Some nations with a high level of renewables penetration are facing increased blackout risks, but that could easily be avoided by investing in grid-stabilizing technologies such as synchronous compensators and grid-forming inverters. Countries should be spending 1-1 on renewables and grid infrastructure, says Antonio Guterres of the UN, yet BloombergNEF indicates average spending is much lower. Spain spends just $0.30 on grids for every dollar spent on renewables, compared to $0.70 in the UK.

Wind and solar accounted for more than 90% of all new generating capacity added in the US during the first five months of the year, according to the latest data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission -- which was released a month late. A SUN Day Campaign analysis found that the US added 1.515 gigawatts of solar across 43 projects in May alone. The data predates the Big Beautiful Bill, but "FERC's forecasts suggest that cleaner and lower-cost renewable energy sources will continue to grow, retaining their lead over coal and nuclear power while closing the gap with natural gas," said SUN DAY's Ken Bossong.

Nine state attorneys general, with the support of groups like the American Clean Power Association and American Council on Renewable Energy, are urging the Energy Department to revise a report that they say uses flawed methodology to overstate grid blackout risks and the need for fossil fuel plants. The report, which was prepared in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump, could be used to justify keeping aging coal and gas plants online, driving up electricity costs and disrupting plans for renewable energy development, the attorneys general say.

Fossil fuel activities have a long history of being hindered by environmental protections designed to protect public lands and wildlife, but it now appears the Interior Department is pulling similar levers to hold back renewables development. One example is the agency's new capacity density order. "They are effectively trying to co-opt arguments that we have used for years to push back on fossil fuels," says Erik Schlenker-Goodrich of the Western Environmental Law Center.

The Demand Side Grid Support program, a virtual power plant initiative in California, is working as intended and could save ratepayers up to $206 million over the next four years, per The Brattle Group. However, the program is at risk of losing funding amid budget cuts -- unless state lawmakers can save it. Assembly member Jacqui Irwin has introduced draft legislation that would allocate 5% of electric utility revenue collected for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to support the program from 2026 to 2034.

Researchers at Texas A&M University have identified power outage hot spots across the US that are more severe than previously thought, using AI to analyze a decade of outage data. The study found a 20% increase in outage frequency and duration since 2019, mainly due to extreme weather events and an aging power grid. Ali Mostafavi, a civil and environmental engineering professor, discusses the study, highlighting the urgent need for significant investment in grid resilience.

The Black Hills and NorthWestern Energy utilities have agreed to merge into a single entity that will be better positioned to meet growing demand from data centers. The merged utility will serve eight states. NorthWestern already has pending agreements to serve large-scale data centers, including Quantica Infrastructure, Atlas Power and Sabey Data Centers, with potential loads reaching up to 900 megawatts.

Hitachi Energy plans to invest $97 million to expand its manufacturing operation in Alamo, Tenn., creating 100 jobs to become the second-largest employer in Crockett County. The expansion will expand the company's capacity to produce transformer components, supporting energy infrastructure and grid modernization, says Steve McKinney, head of transformers for Hitachi Energy in North America.

A blade detached from one of the Siemens Gamesa 5.X turbines at the Sandbacka wind farm in western Finland on Aug. 14. The incident, described as a "blade liberation," has prompted an immediate investigation by both Prime Capital and Siemens Gamesa, who are collaborating to determine the cause. No one was injured during the incident.

RWE has started installing recyclable rotor blades at the 1.4-gigawatt Sofia offshore wind farm in the North Sea, with half of the 100 turbines set to feature these blades. Manufactured at Siemens Gamesa's Hull facility, the blades use a special resin that enables the separation and recycling of materials at the end of their operational life.