Google has signed a deal with Cypress Creek Energy to invest in and receive energy from the largest solar facility in the United States, the Steel River Energy Center. The project includes 2.5 GW/2.9 GWh of solar and storage capacity, with Google acting as an anchor investor and offtaker. Expected to create 700 construction jobs during each phase, the project will be built in three phases and fully online by 2029. Solar panels made entirely in the U.S. and steel from Mississippi County facilities will be used, showcasing a commitment to domestic production and renewable energy solutions.
Author: Utilitydive
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New York reaches 8 GW of distributed solar capacity
New York has exceeded its goal of 10 GW of distributed solar capacity by 2030, with 8 GW already installed thanks to the NY-Sun Program's financial incentives. The state set a record for solar installations in 2025 and has allocated $200 million for the program in 2027. To replicate this success in other states, experts recommend adopting proven models and establishing uniform statewide interconnection standards.
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-york-reaches-8-gw-of-distributed-solar-capacity/824867/
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Virginia defines agrivoltaics, expanding opportunities for solar
Virginia recently signed a bill defining agrivoltaics as the co-location of agriculture and solar energy generation on the same land, aiming to expand distributed generation and revitalize fallow farmland. The state's first crop-based agrivoltaics project generated 130% of the farm's energy needs. Projects in Virginia must prioritize agricultural productivity, integrate renewable energy generation, and allow for flexibility to adapt to market conditions. Efforts are being made to revitalize abandoned cropland through grazing projects, with proposed legislation to create a stakeholder advisory panel ensuring meaningful partnerships between the agricultural and solar communities. The goal is to drive economic growth while preserving farmland and incentivizing solar development on brownfields and existing structures.
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UN secretary general urges AI giants to disclose environmental impact
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres proposed a framework for AI companies to disclose their environmental impacts and commit to powering data centers with renewables by 2030, emphasizing the need for transparency in measuring emissions, water, and land usage. The plan calls for a global shift from fossil fuels, with G20 countries leading the transition to reach global net-zero emissions by 2050, promoting clean energy projects, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, and supporting those most at risk from climate change adaptation. The UN is also calling for AI companies to commit to environmental disclosures and clean energy for data centers, amidst a push for a national data center moratorium due to concerns about electricity and water use, impacts on Indigenous lands, rising costs, and job losses.
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3 home energy providers offer 16.8 GW of distributed capacity to utilities, hyperscalers
Sunrun, Tesla, and Renew Home are partnering to provide nearly 17 GW of distributed energy capacity in the U.S., focusing on alleviating grid congestion and offering grid services to middle-class American families. Power system experts see untapped potential in distributed resources like battery and HVAC capacity in key markets such as Texas, California, and Virginia. In Puerto Rico, LUMA Energy has utilized Sunrun's PowerOn Puerto Rico VPP to address reliability issues on the transmission grid, with onsite solar and batteries playing a critical role in shortening power outages for over 200,000 customers. The need for sustainable solutions is evident as load-shedding events increase due to high demand and aging fossil-fuel generators going offline for maintenance.
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California gas generation down 60% from 2024 as solar, imports surge
In the first five months of 2026, utility-scale solar generation in California surpassed natural gas generation, with solar increasing by 21% and natural gas decreasing by 60% compared to 2024. Solar generated more electricity than natural gas on 82% of days in 2026, while solar and battery storage capacity grew significantly. Despite this growth, there was a 19% decrease in net generation due to increased electricity imports, including renewable energy from projects like the SunZia wind farm in New Mexico. The SunZia project, the largest wind farm in the U.S., began delivering electricity in April and is set to begin commercial operations soon.
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Northeast states eye offshore HVDC transmission as Trump drops wind fight
Nine Northeast states and the District of Columbia are collaborating to develop an offshore transmission network along the Atlantic Coast to reduce electricity costs and improve reliability, with a focus on accelerating offshore wind deployment and unlocking consumer benefits. The Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission published reports with technical standards and policy recommendations, including standardizing offshore transmission network design and addressing procurement issues. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and other organizations, the collaboration aims to advance interregional transmission pathways for offshore wind deployment, while Sierra Club Senior Advisor Nancy Pyne criticizes Donald Trump's ban on wind energy in the U.S. and highlights the benefits of renewable energy as an affordable and common sense solution to rising energy costs and instability.
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Distributed solar’s overlooked role: Keeping farmland out of the real estate market
The article discusses the financial challenges faced by American farmers, highlighting the potential of community solar projects as a solution to provide stable income and help keep farmland in agricultural use. By utilizing lower-yield land for solar projects, farmers can retain ownership, maintain flexibility, and pass the land on to future generations. These projects offer a sustainable alternative to selling land for housing or industrial use, ultimately supporting the viability of farming for generations to come. The real risk to farmland is larger economic pressures, and being open-minded about what farming looks like today is necessary to ensure farmland remains farmland in the future.
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1M+ customers have connected solar to PG&E’s grid
PG&E, the largest utility in the U.S. in terms of solar interconnections, has focused on modernizing the grid for safe and reliable two-way power flows, with a recent emphasis on virtual power plant deployment. Their investments in grid automation, advanced forecasting, streamlined interconnection, and the integration of solar paired with battery storage have positioned California as the top state for residential solar and overall solar capacity. Customers in California have access to rebates and credit rates for solar generation, with solar plus storage systems offering backup power during public safety power shutoffs. This has led to increased interest in solar and resiliency options in the state.
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/a-million-customers-have-connected-solar-to-pges-grid/822676/
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Sonoma Clean Power aims for 1,000 no-cost smart thermostats amid VPP push
Sonoma Clean Power is launching a project to install smart thermostats for up to 1,000 income-qualified customers at no upfront cost, funded by a $4.99 million grant from the California Energy Commission. This initiative is part of a broader effort to expand a multi-resource virtual power plant and increase participation in automated demand response programs among lower-income customers. SCP is also partnering with community organizations for multilingual outreach to help low-income customers reduce energy bills. The utility company's Virtual Power Plant aims to strengthen customer relationships, improve grid efficiency, and potentially reduce wholesale power costs by getting people more interactive with the grid.