The scuttlebutt at the 2026 Solar + Wind Finance & Investment Summit
The Infocast Solar + Wind Finance & Investment Summit is recognized throughout the industry as one of the annual get-togethers where stuff actually gets done. Here’s what the people powering our electric future with solar, wind, and energy storage are thinking about.
16 min read
Case study: Large-Scale Fire Testing BESS in accordance with new NFPA 855 standard
Mike Watson of Trina Storage shares his experience participating in Large-Scale-Fire Testing (LSFT) of a full-scale 5 MWh Elementa 2 Pro Platform in accordance with NFPA 855.
7 min read
Michigan regulators to utilities: Incorporate virtual power plants, or else
The Michigan Public Service Commission has ordered the state’s utilities to consider virtual power plant programs in future Integrated Resource Plans or risk having future rate hike requests rejected.
8 min read
Virtual
On Demand
Power Grid
Mission Possible: Utility planning for large load growth
Utilities face an enormous challenge in planning for large load growth, given profound uncertainty in how much demand will materialize, and when. In this webinar we will review the state of the data center pipeline today, including regional trends and utility commitments, and then present three long-term scenarios for large load growth in the US,…
The true cost of the price of power | The Brief by Factor This
US school districts are feeling the pinch of higher power prices; Atlas Renewable Energy closes on solar in Colombia, EDF finances wind in Québec, Lightshift deploys batteries for BRPA utilities, SRP’s first standalone solar site goes online, and Xcel Energy swaps gas-fired units for sunshine-powered panels.
12 min read
Data centers as dynamic grid assets? New Jersey site using solar and storage for flexibility
Calibrant Energy will own and operate a 23 MWh battery energy storage system at Iron Mountain’s data center in Edison, New Jersey. When paired with a large on-site solar array, the campus becomes a flexible grid asset for PSE&G.
4 min read
Everything you need to know about PJM’s Reliability Backstop Procurement
PJM’s Reliability Backstop Procurement proposal includes two phases, starting with matchmaking buyers and sellers, and a capacity auction in March 2027, writes contributor Rao Konidena.
6 min read
Factor This finance and project development roundup: ArcLight, Conduit Power, Energy Vault, Heelstone, Origis Energy
ArcLight celebrates an oversubscribed fund, Conduit finances an ERCOT portfolio, Energy Vault enters Japan, Heelstone starts construction on two solar sites, and Origis closes on tax equity financing.
10 min read
How JPS weathered Hurricane Melissa with one set of digital grid management tools
In a recent web event on Factor This, Jamaica Public Service detailed its preparation and response to Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, which devastated the island’s power grid.
10 min read
Can we meet future energy demand by optimizing existing grid capacity?
Utilising existing grid capacity can allow utilities to see exactly when and where constraints occur over a 10-year horizon
Utilities are on a spending frenzy to power the AI boom – This Week in Cleantech
On this episode of the This Week in Cleantech podcast, Jennifer Hiller of The Wall Street Journal, discusses U.S. utilities’ plans to spend about $1.4 trillion over the next five years to upgrade the aging power grid and meet surging electricity demand driven largely by AI data centers.
Hydropower expected to bounce back from the West’s snow drought
The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects a 5% increase in hydropower generation in the U.S. by 2026, despite environmental setbacks in the West affecting water supply.
2 min read
Kentucky is getting its first pumped storage hydropower project for $1.3B
Louisville Gas and Electric Company, Kentucky Utilities Company, and Rye Development are developing the $1.3 billion Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project in Bell County, Kentucky, aiming for completion by 2031.
2 min read
Winds of change in Texas energy sector serve as playbook for rest of nation
As tensions in the Middle East cause oil prices to soar, the lesson from the Iran War is familiar: energy security depends on energy diversity. And no state understands this better than Texas, writes contributor Michael Slattery.
5 min read
US faces demand to restore $350 million in federal funding to help power Puerto Rico
Nearly 200 organizations are urging the Trump administration and Puerto Rico’s governor to restore $350 million in federal funding that was meant to finance the installation of rooftop solar and battery systems for 12,000 low-income families across the U.S. territory.
5 min read
Hosting solar can be a lifeline for farmers. But overcoming local opposition is tough
Local opposition to solar has long been an obstacle for green energy developers. But some communities are working to reverse local restrictions, citing the tax benefits and jobs the projects bring and the lease payments from energy companies that can provide stable income to farmers in a volatile industry.
6 min read
ANDRITZ lands contract to modernize NYPA’s Niagara hydropower plant
The New York Power Authority awarded ANDRITZ a contract for five generator stators for the Robert Moses Power Plant to enhance reliability.
2 min read
Rainfall across Northern Michigan heightens concerns of dam overflows
Crews are restoring power to a closed hydroelectric station in northern Michigan as heavy rain threatens flooding, according to officials.
4 min read
Army Corps warns of hydropower impacts as drought persists in Missouri River basin
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported that the Missouri River basin is in its fourth year of drought, affecting hydropower and recreation.
3 min read
Ocean energy is still making waves: new report highlights ‘steady progress’ in the field
The International Energy Agency’s Ocean Energy Systems released its Annual Report, highlighting advancements in ocean energy technologies for 2025.
3 min read
Eco Wave Power completes its first US wave energy pilot program
Eco Wave Power completed its wave energy pilot program at the Port of Los Angeles with Shell International Exploration and Production, achieving all milestones.
2 min read
Does serving the energy demand of the future mean better utilizing the grid of the present?
Portland General Electric and GridCARE collaborated to identify 80 megawatts of latent capacity in the grid, potentially doubling utilization without new infrastructure.
5 min read
How intelligence augments infrastructure to unlock latent grid capacity
Headlines talking up the surge in energy demand driven by AI and connected to data center development highlight how much has changed across the sector. But what if the capacity to meet this demand is already there, just hidden behind outdated assumptions?
1 min read
‘No signs of slowing down’ – Investor-owned utilities are poised to spend $1.4 trillion on CapEx through 2030
Investor-owned utilities plan to spend at least $1.4 trillion on capital expenditures by 2030, a 21% increase, according to PowerLines.
2 min read
The data center boom meets resistance in Maine as lawmakers pass a yearlong freeze
Maine’s Legislature approved a bill for a statewide moratorium on large data centers, addressing community concerns about energy use and transparency.
5 min read
Why local vendor financial health is an American energy security issue
The demand for utility infrastructure talent and capacity is so intense that it’s reshaping the industry’s competitive landscape, write contributors Hari Vasudevan and Neil Shah.
7 min read