Bantam Communications

A new white paper highlights three policy tools that can reduce permitting risk, improve local acceptance, and accelerate project approvals.

Congratulations to Tim Pawlenty on being named Solar Energy Industries Association's incoming President and CEO. His leadership comes at a pivotal moment for the solar and storage industry, as demand for affordable, reliable, American-made energy continues to grow and the need for durable policy certainty has never been greater. We look forward to having Governor Pawlenty’s voice at the center of policy conversations in Washington and across the states in the years ahead.

More than 150 onshore wind projects are stalled, waiting for routine Pentagon reviews tied to radar and military operations.

A recent article examines how solar projects are being derailed by local opposition rooted in unfounded health concerns that nonetheless carry real regulatory weight.

Texas has long been the country’s most dynamic market for advanced energy, but some officials and agencies are increasingly moving to slow solar deployment even as demand surges, setting up a clear clash between economics and policy. The Public Utility Commission of Texas sent a proposed solar + storage project back for reconsideration in favor of gas, while lawmakers are raising grid security concerns tied to foreign-made panels. Meanwhile, solar and storage still account for more than 75% of ERCOT’s interconnection queue, demonstrating the availaibilty of low-cost capacity ready to meet growing demand. That tension is setting up 2027 as a defining moment for market design, with real stakes: whether Texas continues to scale the lowest-cost resources or shifts toward higher-cost generation that could raise prices and constrain growth, what one expert called “the most anti-Texan thing ever.”

A federal court has delivered a significant reset for U.S. clean energy permitting, blocking a suite of administration actions that had effectively stalled wind and solar development nationwide.

The situation in Richland County reflects a broader shift in how clean energy projects are being contested and decided. County commissioners moved to block utility-scale wind and solar, only to see residents mobilize quickly to force a countywide referendum to overturn it. The case highlights how counties are using SB 52 to advance restrictions, even without active projects on the table. In response, supporters are reframing the debate around property rights and economic development, while opposition leans into farmland preservation and siting concerns. For developers, the takeaway is less about this single vote and more about the pattern: siting risk is becoming increasingly hyperlocal, where outcomes hinge on community alignment, coalition-building, and narrative control as much as on project fundamentals.

Texas has long been the country’s most dynamic clean energy market—but “lawmakers and regulators have unleashed blistering new attacks against solar.”

The AI-driven load surge is forcing a reset on decarbonization timelines. In Nevada, utilities are staring down data center demand that could require up to three times the power used by Las Vegas, increasing the likelihood of near-term fossil generation even as a renewable target of 50% by 2030 remains in place. This tension is playing out nationally. Interconnection and permitting delays are colliding with hyperscale demand, pushing utilities to postpone fossil fuel plant retirements. Some states are starting to respond. California and New Jersey are advancing proposals that require large data centers to procure clean or dispatchable zero-carbon power, signaling where policy may need to go. New demand needs new energy. Without enforceable guardrails tying new load to advanced energy, data center growth risks diluting renewable targets rather than accelerating them. https://lnkd.in/gYUcvRk6

Federal permitting constraints are now influencing how projects are designed, sited, and financed. New data from Crux shows developers are actively siting around federal review, with roughly 11 GW of capacity affected in the past year alone. The cost impact is material. Permitting delays increased cost by 6–10% on an average. For a typical 100 MW solar project, adding $10–14 million can push customer bills up by as much as 6.75%. Developers are asking for predictability even more than speed. Until timelines and outcomes become more predictable, capital will continue flowing toward lower-risk sites over higher-quality resources, leaving meaningful capacity on the table at a moment of rising demand.