The AI data center frenzy is shifting utilities’ focus to large-scale generation. But in this 2026 outlook, advocates say flexible, distributed energy resources are still the biggest bang-for-buck.

The industry is navigating new FEOC rules and steeling itself for the end of some IRA credits. But load growth and rising electricity bills present opportunity.

Governor Pritzker signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act into law, directing the procurement of 3 GW of energy storage in Illinois over the next two years.

Market participants will be keeping close tabs on developments in Venezuela after the ouster of the oil-rich country's president, while awaiting a slew of economic reports, highlighted by the scheduled release Friday of the December jobs report.

The U.S. SPEED Act federal permitting reform could transform energy infrastructure development by streamlining approvals.

Renewable energy accounted for more than half of California's electricity mix for the first time in 2024 as the state's reliance on fossil fuels reached a record low, according to the latest California Green Innovation Index released Dec. 16. Renewable energy sources, including large hydroelectric facilities, made up 52.3% of the California grid in 2024, the annual index from the think tank Next

In the US, the introduction of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), coupled with the imposition of a new tariff regime, has had profound effects on both

The AI boom is everywhere: OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, and other tech giants are pouring billions into AI development, from data centers to advanced chips. The promise is huge — transformative technologies that could reshape industries, from finance to healthcare.

Electricity demand is also going up, with much of it concentrated in Texas due to “data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities,” said the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

About 20 percent of planned solar capacity reported a delay, down from 25 percent in the same period in 2024.