|
|
 |
|
|
|
Good morning and happy Friday,
This week saw another round of spicy primaries, with prominent roles for energy in South Carolina, climate in Virginia, and data centers in Michigan; last week, Republican Andy Ogles lost his bid for Tennessee’s 5th congressional district after the solar industry-backed Invest in Tomorrow PAC targeted him for his opposition to clean energy tax credits and spent $2 million to defeat him.
And as alluded to in last week’s Dispatch, a U.S. judge in Portland, OR has ordered the Pentagon to end its wind farm blockade and resume reviews of proposed onshore wind projects. Meanwhile, clean energy has seen banner deployments in the first half of 2026, as laid out in a handy tally from Canary Media which finds that “solar leads by a mile.”
That’s great news for anyone who’s a fan of electricity, as the latest EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook predicts that in 2026 and 2027 the U.S. will break records for power consumption set in 2025, a surge “driven by AI-hungry data centers and electrification.”
Speaking of records, this year’s whopper of an El Niño is already delivering punishment in the form of droughts, crop failures, sweltering heat and severe weather on at least three continents, providing a potential preview of weather patterns in the 2030s.
Last month was the hottest ever recorded in the U.S., and “more Americans say extreme heat is affecting their lives;” the New York Times reports that “heat, fire, smoke and storms are wreaking havoc on the economy,” and in Japan temperatures are so extreme that they’ve coined a new word for it: kokushobi, a term that means “cruel heat day.” In Italy, even the cheese banks aren’t safe.
Read on for more.
|
 |
|
|
Cornhusker Conundrum
Nebraska’s top-notch wind and solar resources make it very appealing to clean energy developers, and its central location and low risk for natural disasters make it a top choice for data center developers. Yet while many residents remain unpersuaded that either form of development is a fit for their state, nuclear projects have received a relatively warm welcome. Here’s a look at three articles that explore the complicated dynamic unfolding in the Cornhusker state:
-
Renewables have a strong economic story to tell. Nebraska’s wind and solar projects generated more than $13.6 million in nameplate-capacity tax revenue for local communities in 2025. One school district received about $7.6 million over nine years, helping fund a $13.2 million school expansion. Battery storage is now eligible for the same tax, adding another potential benefit for host communities.
-
Nevertheless, those benefits haven't eliminated opposition. Some Nebraska counties have imposed strict anti-renewable rules or temporary bans, even as utilities confront rising demand from data centers, manufacturing and electrification. Limited transmission and grid constraints only raise the stakes: a project can make perfect sense on paper and still not make it.
-
Data centers are quickly becoming the newest infrastructure-related lightning rod. Otoe County recently paused data center permitting for up to a year so officials can study issues including water, electricity demand and local regulations, and other counties are considering moratoriums or special permitting.
⚡️ The Takeaway
Power paradox. As elsewhere in the country, utilities in Nebraska face surging demand from data centers, electrification and manufacturing; while wind and solar remain relatively inexpensive and fast to build, transmission constraints and local opposition are slowing the growth of new generation. In an intriguing contrast, some communities are actively welcoming the possibility of new nuclear reactors. While the mood may currently be receptive, it’s worth noting that it’s easy to be in favor of ideas, but sentiment could change once specific proposals materialize. The ground is soft for burgeoning technologies and hardens over time as they scale into new markets and proliferate into communities.
|
 |
|
|
Coal’s Second Act
Turning old coal plants into clean power hubs sounds like a poster project for the energy transition: the land is already industrialized, grid infrastructure is nearby, and communities get a new economic chapter instead of simply watching jobs disappear. Several states have tried to make that vision a reality, and while a new report on Illinois’ efforts shows that things can get tricky, the broader idea of reusing coal sites is gaining new dimensions—from solar and storage today to potentially fusion power tomorrow. Here are some points to ponder:
-
Illinois launched its Coal to Solar and Energy Storage Initiative in 2021, with the goal of establishing at least six solar-plus-storage projects and five standalone batteries at sites that formerly hosted coal generation. Instead, just three relatively small solar-and-storage projects were built; the other three were canceled, and no standalone storage was developed.
-
The biggest problem was the incentive design. Illinois locked in renewable energy credits at $30, a price that looked reasonable when the program was created but became far less attractive as equipment costs, interest rates and supply-chain pressures rose.
-
The economics of the “just transition” proved complicated, too. Solar projects can create construction jobs and new tax revenue, but they generally don't replace the employment or local tax base of a coal plant one-for-one.
-
Texas offers a more encouraging example. Panamint Capital has broken ground on a 1.2-GW solar project at an active coal mine and power-plant site, paired with 1.6 GWh of storage and new transmission.
-
And a recent study suggests coal sites could eventually attract an even more futuristic reuse: fusion. Researchers evaluated 85 recently retired U.S. coal plants as potential fusion sites, citing their existing substations, transmission, transportation access and energy-sector workforce as potential advantages.
⚡️ The Takeaway
Old sites, new tricks. The lesson is that “existing infrastructure” is valuable, but it isn't a magic shortcut. When evaluating opportunities, developers should be wary of incentive structures that can't keep pace with market conditions, environmental liabilities, transmission constraints and unrealistic expectations around jobs and tax revenue. Ultimately, the value of “coal to X” sites may lie not in replacing coal with one particular technology, but in giving the next generation of power projects—from solar and storage to potentially fusion—a head start.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Caging the Sun
China has just completed a 582-ton superconducting magnet—the largest fusion magnet ever built—giving its “artificial sun” ambitions a serious jolt. The magnet is designed for BEST, an experimental reactor in Hefei that aims to demonstrate fusion power around 2030.
The news is the latest evidence that fusion is moving beyond the realm of far-off science fiction. The basic idea is almost fantastical: recreate the process that powers the sun, producing a 100-million-degree plasma and suspending that “fireball” inside an invisible magnetic cage. If engineers can make it work commercially, the payoff could be huge: abundant, 24/7 carbon-free power, without the intermittency of wind and solar, the pollution of fossil fuels, or the long-lived waste associated with nuclear fission.
|
 |
|
The new magnets are more than impressive hardware. China says it has developed the core materials, manufacturing processes and components domestically, building a supply chain capable of producing fusion equipment at scale. The six-year effort generated 47 patents and 25 industry standards—and even cut the cost of key superconducting materials dramatically.
China is forging ahead using a familiar playbook: build industrial capability early, invest heavily, and scale relentlessly. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Europe are leaning more heavily on private capital. Commonwealth Fusion Systems recently raised another $1 billion, while the broader fusion industry attracted a record $4.48 billion over the past year.
Fusion is still a long way from commercial scale, but if the artificial sun eventually works, it could reshape the power mix by adding a massive source of always-on clean generation—and the investment pouring into fusion signals that the energy industry is preparing for a much bigger electricity market.
|
|
Thanks for diving into the Developer Dispatch with us.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Building American power requires a powerful team. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
