Ohio's largest solar project faces a final permitting decision after two years of legal limbo
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
- Ohio's Largest Solar Project Awaits Final Vote: The Oak Run Solar Project, Ohio's biggest proposed solar and energy storage installation, is awaiting a final decision from the Ohio Power Siting Board after a two-year legal process that followed its initial March 2024 approval. Canary Media. Read More: Ohio, Canary Media.
- Lake Powell Hits Record Low, Threatens Hydropower: Water levels at Lake Powell have dropped to a record low, jeopardizing both water supply and hydroelectric generation for millions of people across the Colorado River basin — a blow to one of the West's critical sources of dispatchable clean power. Seattle Times. Read More: Seattle Times.
- Ember Report Links Battery Storage to "Anytime Solar": Climate consultancy Ember published a new analysis arguing that battery energy storage systems are turning solar from an intermittent resource into a round-the-clock power source, a shift the group says enables continuous grid support. Energy Storage News. Read More: Energy Storage News.
- Fresno Deploys Steel-Free Ground-Mount Solar: ForeFront Power completed an Erthos solar energy system for the City of Fresno, California, using ground-mounted modules that eliminate structural steel to cut development costs. CleanTechnica. Read More: CleanTechnica.
- Offshore Wind Faces Structural Barriers Beyond Policy: An Inside Climate News analysis finds that U.S. offshore wind — which had targeted enough capacity to power more than 10 million homes by 2030 — confronts deep challenges that will persist regardless of political leadership, requiring fundamental policy reforms to revive the sector. Inside Climate News. Read More: Inside Climate News.
Solar & Storage
The Oak Run Solar Project has become a test case for whether Ohio can get large-scale solar built. Initially approved by the Ohio Power Siting Board in March 2024, the state's largest proposed solar and energy storage project has been locked in a legal process for two years, according to Canary Media. A final board decision is now pending. For developers watching the Midwest, the outcome will clarify whether Ohio's permitting apparatus can deliver utility-scale solar at the scale the market demands — or whether drawn-out challenges will continue to scare away capital. Read More: Canary Media.
In California, ForeFront Power finished installing an Erthos solar energy system for the City of Fresno that takes a different approach to cost reduction: ground-mounted panels laid without structural steel, cutting both materials expense and installation complexity, as CleanTechnica reported. Municipal buyers watching construction costs climb will want to track whether the racking-free design holds up operationally. It's the company's first deployment of the Erthos system, making Fresno an early proving ground. Read More: CleanTechnica reported.
Meanwhile, San Antonio-based OCI Energy is expanding its utility-scale solar and battery storage development pipeline across Texas and other markets, building on collaborations with utilities and financial institutions, according to Renewable Energy World. The company's growth story tracks with a broader industry pattern: developers pairing solar with storage from the outset, not bolting batteries on later. Read More: Renewable Energy World.
That pairing is the subject of a new report from climate consultancy Ember, which argues battery storage has matured enough to make solar a reliable source of power at any hour — what the group calls "anytime solar." The analysis makes the case that storage doesn't just smooth solar's intermittency; it fundamentally changes the resource's value proposition for grid operators. For developers negotiating power purchase agreements, the finding bolsters the argument that solar-plus-storage can compete with dispatchable fossil generation on reliability, not just price. Read More: analysis.
Wind Energy
U.S. offshore wind is in deep trouble, and the problems run well beyond the Trump administration's hostility to the sector. An Inside Climate News analysis published today argues that even with a change in political leadership, the industry faces structural barriers — from supply chain gaps to permitting complexity — that will require fundamental policy reforms to overcome. The sector had set a target of generating enough power for more than 10 million homes by 2030, a milestone now widely viewed as out of reach. Read More: Inside Climate News analysis.
The administration's actions have compounded those difficulties, but the analysis suggests the industry's challenges predate them. Developers who secured leases years ago still face long timelines for fabrication, vessel availability, and port infrastructure. For investors, the implication is stark: offshore wind in the U.S. remains a long-cycle bet with regulatory risk that no single election can resolve.
Policy & Markets
The grid is getting squeezed from multiple directions at once. Lake Powell has fallen to a record low, threatening hydroelectric generation that supplies power to millions across the Colorado River region, the Seattle Times reports. Glen Canyon Dam's ability to produce electricity depends on water levels, and as the reservoir shrinks, so does the output. Losing that dispatchable clean power forces grid operators to find replacement capacity — often gas — at exactly the moment the West is trying to decarbonize. Read More: Seattle Times reports.
That stress arrives as AI-driven data center demand is accelerating load growth across North America. Utility Dive reports that utilities are grappling with how to serve surging computational loads while managing aging infrastructure. The challenge is not just building generation — it's getting the transmission and distribution systems ready to handle concentrated, always-on demand that data centers represent. A separate Renewable Energy World brief flagged data center load impacts on PJM, the nation's largest grid operator, alongside project financing developments from Recurrent Energy and operations at Arevon's Nighthawk facility. Read More: Utility Dive reports, Renewable Energy World brief.
Wildfire risk adds another layer. Grid operators are increasingly moving from physical hardening — burying lines, replacing poles — toward what Utility Dive describes as "grid intelligence," using sensors, software, and predictive analytics to detect fire risk and de-energize circuits before ignition. For clean energy developers, the push matters because distributed solar and storage can serve as backup when utilities shut off power during high-risk conditions. Read More: Utility Dive describes.
In Oregon, lawmakers are weighing building code changes tied to heat pump expansion, a debate that has drawn pushback from those worried about the cost impact on affordable housing, the Portland Oregonian reports. Heat pump mandates are a growing fault line in state-level climate policy: electrification advocates see them as essential for cutting building emissions, while builders and housing groups warn that added equipment costs price out lower-income buyers. Read More: the Portland Oregonian reports.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Ohio Power Siting Board Decision on Oak Run: The board's ruling on the state's largest solar and storage project will set a precedent for how Ohio handles contested utility-scale renewable energy siting going forward.
- Lake Powell Water Levels and Western Hydropower: Federal water managers face increasingly difficult allocation decisions as the reservoir hits record lows, with downstream hydroelectric output and grid reliability hanging in the balance.
- Data Center Load Growth in PJM: Grid planners across PJM's 13-state territory are reckoning with how AI-related demand will reshape generation and transmission planning — watch for new interconnection queue data and capacity auction results.
TODAY'S QUICK ANSWERS
Q: What does the Oak Run decision mean for other utility-scale solar projects in the Midwest?
A: If Ohio's Power Siting Board reaffirms approval after two years of legal challenges, it sends a signal that state-level permitting can withstand opposition even in politically divided states. A rejection or further delay, on the other hand, would add Ohio to the growing list of states where siting risk is steering developers toward friendlier jurisdictions — concentrating solar investment in fewer markets and potentially slowing national deployment.
Q: Why should clean energy developers care about Lake Powell's record low?
A: Every megawatt-hour of lost hydroelectric generation at Glen Canyon Dam creates replacement demand on the Western grid. That's an opportunity for solar-plus-storage developers who can offer dispatchable capacity, but it also tightens an already stressed transmission system. Developers with projects in the Desert Southwest should watch for changes in resource adequacy requirements that could accelerate procurement timelines.
Q: What does Ember's "anytime solar" framing change for project finance?
A: It strengthens the case for solar-plus-storage to command capacity payments and firm energy contracts that were historically reserved for gas plants. If offtakers and regulators increasingly treat paired solar and storage as dispatchable, developers can negotiate higher-value PPAs — but they'll also face tougher performance guarantees and availability requirements in those contracts.
THE BOTTOM LINE: From Ohio's siting board to Lake Powell's shrinking shoreline, today's news makes one thing clear: the constraint on clean energy deployment has shifted from technology and cost to permitting speed, grid readiness, and water — problems that no single policy fix can solve overnight.