Renewables
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Christopher Furlong via Getty Images
First Solar releases poll showing support for solar among GOP voters
When asked if all forms of electricity generation, including utility‑scale solar, should be allowed to compete fairly in the marketplace without political interference, 79% of GOP-aligned voters surveyed agreed.
By Diana DiGangi • Feb. 5, 2026 -
Courtesy of Corning
OpinionWhy regional manufacturing will power the next clean economy
If regions align around shared climate goals, fragmented progress can become a unified national movement, write Lara Croushore from SecondMuse and Stacey Weismiller of the American Manufacturing Futures Institute.
By Lara Croushore and Stacey Weismiller • Feb. 5, 2026 -
Permission granted by Republic Services
Landfill solar projects have taken off but still face practical limitations
The United States now has hundreds of solar installations on closed landfills. Increasing that number could prove tricky, however, as remaining sites may be limited by shifting federal policy, remediation costs and geography.
By Leslie Nemo • Feb. 4, 2026 -
Retrieved from House Energy and Commerce Committee.
House lawmakers press FERC on affordability, reliability and gas
Commissioners cited inadequate transmission infrastructure as a major concern. A gas-fired project in the PJM Interconnection needs $1 billion in grid upgrades to come online, said Commissioner David Rosner.
By Ethan Howland • Feb. 4, 2026 -
Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
Tesla sets battery storage deployment record in Q4 as EV sales slump
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said “energy will have very high growth for as far into the future as we can imagine.”
By Brian Martucci • Feb. 3, 2026 -
Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
Trump administration is now 0-5 in latest effort to halt offshore wind
Ørsted’s 924-MW Sunrise Wind was the fifth and final affected project to win a preliminary injunction. Like others, it said the government refused to share information about alleged national security risks invoked in the blanket ban.
By Diana DiGangi • Feb. 3, 2026 -
Brandon Bell via Getty Images
2026 US power sector outlook
Read Utility Dive's road map to the year ahead for FERC, affordability, renewable energy, distributed energy resources and more.
By Meris Lutz • Jan. 30, 2026 -
Getty Images
Deep DiveCustomers, don’t expect electric bill relief in 2026: ‘The cake is baked.’
Energy affordability has long been a problem for the poorest Americans, but now middle-income families are starting to feel the squeeze.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 30, 2026 -
Courtesy of GE Vernova
GE Vernova Q4 gas turbine orders surge 74%
Wind turbine orders increased 8% in 2025 — mainly outside the U.S. — despite the Trump administration’s efforts to stifle offshore wind development.
By Brian Martucci • Jan. 30, 2026 -
Getty Images
NERC forecasts peak demand to rise 24% on new data center loads
“The system is changing faster than the infrastructure needed to support it,” said John Moura, NERC's director of reliability assessments and performance analysis.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 30, 2026 -
Katich, David. (2020). "WAPA DSW HEC operations being completed mid-air". Retrieved from Western Area Power Administration.
DOE nixes $1.8B loan to Arizona Public Service for transmission, renewables and storage
“Additional de-obligations are in process but cannot be publicly disclosed until finalized,” said Olivia Tinari, deputy press secretary for DOE’s Office of Public Affairs.
By Diana DiGangi • Jan. 29, 2026 -
Retrieved from Senate EPW on January 29, 2026
Republican, Democratic senators call for project certainty at permitting reform hearing
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said permitting talks could resume if the Trump administration stops its moves to thwart wind and solar projects.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 29, 2026 -
Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
Sam Altman-backed Exowatt launches arm to power data centers with renewables
The company said ExoRise will provide customers with solar and battery infrastructure that supports “behind-the-meter and off-grid deployment” with a focus on the U.S. Southwest.
By Zoya Mirza • Jan. 28, 2026 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
With Vineyard Wind ruling, 4 of 5 offshore wind projects win relief from Trump freeze
Project developers said despite their outreach, the government “refused to discuss the supposedly new information about national security impacts” cited as the reason for halting construction, or what they might do to mitigate them.
By Diana DiGangi • Jan. 28, 2026 -
Permission granted by T1 Energy
Solar manufacturing gains momentum in US, but shifting policies pose challenges
“You’ve seen pretty distinct growth and investment ... But we still have a long way to go as an industry in terms of reshoring,” said Scott Moskowitz, vice president of market strategy and public affairs at manufacturer Qcells.
By Michelle No • Jan. 27, 2026 -
David McNew via Getty Images
OpinionGHG Protocol proposal risks slowing clean energy expansion
Proposed changes to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol would make it more difficult for companies to report renewables use and could discourage procurement, according Lesley Hunter and Jeffrey Gorham of the American Council on Renewable Energy.
By Lesley Hunter and Jeffrey Gorham • Jan. 27, 2026 -
Sean Gallup via Getty Images
Deep DiveIn 2026, virtual power plants must scale or risk being left behind
The AI data center frenzy is shifting utilities’ focus to large-scale generation. But advocates say flexible, distributed energy resources still provide the biggest bang for the buck, according to our 2026 DER outlook.
By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 27, 2026 -
Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
Trump signs bill increasing DOE’s wind and solar spending by $250M
The White House asked that Congress zero out the solar and wind energy programs of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, but lawmakers provided $320 million to those two Energy Department programs.
By Diana DiGangi • Updated Feb. 2, 2026 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Deep DiveCan power demand boost renewables above policy obstacles in 2026?
The industry is navigating new FEOC rules and steeling itself for the end of some IRA credits. But load growth and rising electricity bills present opportunity, according to experts in our renewable energy outlook.
By Diana DiGangi • Jan. 22, 2026 -
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images via Getty Images
New Jersey governor orders state to accelerate solar, storage and virtual power plants
Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who was sworn in Tuesday, also ordered regulators to study how to “modernize” the traditional electric utility business model, including by making utility profits “less dependent on capital spending.”
By Robert Walton • Jan. 21, 2026 -
John Moore via Getty Images
Global wind power additions to decline 6% in 2026: WoodMac
A development slowdown in China will drive the decline, but policy challenges in the United States will also “curb wind’s buildout,” according to analysis from Wood Mackenzie.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 15, 2026 -
Nathan Howard via Getty Images
OpinionAmerica’s new power barons: Who will rule the AI-grade megawatt megasector?
The winning model will be hybrid: gas for firmness, renewables for optics and cost, and storage for stability, writes NOVUS Energy Advisors’ Emily Easley.
By Emily Easley • Jan. 15, 2026 -
Courtesy of Mott MacDonald
Judge grants (another) injunction to offshore developer amid Trump’s war on wind
Some analysts predicted a similar outcome on Jan. 16 in a separate case that would allow Dominion to continue construction on its 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.
By Meris Lutz • Jan. 13, 2026 -
Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
Trump pulls US from key climate treaty, 65 other global organizations
The U.S. will exit the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and several other global bodies focused on climate, energy and sustainable development.
By Zoya Mirza • Jan. 12, 2026 -
Retrieved from X.
Illinois sets 3-GW energy storage target, requires utilities to develop virtual power plants
Electricity bills in Illinois rose 15% last year. A new law aims to reduce energy costs by incentivizing new resources, expanding solar and growing efficiency programs.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 9, 2026
