RENEWABLE POWER Direct

With national electricity demand surging—driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and data center developments, widespread electrification, and challenging legislative and regulatory policy shifts—utilities are scrambling to keep pace. Add to that mounting supply chain strain and aging infrastructure, and it’s no wonder utilities are facing a costly balancing act.

Solar dominates new energy generation in the U.S., accounting for 69% of new capacity additions in Q1 of 2025. But although most of this added capacity comes from utility-scale projects, the engineering labor force hasn’t scaled to match this demand. Only a limited number of qualified engineers, particularly those with experience as Engineers of Record (EORs), can support the complexity and speed required for current utility-scale solar projects.

Utility-scale solar farms are essential players in the energy transition. But with growth comes more exposure, and large solar arrays are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, especially hailstorms. As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, utility executives, plant managers, engineers, and energy policymakers need proven, scalable methods for assessing and repairing solar farm damage quickly and effectively.

The increasing power demands of data centers are adding urgency to grid resiliency and renewable energy projects. Data center electricity use is expected to grow 300% by 2035 as hyperscale cloud computing companies race to adopt new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI). Renewable energy and microgrid solutions will play an essential role in the digitalized and electrified future.

An Italy-based independent power producer has brought its first U.S. project online. ContourGlobal, headquartered in Milan, on September 4 announced the state of commercial operation for Black Hollow Sun I, the 185-MW first phase of a solar power project in Severance, Colorado.

A leading provider of grid-connected energy storage solutions announced the start of commercial operation for a project in Imperial County, California. LS Energy Solutions (LS-ES) on September 4 said its Big Rock 200-MW/400-MWh site, which was developed in partnership with Gore Street Energy Storage Fund (GSF), is the company’s largest energy storage installation to date and its first for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) grid.

A California-based renewable energy group said a Minnesota solar-plus-storage project is being supported by state regulators. Primergy on September 4 said its Northern Crescent Solar + Storage installation has unanimous approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) for a site permit.

A leading trade association for the clean energy industry said its data shows growth in U.S. renewable energy deployments is slowing at a significant rate, as the Trump administration continues to adopt policies aimed at limiting the sector.

Generac Holdings has introduced an 820-watt microinverter that takes electricity from two solar panels and converts it from the DC (direct current) power they produce into AC (alternating current) power that a home or the electric grid can use.

In just 12 months, Sage Geosystems and San Miguel Electric Cooperative built the world’s first pressure geothermal system. It is now poised to deliver long-duration, dispatchable storage for the Electric