Are data centers really paying their share? AES Indiana’s Google deal highlights a thorny question

While local grid infrastructure projects are fairly easy to trace back to a specific data center, regional system upgrades raise more complex questions about who benefits and cost allocation across jurisdictions, one expert told Utility Dive.

By Charles Paullin • Nov. 10, 2026

Permitting bill advances in Senate, but election results cast doubt on its future

The version of the bill that advanced this week included a manager’s amendment that sought to address some concerns, including over tribal consultation and FERC authority, but Democrats in both chambers have said they want to see more changes.

By Diana DiGangi • Nov. 10, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Data Centers and the US Grid

A look at how data centers are affecting the U.S. grid today and how new technologies and rate structures could affect that trajectory in the years to come.

By Utility Dive staff

Inside the ‘pressure cooker’: Electric utility regulators gather in wake of electoral earthquake

Newly elected leaders and customers are “questioning our foundational regulatory approaches,” Ann Rendahl, president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, told her peers and industry stakeholders.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 9, 2026

Eversource’s financial risk eases as Revolution Wind hits full commercial operations: CEO

Eversource Energy’s third-quarter income fell 22% year over year, to $346 million, driven in part by a lack of income from Aquarion, a water utility subsidiary the company sold in June.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 6, 2026

Co-located solar, storage jumps to 16% of all solar installations, up from 2% in 2017: EIA

The share of solar projects co-located with storage is projected to pass 30% over the next two years, based on planned additions, according to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

By Diana DiGangi • Nov. 5, 2026

Energy affordability tops voter concerns in election set to shake up Congress

“History shows us that energy crises create policy openings, and we think the conditions are probably in place for a window of policymaking,” Hasan Nazar, head of policy at Crux, told Utility Dive.

By Diana DiGangi • Nov. 3, 2026

States must take a critical eye to gas plants proposed over clean energy

The key question for regulators is no longer whether utilities can simply find a reason to install another gas turbine, write experts from Environmental Defense Fund and Minnesota’s CURE.

By Hudson Kingston and Will Scott • Oct. 30, 2026

Xcel Energy rolls out $70B, 5-year capital plan focused on renewables

“We believe that we can, in fact, protect the planet” while serving growing demand, CEO Bob Frenzel said. The spending plan includes 9.2 GW of renewables and 2.3 GW of storage.

By Emma Penrod • Oct. 30, 2026

Chinese-linked solar developer loses appeal over Texas grid interconnection

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit said Texas has a “free lane” to enforce restrictions on foreign-owned companies’ access to the state’s electric grid in a ruling that could have implications for other states and market participants.

By Meris Lutz • Oct. 29, 2026

Capacity, clarity, cash and compliance: the 4 C’s of electric co-op funding success

Compliance is where cooperative utilities tend to struggle the most, and the latest federal funding programs have introduced even tougher terms, writes Fedsprout CEO Aalap Shah.

By Aalap Shah • Oct. 27, 2026

Wind turbine orders hit 2.8 GW in Q2 ahead of tax credit deadline: WoodMac

Overall, “the U.S. wind industry remains on course to add 39 GW of onshore new-build capacity by 2030,” the report said.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 26, 2026

Trump eschews tariffs for trade talks on wind turbine imports

Following a Section 232 probe, the president tasked cabinet officials to engage in negotiations and report on their progress within 180 days.

By Phil Neuffer • Oct. 23, 2026

DOJ moves to revoke offshore wind permits, potentially threatening Senate permitting bill

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., one of the senators sponsoring the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, said in a statement, “This is how you blow up a permitting deal.”

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 22, 2026

Geothermal lease sale on federal land in Nevada nets $4.8M

An Interior Department auction for roughly 187,000 acres generated less per acre than a similar sale in the same state in 2025. Leases for two parcels that sold overlap with the site of a proposed NextEra solar farm.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 21, 2026

Solar PPA prices jump 5% in Q3, mainly on new trade tariffs: LevelTen

Wind power purchase agreements held relatively steady in Q3 but could begin to rise again as the latest round of tariffs takes effect later this year.

By Emma Penrod • Oct. 21, 2026

LS Power COO sees sweeping power sector investing needs: gas, renewables, transmission and more

“The demand growth we're experiencing today is real,” LS Power’s Darpan Kapadia said. “The supply side is going to take time to catch up, and the markets are screaming that.”

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 20, 2026

Solar imports from India, Indonesia, Laos injured US manufacturers: ITC

The decision clears the way for the Department of Commerce to finalize anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells from the three countries.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 15, 2026

Fossil fuel generation pipeline rebounds while new clean generation slows: EDF

However, “rising gas turbine costs and supply shortages are already making new gas plants more expensive and slower to build,” David Villagrana, EDF’s lead counsel for clean energy tax solutions, told Utility Dive.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 14, 2026

Massachusetts shifts clean energy funds to help heat homes this winter

Gov. Maura Healey ordered home energy relief for low- and middle-income households, to be funded by alternative compliance payments — the fees electricity suppliers pay when they fall short of mandated clean energy targets.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 8, 2026

4-hour storage cheaper than gas peakers across global markets: WoodMac

In North America, data centers are boosting the long-term investment case for energy storage and renewables as gas turbine backlogs and rising fuel volatility drive up peaking costs, according to a note from Wood Mackenzie.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 8, 2026

Top electric power sector and utility conferences in 2027

Utility Dive’s curated list of notable events where energy professionals will gather to exchange ideas, demonstrate novel approaches and network for a new era of grid modernization.

By Meris Lutz • Oct. 6, 2026

Fashion brands partner with Schneider Electric to expand renewables

Apparel giants launched the “Fashion Renewable Collective” in collaboration with Schneider Electric to help suppliers across fashion supply chains adopt renewable electricity at scale.

By Zoya Mirza • Oct. 1, 2026

NYPA to own 51% of 240-MW solar project with EDF

Rich Road Solar is the first project the New York Power Authority has developed utilizing a public-private partnership model to advance renewable energy.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 1, 2026

Senate permitting bill would expand federal role in transmission siting

The legislation gives FERC authority to issue permits for transmission projects when they are in the public interest. It also eliminates NIETCs and the federal right of first refusal for incumbent utilities and protects existing federal permits.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 1, 2026

Solar for All grantees seek damages from EPA over ‘devastating’ cuts

Two federal judges recently ruled that the EPA acted illegally when it suddenly terminated the $7 billion program. One grantee said the decision harmed not only her organization, but also developers and communities that expected to benefit from the projects.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 1, 2026