Policy
Idaho drops solar compensation rates by 31%
After utility Idaho Power proposed paying 60% less for the energy it buys from rooftop solar owners, the utilities commission landed about in the middle, deciding to cut net metering rates by 31%. Rooftop solar owners will receive 31% less compensation for the excess energy they send to the grid following a final rule by […]
Newsom vetoes another bill to curb California’s rising energy demand
Gov. Newsom said the virtual power plant bill would not have improved electric grid reliability planning because it did “not align with the California Public Utility Commission’s Resource Adequacy framework.” Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 740, a bipartisan bill that would have required California to adopt a virtual power plant (VPP) deployment plan. Newsom said […]
Solar for All beneficiaries sue EPA for terminating program
On Oct. 6, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Lawyers for Good Government and others filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island on behalf of beneficiaries of the Solar for All program to restore the program that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sought to terminate in… […]
District court rules renewable energy must be considered in Puerto Rico energy rebuild
Conservation and community groups have won a legal challenge to federal plans to spend billions of dollars to rebuild Puerto Rico’s electric grid back to the centralized, fossil fuel-dependent status quo instead of investing post-disaster funding in distributed renewable energy. Thursday’s ruling by the U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico holds that the Federal Emergency… […]
Burned by the federal government, solar advocates turn focus to state policy
The Trump Administration’s attack on renewables has rocked the solar industry this year. The full impact of anti-solar legislation and executive orders may not be understood until 2026, when the residential tax credit ends, material restrictions begin and start-construction deadlines arrive for the large-scale ITC. Instead of abandoning all hope, solar advocates are shifting focus… […]
DOE yanks funding from over 200 energy projects
The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) on Oct. 1 announced the termination of 321 financial awards supporting 223 projects for a total of $7.56 billion. DOE said it determined these projects “did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars.”… […]
The Solar Policy Scoop: October 2025
Arizona governor signs executive order in support of solar development Phoenix, Arizona Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed an executive order in September establishing the state’s commitment to renewable energy growth in the face of unprecedented federal backlash. The order establishes a task force to facilitate large-scale energy growth and speed permitting to address rapidly increasing… […]
Utilities pump the brakes on climate commitments while giving more gas to fossil fuel
Most utilities failed Sierra Club’s annual report because they are building and maintaining too many fossil fuel plants and too few clean energy projects to keep up with demand. Utilities are backtracking on their climate commitments and giving more gas to fossil fuels, according to Sierra Club’s annual report that evaluates utilities on their transition […]
With federal policy suppressed and energy affordability at center stage, researchers say states have options
Reversing federal policies will have “severe” impacts on electricity affordability, Resources for the Future says, but states can implement carbon pricing to drive down ratepayers’ energy prices and incentivize more renewable energy development. States that lack clean energy leadership and policies such as renewable energy portfolio standards are expected to see the highest electricity hikes […]
DOE guts $7.5 billion in energy funding, exclusively in Democrat-led states
The Department of Energy announced the cancellation of financial awards for manufacturing, clean energy demonstrations, energy efficiency and renewable energy, grid deployment, advanced research projects and fossil energy in 16 states – all of which voted Democrat in the 2024 presidential election. The Department of Energy (DOE) announced the termination of 321 financial awards supporting […]