Data centers are officially shaping election season

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The data center elections are officially upon us.

Public frustration with data centers has been simmering, and in recent months it has become increasingly clear that the topic would reshape the 2026 elections. Back in April, for example, residents of a Wisconsin city opted to rein in tax breaks for data center construction, and voters ousted Missouri city council members who had OK’d a controversial facility.

That trend has continued deep into primary election season. Just last week, public health expert Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary after campaigning on his support of state and local moratoriums on data center construction. Both Democrats and Republicans in the state who campaigned on data center crackdowns won their primaries, too.

But strong opposition hasn’t guaranteed success.

Take Wisconsin as an example. Data centers have become a top issue in the state, as developers look to capitalize on its cool climate, strong grid infrastructure, and access to water. Democratic gubernatorial candidates were split on how to intervene: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has proposed requiring developers to build their own clean power, but stopped short of calling for a total moratorium on construction, like state Rep. Francesca Hong did. Crowley narrowly prevailed in this week’s primary and will now face Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who has pledged data center restrictions of his own.

Incumbent candidates — even those who are pretty much guaranteed reelection — are also trying to win over a public that is increasingly frustrated with data centers. After all, seven in 10 Americans say they’d oppose a data center being built near their homes, per a June poll from Heatmap.

In July, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) instituted the country’s first statewide moratorium on hyperscale data center construction, which will last for a year. And just last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) paused approvals of new projects — a move President Donald Trump called a ​“mistake.”

Clean energy industry veteran Jigar Shah predicts more politicians will soon follow Abbott’s and Hochul’s lead. In a Substack post boldly titled ​“Every governor is going to pause data centers through the election,” Shah writes that a lack of trust in data centers and the tech companies building them is driving leaders toward moratoriums.

But what happens after election season? Will developers shift away from hyperscale data centers and toward smaller facilities that tech companies have been building without much controversy for years? Or will lawmakers let their data center promises slide without instituting environmental and utility rate protections?

Shah suggests governors use these next few months to plan smart data center regulations that allow for continued development that doesn’t harm residents. We’ll have to wait to see whether they take his advice.

More big energy stories

Senators target offshore wind buyouts 

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)