The Trump administration is still taking swings at the offshore wind industry — but lawmakers are increasingly pushing back. Late last week, the U.S. Interior Department signed off on its fifth deal to get an offshore wind developer to abandon its leases. German company RWE will receive $1.2 billion to give up its stakes off the coasts of New York, California, and Louisiana.
Seven Democratic-led states have already sued the department over its initial deal with French oil giant TotalEnergies. And this week, U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Angus King (I-Maine) proposed legislation that would reward offshore wind developers that reject Trump administration buyouts with an expedited path to construction.
The bill is dead in the water as long as Trump is in office, but signals Democrats will continue to fight for an industry once seen as essential to decarbonization plans.
Batteries are having a great year
The end of federal tax credits hasn’t deterred home batteries. New data out this week from Rhodium Group shows Americans spent more money on home batteries than solar panels from April through June, marking the second quarter in a row that storage spending exceeded solar.
Utility-scale batteries, which did not lose their tax credits last year, are climbing even faster, with the Energy Information Administration finding that the U.S. installed 8.3 GW of storage capacity through the first six months of 2026. Another 14 GW are scheduled to come online by year’s end.
While solar and wind power have suffered under the Trump administration, batteries have remained in the White House’s good graces. Even a Department of Energy loan initiated under the Biden administration and finalized this week devotes nearly $490 million to building batteries in Puerto Rico — though the funding won’t go toward utility-scale solar as previously planned.
Clean energy news to know this week
Biggest in Texas: Amazon is investing in a natural gas power plant that could become the single largest source of carbon emissions in the U.S., as part of a plan to build a massive data center campus in Texas. (Cleanview)
Cutting the cord: The Trump administration cancels three proposed national transmission corridors, which the Biden administration established to speed power line development through congested parts of the grid. (E&E News, news release)
Cleaner cheese: A historic English dairy farm is capturing heat released when it quickly chills its milk, and redirecting the waste heat to other operations, curbing its power needs and carbon emissions. (Canary Media)
Opportunity blown away: Thousands of workers who planned a future in offshore wind grapple with disappearing job prospects and growing worries in the face of the Trump administration’s attempts to destroy the industry. (Inside Climate News)
Second wind: The U.K.’s largest onshore wind farm will be redeveloped with taller, more productive turbines, showcasing how far the industry has come in the 18 years since the array was first built. (Canary Media)
Undisputed champion: As Fervo Energy settles in as the advanced geothermal industry’s clear leader, other companies are pushing to follow its lead. (Latitude Media)
