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Good morning and happy Friday,
This week, the Administration issued a stop-work order for Ørsted’s nearly complete Revolution Wind offshore project, citing “national security concerns.” The move has put thousands of jobs on hold and raised questions among New England officials, who say the rationale remains unclear.
ISO New England has warned that halting the project could increase reliability risks and potentially lead to blackouts. A broad coalition of stakeholders is now working to reverse the order, while Ørsted’s stock price has dropped significantly.
Meanwhile, trade and security issues continue to ripple across the sector. A national security probe into imported wind turbines and components is underway, and this week the U.S. Court of International Trade affirmed duties on solar components imported from Southeast Asia—retroactive collections are expected to total tens of billions of dollars.
On a brighter note, FERC reports that renewables accounted for 91% of the 15 GW of new generation added in the U.S. during the first five months of 2025. Solar led the way with 11.5 GW, followed by 2.3 GW of wind and 1.3 GW of natural gas.
Last but not least, don’t forget to save your seat for the Bantam // Heatmap community engagement webinar on September 3rd at 2:00 p.m. EST.
Read on for more.
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Sorting Signal from Noise
Earlier this month, the Farm Bureau released a market intel report titled Solar Energy Expansion and Its Impacts on Rural Communities. While it’s helpful on a few fronts, it’s also going to compound headaches for solar developers because it trots out several myths that have been debunked. Here are some key soundbites:
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The most helpful thing in the report is that it tackles the idea that solar projects are going to gobble up prime farmland. This concern stems in part from outdated modelling – using up-to-date figures, the Farm Bureau calculates that currently, just 0.14% of U.S. farmland has been converted to solar. (but, see The Takeaway).
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By comparison, it's expected that 18.2 million acres of farmland will be converted for housing developments by 2040 (which equates to roughly 2% of all farmland).
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Another hot topic is property values, and while the report doesn’t say anything one way or the other about the impact of solar on property values (research shows there isn’t any), it acknowledges that for farmers, solar can be a “double-edged sword;” while increased land value caused by interest from solar developers is good for landowners, it can raise the cost by more than 50% for cropland that is rented.
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Also discussed are the “nonmonetary impacts” of solar development, which unfortunately focus on the ways in which poor practices have the potential to degrade the land by causing soil compaction, increased runoff, and creating opportunities for invasive plant species. Fortunately, these are easily avoided with good practices that are designed to improve soil health and biodiversity.
⚡️ The Takeaway
Do your own research. The report underscores that solar development on farmland is a nuanced issue, but it misses the mark in a few places. For example, it cites outdated fears that solar panels might leach toxic materials like lead or cadmium into the soil or groundwater — claims that have been thoroughly disproven. It also concludes with a mixed message: on one hand recognizing solar’s potential to cut greenhouse gases, but on the other warning it could “decommission our most productive agricultural lands.” The reality is that when done right — with careful siting, agrivoltaic design, and strong land management practices — solar can coexist with farming and strengthen rural economies.
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The New Politics of Power Bills
Electricity costs are climbing nationwide, and what was once an industry concern is now a kitchen-table issue. Families are seeing monthly bills rise faster than inflation, businesses are warning of added costs, and entire regions are struggling with the demands of new industries like AI data centers. Politicians from both parties are seizing on the issue, offering competing explanations and solutions. Analysts say the reality is more complicated: today’s power prices reflect a mix of structural challenges — aging infrastructure, global supply chains, tariffs, and fast-growing demand — that don’t lend themselves to simple fixes.
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Costs are climbing across major grids, with PJM households and businesses paying record sums as AI data centers and new manufacturing add strain to an already stretched system.
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Political narratives are diverging. Republicans point to renewables, Democrats cite policy rollbacks and tariffs, while analysts stress a more complex mix of fossil fuel prices, transmission bottlenecks, and global supply chains. Reports show renewable investment has slowed sharply in the U.S., even as global investment reached a record high. At the same time, Wall Street banks are pulling back from fossil fuel financing, signaling shifting market dynamics.
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Consumers are feeling the squeeze as electricity prices outpace inflation, with as many as one in four households in some states struggling to pay bills. Public frustration is surfacing in local forums, viral TikToks, and even utility commission races, as activists in Georgia and beyond organize around rising power bills.
⚡️ The Takeaway
A socketbook issue. High electricity costs are no longer background noise — they’re shaping politics, policy, and investment decisions. What makes this moment different is the convergence of forces: surging demand from AI and manufacturing, higher material costs from tariffs, and a grid system struggling to keep up. While parties trade blame, voters are increasingly focused on affordability and reliability. For regulators, utilities, and elected officials, the pressure is mounting: energy prices are becoming a ballot-box issue, and actions to address them will be judged not in abstract terms, but in monthly bills.
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“Strategic Harassment:” Law firm pressures Brown University to erase research on anti-wind groups
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Wins and Losses: Renewable energy breaks even at state legislatures despite deluge of restrictive siting bills
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Power to the Panels: Despite everything, US solar manufacturing continues to power up
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No Crying: The ‘onion’ of FEOC, Safe Harbor, and tax credits
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On It: GameChange Solar assists with federal tax credit “start of construction” qualification
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TX Clean Energy Summit: The Texas power market is full of opportunity – with a side of chaos
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Time’s a Wastin’: Energy demand, permitting top of mind at Congressional renewables expo
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Iconic Art: How Palm Springs learned to love its wind turbines
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Put Your BESS Foot Forward: California’s Orange County is latest jurisdiction to introduce new BESS zoning standards and Pacifico, Zenith Volts and Fermi America propose gigawatt-scale BESS to feed US data centres
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One for Two: Minnesota ushers in first standalone energy storage project, second faces opposition
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Cool: Construction underway on first floating tracker solar project in US
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Waiver Approved: FERC approves NextEra waiver needed for Duane Arnold nuclear plant restart
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MOU Signed: Utah Office of Energy Development, TerraPower and Flagship companies sign MOU to explore siting of advanced nuclear reactor
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Chary: New Hampshire, never big on offshore wind, steps back further
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New Jersey Doubles Down: Gov. Phil Murphy signs bills to boost solar, battery storage generation
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Oregon Quadruples Down: Gov. Tina Kotek hosts ceremonial signing of four bills that focus on energy affordability
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Nevada: Trump’s permit freeze prompts some solar companies to eye the exits
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Mark Your Calendar: The first-ever “Sun Day” is coming up Sept. 21
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Don’t Believe the Hype: America isn't pivoting to natural gas but EIA projects record natural gas consumption in 2025
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Chart: Yes, US power prices are rising. Don’t blame clean energy.
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Updated: How Solar Energy Became Cheap - second edition
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Baby Steps: Google offers peek into AI’s energy use
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Orbiting the Grid
It’s been several months (ten by our count) since we last told you about solar panels in space, so we figured it was time to revisit this theme. A timely new study presents the perfect opportunity to do so: it found that by 2050, space-based solar panels could meet 80% of Europe’s renewable energy needs, while also cutting the need for energy storage by more than two-thirds.
Researchers at King’s College London used “a detailed computer model of the continent’s future power grid” and determined that a system of celestial solar panels could someday reduce power costs across 33 countries by as much as 15%. Those cost savings are a ways off, though – getting the new technology to the point where it’s cost-effective is likely to take at least a couple of decades, and will depend on significant advances occurring during that time.
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A chief advantage of space-based solar power (SBSP) – which uses mirror-like reflectors to collect sunlight in orbit, then transmits it to facilities on Earth where the energy is converted to electricity – is that it avoids several issues that terrestrial renewable energy projects face, such as weather-related fluctuations in output and varying cost profiles (to say nothing of community opposition).
By operating above it all, “SBSPs could be an alternative centralised energy resource” that provides “continuous gigawatt-scale power.” That said, the researchers note that the technology could encounter other obstacles, including “space-specific challenges such as orbital congestion, transmission interruptions or beaming variability.” So even in space, congestion could be an issue.
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Thanks for diving into the Developer Dispatch with us.
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Building American power requires a powerful team. |
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