Indiana’s big solar year

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.

SOLAR

• Indiana’s solar capacity nearly doubled last year as the state trailed only Texas and California in the total amount of new capacity brought online, despite industry headwinds. (Indianapolis Star)

• Critics of a Missouri proposal to effectively halt commercial solar development and impose restrictions on future developments say it would jeopardize farmers’ financial stability while blocking much-needed capacity as power demand grows. (Missouri Times)

• Solar group buying programs spread across Michigan cities as residents take advantage of lower costs by buying in bulk. (Planet Detroit)

COAL

• Indiana utility executives say the Trump administration’s orders to keep two of their coal plants online is already requiring millions of dollars in new investments, on top of ongoing operating costs. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Two proposed Wisconsin gas plants that We Energies says are needed to meet data center demand would increase fine particulate matter exposure and could contribute to more than 100 premature deaths over 30 years, according to University of Wisconsin researchers. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

BATTERIES

• Michigan battery manufacturers that initially targeted the EV market are now pivoting to grid storage to salvage billions of dollars in investments. (Crain’s Detroit)

CORRUPTION TRIAL

• Jurors have yet to reach a verdict a week into deliberating in the corruption trial of two former FirstEnergy executives, signaling a potential mistrial. (Ohio Capital Journal)

DATA CENTERS

• MISO saw the highest growth in data center capacity since 2020 among U.S. grid operators, increasing at a 43% compound annual growth rate during that period. (Utility Dive)

• Indiana lawmakers significantly lower the annual payments data centers would have to make to local governments based on their electricity use, which was initially designed as an incentive for local approval. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

• Google’s plan for a Michigan data center that would rely on renewable energy and ramp down during high-demand periods contrasts a proposal in Ohio that would rely on a massive 9.2 gigawatt gas plant. (Inside Climate News)

• Iowa lawmakers consider granting data centers and nuclear power plants a state sales tax exemption during construction to encourage investment. (Radio Iowa)

CLIMATE

• Illinois home insurance premiums increased 50% from 2021 to 2024 and are projected to rise another 5% this year, with extreme weather caused by climate change one of the main culprits behind the increase. (WBEZ/​Grist)

CLEAN ENERGY

• A Detroit neighborhood group converts a burned down house into a clean energy demonstration with various efficiency measures, rooftop solar and electric heat pumps. (Yale Climate Connections)

UTILITIES

• Ohio Democrats propose freezing utility rates and creating a $150 annual dividend for ratepayers that would be funded by higher taxes on oil and gas extraction, though the plan is unlikely to gain traction among Republicans in power. (Ohio Capital Journal)