Visual Primer: State Actions Signal Growing Momentum for Community Solar
The regulatory landscape for distributed energy is evolving to address changing grid needs and expand access to solar power.
Visual Primer: Nuclear Power Attracts Data Centers
As hyperscale data centers reshape electricity load profiles, nuclear power is emerging as a scalable, zero-carbon source of reliable, dispatchable power source critical to strengthening grid stability. The current momentum behind nuclear power reflects a convergence of AI-driven data center growth, mounting reliability constraints in existing power systems, and technology companies turning to firm energy sources.
Visual Primer: States Accelerate Grid-Scale Energy Storage to Strengthen Reliability and Save Costs
Efforts to accelerate grid-scale battery storage are expanding as the technology is increasingly deployed as an effective tool for peak demand management, lowering system costs and improving resilience.
Policy Primer: Carbon Pricing March 2026 Update
Recent developments across U.S. carbon markets reflect growing momentum, as states expand participation and reinforce long-term policy frameworks amid mixed auction outcomes.
Visual Primer: States Examine Energy Affordability as Electricity Demand and Infrastructure Needs Grow
As the energy sector grapples with unprecedented load growth, aging infrastructure, and necessary grid modernization, state utility regulators are increasingly facing complex decisions about balancing these system needs with customer affordability.
Visual Primer: Rising Electricity Demand Spurs Efforts to Improve Interconnection Efficiency
Regulators and grid operators across the U.S. are actively reforming interconnection processes to support the growth of new power generation resources amid surging electricity demand from AI data centers, manufacturing, and electrification. These actions also aim to address emerging challenges arising from the rapid growth of new large loads, which can introduce planning uncertainty and require substantial investments in transmission and other grid infrastructure.
Visual Primer: State Actions Continue to Transform Long-Term Gas Utility Planning Strategies
State efforts to modernize gas utility planning are reconfiguring regulatory frameworks to align with climate policies and energy transition goals. These actions prioritize system reliability while responding to evolving market and technology conditions.
Visual Primer: States Expand Transparency and Consumer Safeguards in Competitive Retail Electricity Markets
Emerging regulatory initiatives are placing greater scrutiny on competitive retail electricity markets to enhance transparency, accountability, and consumer protection.
Visual Primer: Federal Retreat on Transportation Decarbonization Policies Shifts Momentum to States
Federal rollbacks and state initiatives are reshaping the policy landscape for transportation decarbonization in the U.S. With federal vehicle emission standards repealed and fuel economy targets facing a rollback, states continue to advance efforts to support the transition to low- and zero-emission transportation.
Visual Primer: Federal Actions Accelerate Environmental Rollbacks
The Trump administration is continuing sweeping environmental rollbacks, from revising nitrogen oxide standards for stationary combustion turbines to proposing a reset of federal fuel economy standards. These actions are unfolding alongside an intensified push to expand fossil fuels, including opening more than 13 million acres to coal leasing and advancing a more expansive offshore oil and gas leasing program.
Visual Primer: Data Center Expansion Reshapes Utility Planning and Rate Design
Electricity demand is rising faster and more unevenly than anticipated, drawing increased attention to long-term resource planning and rate design approaches.
Visual Primer: State Policies Drive Solar Momentum Amid Federal Constraints
While the federal landscape for solar energy has shifted toward more restrictive policies and spending cuts, state efforts to expand deployment are increasingly shaping the pace and direction of growth.