Today’s headlines: A new battery deployment record, Fervo and Google’s big deal, and more

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.

CLEAN ENERGY

• The U.S. built a record 20.2 GWh of battery storage in the second quarter of 2026, with most of that capacity coming from utility-scale installations. (SEIA)

GEOTHERMAL

• Next-generation geothermal company Fervo Energy signs a deal with Google, which will purchase nearly 400 MW of power from its Cape Station project in Utah. (Wall Street Journal)

NUCLEAR

• Holtec announces its Michigan nuclear plant has begun loading fuel as the company plans to restart a shuttered nuclear facility for the first time in U.S. history. (news release)

• Advanced nuclear startup Oklo alleges PJM Interconnection improperly dropped the company’s 750-GW advanced nuclear, gas, and fuel cell project from the grid operator’s interconnection study cycle. (Utility Dive)

BATTERIES

• New Jersey utility PSE&G rolls out a new program that will help customers finance the purchase of home battery systems, though analysts anticipate third-party ownership will end up dominating the home battery space. (Latitude Media)

DATA CENTERS

• Democratic governors are increasingly urging data center developers to offer community benefit agreements as backlash to their construction expands. (Politico)

• SoftBank’s data center and power arm files for an IPO as it looks to build a massive gas complex in Ohio to power data centers. (Bloomberg)

SOLAR

• Solar power officially passed coal as China’s top source of power capacity as of the end of July, with solar now responsible for 31.5% of the country’s total installed generation. (Bloomberg)

CLIMATE

• A federal court rules New York cannot enforce its Climate Change Superfund Act, which aimed to hold polluters financially accountable for climate change’s impacts. (Reuters)