Massive Indiana solar project comes online

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

• One of the largest solar projects in the U.S. recently came online in Indiana, where state officials say the new capacity is crucial for the grid while continuing to provide opportunities for grazing or raising specialty crops. (Times of Northwest Indiana)

• A northwestern Indiana school district expects to net about $500,000 in savings over 20 years with a solar project, and will direct the savings to classrooms. (Chicago Tribune)

• A Michigan county judge rules that RWE Solar can take possession of 562 acres for a planned 200-MW solar project based on an agreement the landowners signed in 2020. (MLive)

• A northeastern Illinois county board approves a 10-MW solar development while rejecting a separate 4-MW project as officials lament the lack of local siting control under state law. (Chicago Tribune)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Chicago’s commuter rail system Metra orders eight battery-electric train sets that are expected to enter service by 2028 and reduce noise and diesel exhaust pollution. (Smart Cities Dive)

RENEWABLES

• The Sierra Club Iowa Chapter urges state officials to require renewable energy infrastructure and air pollution controls when approving incentives for a new $15 billion steelmaking plant. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

DATA CENTERS

• A Metro Detroit township votes to approve what will be Michigan’s second hyperscale data center, a project that Google expects to be online by late 2027. (Bridge)

• Indiana Democrats hope to leverage public opposition to big data center projects as they aim to pick up seats in the state House this election. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

• An Ohio bill to cut lucrative tax incentives in half for data centers drew more than 500 lobbying registrations before the legislation stalled this summer. (Signal Ohio)

PIPELINES

• Iowa landowners opposed to a major carbon pipeline say eminent domain and property rights are still a major issue among voters, as many state and local candidates in this year’s election avoided the topic in the landowner group’s recent questionnaire. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

• A northwestern North Dakota pipeline spill this week released about 3,400 barrels of produced water, some of which reached a dry creek bed, as officials work on cleanup. (North Dakota Monitor)

COAL

• A small coal plant at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is exempt from a state law to phase out the state’s coal plants because it doesn’t meet the 25-MW minimum capacity threshold. (Journal Star)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Tech giants want clean energy in N.C. Is Duke finally ready to help? — Elizabeth Ouzts

• US clean energy jobs fell in 2025 for the first time in years — Julian Spector

• What to say to Californians worried about grid batteries — Jeff St. John

• A new class of batteries helps data centers play nicely with the grid — Jeff St. John

• What’s up with Pennsylvania’s hydrogen hubs? — Rebecca McCarthy