A 3.7-GW Solar Pipeline Is Not 3.7 GW Delivered: What EIA’s August Tables Show

The new federal inventory adds useful detail

EIA’s Electric Power Monthly tables for August 2026, released October 23 and rechecked November 5, list 3,745.9 megawatts of planned utility-scale solar across Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This analysis sums nameplate capacity for Solar Photovoltaic generator rows in Table 6.5. The three states are in different positions when those rows are sorted by development stage.

The distinction matters because a project listed as planned is not necessarily close to producing electricity. EIA’s file separates projects that are under construction from those awaiting approvals, those with approvals but no construction, and those whose approvals have not been initiated. EIA also says the monthly inventory is preliminary, can be revised and is not a capacity commitment by a developer.

This inventory generally covers generators at power plants with at least 1 megawatt of combined nameplate capacity. It should not be confused with EIA’s separate estimates of small-scale solar, which include rooftop systems below 1 megawatt. Capacity also is not generation: a megawatt describes potential output at a point in time, while a megawatt-hour measures electricity produced over time.

Florida’s listed pipeline is mostly under construction

Florida had 1,709 megawatts of planned solar in the August file across 24 generator records. About 1,559 megawatts—roughly 91%—was listed as under construction. Of that amount, 374.1 megawatts was more than halfway complete and 1,185 megawatts was no more than halfway complete. Another 149.9 megawatts was awaiting regulatory approvals and was not under construction.

The planned dates are spread across several years: 440.8 megawatts was associated with 2026, 1,193.2 megawatts with 2027 and 75 megawatts with 2029. Those dates are reported expectations, not guarantees. Construction schedules can move because of interconnection work, equipment delivery, permits, financing, weather or a developer’s own decision.

For commercial customers and developers, the important signal is that Florida’s pipeline is comparatively construction-heavy. That supports a stronger near-term outlook than a list dominated by early-stage proposals would. It does not establish where power will be sold, what any customer will pay or whether a particular household will see a bill reduction.

Pennsylvania has more planned capacity—and more early-stage risk

Pennsylvania’s August table lists 2,013.4 megawatts across 57 planned solar generator records. Of that, 343.1 megawatts, about 17%, is under construction. A further 41 megawatts is construction-complete but not yet commercially operating; 349.6 megawatts has approvals without construction, 536.3 megawatts has approvals pending, and 743.4 megawatts is planned before approvals have been initiated.

Several large projects account for much of the early-stage total. EIA lists the 401.6-megawatt Mineral Basin Solar Power project as planned before approvals were initiated, the 401.6-megawatt Firefly Solar PA project with approvals pending, and the 250-megawatt Moonlight Flats Solar Power 1 project as planned before approvals were initiated. Large entries can make a state pipeline look substantial even when their timing remains uncertain.

This does not mean Pennsylvania’s projects will fail. It means the responsible reading is conditional: the state has a sizable opportunity set, but much of it must still clear regulatory, interconnection, financing and construction milestones. Developers comparing sites should look beyond headline megawatts and ask what share of a pipeline has actually advanced.

New Jersey shows a smaller but later-stage list

New Jersey’s August table lists 23.5 megawatts across ten planned solar generator records. Of that, 7.7 megawatts is construction-complete but not commercially operating, 10.5 megawatts is more than halfway built, 3.9 megawatts is no more than halfway built, and 1.4 megawatts has approvals without construction.

The August inventory also moved the 7-megawatt Esky Solar project in Gloucester County into operating status. In July, EIA had listed it as construction complete but not commercially operating. That month-to-month movement is a practical example of why project stage matters more than a simple planned-capacity total.

The federal file is not a complete measure of New Jersey’s solar market. Smaller commercial, community and residential installations may fall outside this generator inventory. EIA’s separate small-scale series is better suited to understanding rooftop and other systems below 1 megawatt.

What This Means for Solar Customers and the Industry

For homeowners, the main lesson is not to treat a utility-scale development list as a forecast for personal savings. A nearby project does not reveal the rate on a future electric bill, the economics of rooftop solar or whether a battery makes sense for a specific home. Those questions require the address, roof, electricity use, utility tariff, equipment, price and financing terms.

For businesses, landowners and developers, the inventory is more directly useful. Ask five questions about any announced project: What development status does EIA report? Is interconnection secured? Which permits are final? Is financing committed? What milestone must occur before construction or commercial operation? A megawatt in an early-stage filing should not be valued like a megawatt already producing power.

Tower Solar’s interpretation is that Florida currently has the most construction-ready utility-scale pipeline of the three states in this dataset, Pennsylvania has the largest but most conditional pipeline, and New Jersey’s smaller list is concentrated in later stages. That is an interpretation of preliminary federal data—not a guarantee about completion, generation, prices or investment returns.

Use the data without overpromising

EIA’s monthly inventory is valuable because it imposes a common status framework across states. Its limits are equally important. The file can change, developers can revise schedules, and nameplate capacity cannot tell customers how much electricity will be produced or what it will cost.

Tower Solar’s estimate and proposal-review tools can help translate broad market information into customer-specific questions. For commercial projects, use the Commercial Solar resources and contact Tower Solar for a project discussion. For a home, start with the calculator’s assumptions, then compare those assumptions with the utility rules and the actual proposal instead of relying on statewide capacity headlines.