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This analysis and news roundup come from the Canary Media Weekly newsletter. Sign up to get it every Friday. The major players in AI want energy far faster than utilities can provide it — and that’s prompting them to explore some alternative approaches to powering data centers, ranging from the conventional to the…

In the shadow of a wind turbine on a low rise just outside the western Minnesota town of Morris, a cluster of tanks, pipes, and sheds holds what some believe is the key to a more self-sufficient future for the region’s agriculture and heavy industry. When the wind is blowing — and it often is, out here — the turbine…

This article is part of our ​“Chart of the Week” series . The U.S. just hit a big milestone: It got more power from solar panels than from coal plants in May. It’s the first time that has ever happened across an entire month, and all the more notable given the Trump administration’s all-out push to revive the…

Geothermal networks are taking off across the U.S., with roughly 30 such projects in various stages in Massachusetts, Colorado, and elsewhere. These systems — which use electric heat pumps and thermal energy from underground to warm and cool buildings — are key to weaning communities off polluting fossil-fueled…

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee’s efforts to slash funding for energy efficiency and roll back renewable energy targets appear poised to fail after the legislature advanced the state budget on Tuesday evening. Earlier this year, McKee, a Democrat, proposed significant cuts to energy-efficiency programs in an attempt to…

A power-hungry aluminum smelter planned in Oklahoma is facing a new legal challenge that aims to stop the massive project in its tracks. Last week, Oklahoma’s attorney general sued to block Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) and Century Aluminum from building the $4 billion facility, which is slated to more than double…

A major grid-tech company is asking the Trump administration to fund a project it says could significantly boost the nation’s ability to move power around — without building a single new transmission tower or line. Open Access Technology International (OATI) is a Minneapolis-based firm whose software is used by…

Qcells has officially begun commercial production of silicon solar cells at its factory in Cartersville, Georgia, the company said Tuesday. That factory is the largest of its kind in the country — and a long-awaited boost to the U.S. solar supply chain. For five years straight , the U.S. power sector has built more…

At first glance, Frances Bell’s home in Oakland, California, doesn't look like a postcard from the EV-powered future. But if a new program takes off, it could be a harbinger of what’s possible for homes across the state and the country. Sure, there’s a shiny new Kia EV9 in the driveway and a black charging cord that…

North Carolina’s Republican-led House of Representatives passed a sweeping energy bill last week called the Ratepayer Protection Act, with backers saying it would reduce energy costs for families across the state. But Democrats and other critics of the legislation, Senate Bill 730 , are skeptical of that claim, for…

Last year, Marie Tai needed a better way to keep her condo cool. Her window air-conditioning units were borderline ineffective, even running at full blast. Summers have been getting more intense in Tai’s Boston neighborhood because of a rapidly warming climate, and she had just adopted a 16-year-old cat named…

For all the concern about lost federal funding courtesy of the Republican trifecta in Washington, Massachusetts still has not deployed a single electric vehicle charger through a Biden-era program that President Donald Trump has left intact. The Bay State is sitting on the roughly $64 million it was awarded through…

On June 1, the Tumbleweed project in California’s Kern County became the first major battery installation in the U.S. that can discharge power for up to eight hours at a time — twice as long as typical energy-storage facilities. The U.S. power sector now builds more battery storage capacity than any other form of…

This article was originally published on April 6, 2026, and last updated on July 2, 2026. Balcony solar is one of the hottest ideas in renewable energy right now. Boosters say the systems — DIY kits that can be plugged right into a standard outlet — save users money without any need for subsidies, government…

This analysis and news roundup come from the Canary Media Weekly newsletter. Sign up to get it every Friday. New York City has a lot to celebrate this week. The Knicks are in the finals, the Mets actually won a game, and the city is now a big step closer to meeting its clean energy targets. Tons of clean…

This article is part of our ​“Chart of the Week” series . Electric vehicles may be struggling to find buyers in the U.S. — but they’re making inroads elsewhere. A record-breaking 28% of new cars sold this year will be battery-powered, according to new data from the International Energy Agency. That’s a big deal:…

Last week, the Ohio Supreme Court blocked a permit for what would be the state’s largest solar installation. The 800-megawatt Oak Run Solar Project still has a pathway to completion — the court reversed only one part of the state siting board’s prior approval — but it remains unclear how things will play out. This…

Utilities have spent nearly $6 billion to install roughly 12 million smart meters at homes and businesses across PJM Interconnection, the biggest U.S. energy market. These devices are meant to help their customers use energy more efficiently and save money. But within much of PJM’s 13-state territory, these devices…

In July 2022, a fierce summer storm rocked Wake Electric , a North Carolina cooperative serving nearly 60,000 households and other customers from the dense suburbs of Raleigh, the state capital, to rural areas along the Virginia border and in the coastal plain. Wind downed lines and knocked out power for thousands…

The U.S. House just approved a bipartisan package of bills to accelerate geothermal energy as the nation clamors for more around-the-clock clean electricity. The Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, or H.R. 5631, passed with broad support on Tuesday. The legislation — led by U.S. Reps. Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) and Susie…