Devices to free up gigawatts of power

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Midwest Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

EFFICIENCY

• Electronic controllers known as variable frequency drives that can be retrofitted in buildings and factories, including for automakers, have the potential to free up grid capacity in the U.S. as data centers and other large users drive up demand. (Canary Media)

SOLAR

• DTE Energy completes a 100-MW solar project in southern Michigan that’s part of a 650-MW portfolio of solar projects for which the utility signed an offtake agreement with Ford Motor Co. (PV Tech)
• An Ohio county judge rules in favor of local officials who voted in late 2024 against Invenergy’s plan for a 1,400-acre solar project. (WNDU)
• A University of Minnesota research project will pool the savings from a school’s solar project into a long-term trust fund for local projects and priorities. (WDIO)
• Renewable energy developer Doral secures building permits for 1.1 GW of solar projects in Indiana that are part of its larger Mammoth development. (Renewables Now)

DATA CENTERS

• President Donald Trump defends data centers during an Ohio campaign rally backing Republican Sen. Jon Husted, saying communities would benefit from major investments despite growing public opposition toward projects. (Associated Press)
• We Energies reaches an agreement for Oracle to offtake 10% to 20% of the power from Point Beach Nuclear Plant in Wisconsin to supply a data center campus, a move the utility says will save other customers $300 million in fuel costs over the next five years. (Wisconsin Watch)

OIL & GAS

• The North Dakota Supreme Court is poised to rule soon in a case where landowners sued Hess, one of the state’s largest oil companies, for allegedly withholding excessive amounts of royalty payments from mineral owners. (North Dakota Monitor)
• We Energies plans to build a 750-MW gas plant at an existing gas-fired power plant site in Wisconsin as data centers are forecast to grow power demand. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• A freshwater research center in northern Michigan deploys a new all-electric research boat that backers hope can serve as a model to help decarbonize the maritime industry. (Interlochen Public Radio)

EMISSIONS

• Rising carbon dioxide emissions are contributing to the reduction of Nebraska’s prairie lands, which also face ongoing threats from agriculture and urban development. (Nebraska Public Media)
• Ford receives a $577,000 state grant to study opportunities to cut emissions from a southeastern Michigan assembly plant, including through its paint shop and building heating systems. (MLive)