Electrek Green Energy Brief

Solar and battery storage continue to dominate growth among energy sources, while fossil fuels and nuclear power have stagnated. That’s according to data just released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), which was reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign.

Electricity demand is surging in Texas, and solar, wind, and battery storage are meeting it.

According to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), electricity demand across the Texas grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) hit record highs in the first nine months of 2025. ERCOT, which supplies power to about 90% of the state, saw demand jump 5% year-over-year to 372 terawatt hours (TWh) – a 23% increase since 2021. No other major US grid has grown faster over the past year.

The US clean energy sector took another gut punch in September as businesses scrapped or scaled back nearly $1.6 billion in major factory and clean energy projects, according to the latest monthly analysis from E2 and the Clean Economy Tracker. That brings the total cost of private-sector project cancellations this year to more than $24 billion.

Ocean energy storage startup Sizable Energy just raised $8 million to bring its long-duration offshore pumped hydro system to market.

According to the latest “US Wind Energy Monitor” report from Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association (ACP), developers installed 593 megawatts (MW) of new wind capacity in Q2 2025 – a 60% drop from the same quarter last year. But the US wind industry is expected to rebound fast, with 51% of forecasted capacity to come online in Q4 and full-year installations projected to hit 7.7 gigawatts (GW).

Rondo Energy has begun commercial operations of what it says is the world’s largest industrial heat battery – a 100 MWh system now operating at a Holmes Western Oil facility in California. Powered entirely by an onsite solar array, the system supplies constant high-pressure steam and heat to the plant, demonstrating how renewable energy can directly power heavy industry.

XCharge North America (NA) has opened Oregon’s first solar + storage DC fast charging station at Arrowhead Travel Plaza in Pendleton, part of the Wildhorse Resort & Casino complex owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Baltimore County, Maryland, just brought its first large-scale ground-mounted solar farm online, and it sits on what used to be the Parkton Landfill. The 213-acre site, once a symbol of waste, is now generating clean power that will cut costs, slash emissions, and turn an underused piece of land into a long-term energy asset.

The Trump administration has canceled the Esmeralda 7 solar project in Nevada — a sweeping, multi-developer clean energy plan that would have been the largest solar installation in North America.

Danish wind giant Ørsted announced today that it would cut around 2,000 jobs, or around 25% of its workforce, over the next two years. It will lay off around 500 employees in Q4 2025, including 235 in Denmark.

New York-based Cool Down makes a thermal transfer system that moves naturally cool air from your basement into your living space while sending excess heat back down below to cool homes more efficiently. By dispersing that heat into the ground, Cool Down helps keep homes comfortable during hot summer months and cuts electricity bills in the process.

Solar and wind power aren’t just keeping up with global electricity demand anymore – they’re pulling ahead. According to a new analysis from energy think tank Ember, solar and wind combined outpaced global electricity demand growth in the first half of 2025. That shift led to a drop in both coal and gas generation compared to the same period last year. For the first time ever, renewables generated more power than coal globally.

Solar and storage prices are about to rise after a year and a half of record lows, according to new data from Wood Mackenzie. Equipment procurement costs for solar and energy storage will jump around 9% starting in Q4 2025, marking the end of the bargain pricing developers have enjoyed for the last 18 months. That’s because China is changing the rules.

Solar and wind accounted for 90% of new US electrical generating capacity added in the first seven months of 2025, according to data just released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In July, solar alone provided 96% of new capacity, making it the 23rd consecutive month solar has held the lead among all energy sources.

More than half of the European Union’s (EU) electricity came from renewables in the second quarter of 2025, and solar is leading from the front.

The US battery storage market just had its biggest quarter ever. In Q2 2025, a record 5.6 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity came online, according to the latest US Energy Storage Monitor report from the American Clean Power Association (ACP) and Wood Mackenzie.

Solar + storage provider Sunrun and Maryland utility BGE are running the first residential vehicle-to-grid (V2G) distributed power plant in the US, and it’s powered by Ford F-150 Lightning trucks.

A new review of US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data by the SUN DAY Campaign reveals that in July, solar-powered electricity shot up by over 30%, while wind grew by almost 14% in the US.

A federal judge has cleared the way for Ørsted’s nearly complete 704-megawatt (MW) Revolution Wind offshore wind farm to restart construction, overturning a stop-work order imposed by the Trump administration.

The US virtual power plant (VPP) market is growing fast, with 37.5 gigawatts of behind-the-meter flexible capacity now online, according to a new Wood Mackenzie report. VPPs connect small energy systems and smart devices into a single network managed by an energy company or utility. That can include residential solar panels, battery storage, EVs, and smart thermostats. When the grid needs help during peak demand or emergencies, they can be tapped – and you get paid for participating.

Clean energy jobs surged in 2024, growing more than three times faster than the rest of the US economy and adding nearly 100,000 new positions. That brought the total clean energy workforce to 3.56 million people, according to the 10th annual Clean Jobs America report from E2.