globally

Several technological advancements are reshaping the future of renewable energy at the household and grid levels. The climate crisis is the underlying driver of the sustainable energy transition.

But economics have now taken over as the primary accelerant. Carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels continue to warm the Earth’s atmosphere, pushing global warming toward consequences that are no longer theoretical.

Greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector are declining in the US and the EU as renewable power displaces generation dependent on fossil fuels. But many countries in developing countries and emerging markets are still expanding fossil generation to meet energy demand.

The globally determined contributions — countries’ nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement — are the framework through which many countries are committing to combating climate change.

Read the article: What Is A Carbon Footprint?

Combating climate change at scale requires a global energy system transformation, and solar is the technology that developing countries and emerging markets are deploying fastest — because it is now the cheapest source of new electricity in history, with no environmental impacts from fuel combustion and minimal operational impacts.

Critical minerals supply chains for lithium-ion batteries and solar panels represent the primary challenge for a sustainable energy future: securing domestic and allied-nation sourcing for lithium, cobalt, and silicon is a strategic priority that will shape the pace and energy security of the global energy transition through 2035.

Indeed solar power is beginning to change the world.

Connect with us now

Renewable energy sources are vital to the survival of our planet. While no source of power is perfect, the four mentioned above are excellent alternatives to our quickly depleting fossil fuels.

If you have questions about renewable energy and how to use it in your home or business in Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, or Delaware, please visit our website. You can request a custom solar panel proposal from our experts.

TerraSol Energies installs solar ownership panels in the tri-state. Experience the impact of renewable energy is the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

What percentage of US electricity comes from renewables in 2025?

Wind power and solar generated a record 17% of US electricity in 2025, according to the EIA. Total renewable energy sources — including hydro and geothermal — account for approximately 23–25% of US power generation. The wind energy and solar shares are growing fastest, collectively adding more new capacity than any other energy system category.

How do energy storage systems help the environment?

Energy storage systems reduce the need for "peaker plants" that rely on fossil fuel extraction. By storing solar power, we can provide a sustainable energy transition that keeps the lights on without increasing carbon emissions.

Is a sustainable energy future possible without fossil fuels?

Yes. Through a combination of solar power, wind, and advanced energy storage, the global energy system can eventually phase out the fossil fuel industry, effectively addressing the climate crisis.

How does the transition to renewable energy affect my electricity bill in PA?

PECO and PPL rates have risen 30%+ since 2019. Installing solar panels offsets that cost at zero marginal rate — your own energy from the roof replaces grid purchases. PA SRECs add $35–$55 per 1,000 kWh generated in additional income. Net metering credits excess energy at the full retail rate. Together, these mechanisms can reduce or eliminate your utility's electricity demand entirely.