U.S. Energy Foundation

08/05/2026

Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene, the Emma neighborhood in Asheville, North Carolina, is using a solar trailer—outfitted with 900 watts of solar panels and a small battery—to function as a mini generator for crucial services, including internet, refrigeration, and the pump for a drinking-water well during power outages.

“The climate is going to get more extreme as years go by, unfortunately,” said Kelvin Bonilla, a staff member of Poder Emma, an alliance working to fight displacement and ensure affordable housing in the low-income community. ​“So, being able to power the pump from the solar trailer adds that extra layer of resiliency.”
https://bit.ly/4vYXZGp

An Asheville, North Carolina, group has embraced solar to secure backup power and lower bills. Its efforts go beyond the standard rooftop array.

08/03/2026

In the first quarter of this year, heat pump sales beat fossil fuel furnaces by 32% and narrowly missed beating out air conditioning units.

A major driver of this electrification is new housing, as three quarters of new apartments in the U.S. are heated electrically.

“All the trends are pointing towards increased heat pump adoption, not only versus gas, but also versus just traditional one-way air conditioning,” said Kevin Carbonnier, associate director of analytics at the Building Decarbonization Coalition. “It’s not just that heat pumps are better, more comfortable, more efficient than furnaces. But also, you get the two-in-one appliance.”
https://bit.ly/4ys8F2P

In the first quarter of this year, heat pump sales beat fossil fuel furnaces by 32 percent. Here's what makes the appliance so powerful.

07/29/2026

When an intense heat wave hit New England earlier this month, rooftop solar panels helped ease demand on the grid and saved residents at least $130 million in wholesale energy costs.

At certain times, the region’s rooftop solar was feeding about 25% of all electric demand.

“Between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on that hottest day of July 2, the distributed solar actually contributed more to the fuel mix than the region’s nuclear fleet," said Jamie Dickerson, senior of climate and clean energy programs at the Acadia Center, which conducted the analysis.
https://bit.ly/4fkbBHh

Solar panels on homes and businesses helped feed the regional electric grid as demand for cooling climbed.

07/27/2026

The Indianapolis International Airport is installing solar panel canopies on a parking lot to power its terminal operations—reducing energy costs and ensuring the airport has multiple energy sources to remain operational during emergencies and power outages.

The panels will produce over two megawatts of energy and provide shade for travelers’ vehicles.

“Airports are starting to put in micro grids at their facilities,” said Todd Cavender, the Indianapolis Airport Authority’s director of environment sustainability. “However, we are an early adopter and see the value in ensuring that we can stay operational during emergency situations. Our ultimate goal is about being resilient. We want to provide public value back to the community, and by installing the micro grids that is providing that value back.”
https://bit.ly/4pF2QuM

Three more solar panel projects are in progress at Indianapolis International Airport, which are additions to 187 acres of such panels already in use there.

07/22/2026

When a record heat wave hit the Atlantic coast earlier this month, residents in over 600 apartments powered their window air conditioning units with plug-in batteries, provided by a pilot program last year, to stay cool and reduce strain on the grid.

Programs like these are highly scalable, and if they catch on nationwide, they could bring clean energy benefits to a diverse range of families.

“It provides access to this kind of technology to non-homeowners as well, which we just haven’t seen with a lot of renewable energy technologies,” said Bryan Bollinger, a professor of marketing and economic policy at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, who studies how consumers make energy decisions.

A new program from startup Every Electric and utility Con Edison lets New Yorkers power their window ACs with home batteries to take stress off the grid.

07/20/2026

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is building 180 megawatts of battery storage and solar panels capable of generating 270 megawatts worth of electricity on their land in Colorado.

“We're going through some challenging times right now, especially with the solar projects,” said Alston Turtle, a member of the Ute Mountain Ute tribal council. “But we've got to continue to move forward in the vision that we see is right. As Native Americans we try to be the best stewards of the land, and take care of this land that was given to us.”
https://n.pr/4bsoqwA

President Trump has made substantial efforts to curb renewable energy development. The Ute Mountain Ute tribe in Colorado managed to bring a big solar project online anyway.

07/15/2026

Solar panels installed in Martha’s Vineyard—which sees some of the highest energy bills in the U.S.—will lower utility costs for low-income residents, who often work multiple seasonal jobs or run small businesses to keep up with the high cost of living.

“The project is a really powerful example of how the clean energy transition can advance both affordability and community agency,” said Tina Bennett, CEO of PowerOptions Connect, a clean energy nonprofit and one of the partners on the project.
https://bit.ly/4f9ROZF

A new rooftop solar project offers the first test of a community-benefit model that nonprofit PowerOptions Connect hopes to roll out across the Northeast.

07/13/2026

The University of Oregon plans to replace its natural gas boiler—one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Eugene—with an electric one, after students, staff, and community members urged it to decarbonize its heating system for nearly a decade.

"Everyone knows that UO has an outsized impact on the community in a bunch of different ways and I think it’s important to very specifically say that climate heating emissions are one of those ways,” said Jack Dodson, a UO senior and Climate Justice League member.
https://bit.ly/4wF8wr5

The university's decision to switch to an electric boiler comes after nearly a decade of students, staff and community members urging the university to decarbonize its heating system.

07/01/2026

The largest wind farm in the U.S., located in New Mexico, has been generating power since April and began commercial operations this month.

The project will generate 3.65 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power around a million homes. With this addition, wind accounts for 45% of the capacity mix in the state, followed by 19% from solar and 19% from gas.
https://bit.ly/4eM03ej

06/29/2026

A pilot program in Oakland, California, is installing bidirectional charging systems in 120 homes to test how residents can send power from their electric vehicles to their homes or the grid.

The success of this program could help push this technology into the mainstream. California, the nation’s leader in electric vehicle adoption, aims to have 8 million light-duty electric vehicles on its roads by 2030—an abundance of unused battery capacity that could help boost the grid’s resilience, save customers money on their utility bills, or provide emergency backup services.

Can electric vehicles finally start working as backup batteries for homes and the grid? This 120-home pilot project in California is working out the kinks.