A report released last week by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) suggests that by 2035 solar energy has the potential to power 40% of the nation’s electricity, or the equivalent of all the nation’s homes.

Getting to a 40% supply share, however, would involve a dramatic increase in the deployment of solar. In 2020, the United States installed 15 GW of solar, a record, sending the total to 76 GW. But this figure only represents 3% of the current electricity supply.

The DOE study said that by 2035, the United States would need to quadruple its yearly solar capacity additions and provide 1,000 GW of power “to a renewable-dominant grid.”

To get there, the study suggests the country must install an average of 30 GW of solar capacity per year between now and 2025, ramping...