California VPP upended

This roundup of U.S. energy news headlines is part of our Canary Media Daily newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

FOSSIL FUELS

• The U.S. Interior Department will announce policies today meant to boost coal output, even as the industry’s workforce shrinks and the fuel becomes increasingly economically unviable. (Reuters)

• West Virginia doubles down on coal, natural gas, and oil, becoming the fifth leading energy producer in the U.S., even as its residents grapple with soaring energy prices. Experts say it’s a potential preview of what could happen as Trump boosts fossil fuels at the expense of renewables. (New York Times, West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

STORAGE

• Utility-scale battery storage set a quarterly record of 4.9 gigawatts installed in Q2 of this year, though installations could fall as much as 10% in 2027 as federal support wanes. (US Energy Storage Monitor)

• Peak Energy says it has successfully deployed and is operating the nation’s first grid-scale sodium-ion battery system at a renewable energy test facility in Colorado. (PV Magazine)

WIND

• “I feel for the wind guys, man.” Oil executives become unexpected critics of the Trump administration’s attacks on offshore wind, saying constant changes in energy policy aren’t good for them either. (New York Times)

• Wisconsin regulators greenlight a 118-megawatt wind farm, the first to be approved since 2011, as well as a 180-MW solar farm that is expected to improve water quality in the surrounding area. (media release)

FINANCE

• Early-stage funding in climate tech companies has dropped this year, Net Zero Insights finds, though spending in the sector is still rising as investors turn to later-stage companies. (Latitude Media)

POLITICS

• Lawmakers in nearly every state legislature have introduced bills to make energy project siting and permitting more restrictive so far this year as federal permitting legislation remains elusive. (Inside Climate News)

• The federal Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy adds ​“climate change,” ​“green,” and ​“decarbonization” to its ​“list of words to avoid,” saying they are ​“misaligned with the administration’s perspectives and priorities.” (Politico)

BUILDINGS

• A nonprofit foundation retrofits its historic headquarters, a 45,000-square-foot building in downtown Minneapolis, to run entirely without natural gas, providing a demonstration that older buildings can be effectively decarbonized. (Sahan Journal)

COMMENTARY

• FERC commissioner Judy W. Chang calls for modernizing and integrating the transmission planning and interconnection processes to address rapid load growth while keeping energy markets competitive and prices affordable. (Utility Dive)