LG Energy Solution opens a 35 GWh battery plant in Michigan

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• LG Energy Solution Opens 35 GWh Michigan Plant: The company's second Lansing factory produces lithium-iron phosphate cells for energy storage and EVs, giving LGES an estimated 80% share of North American ESS manufacturing. Solar Power World. Read More: Solar Power World.
• EDF Locks In 400 MW Nevada Solar-Plus-Storage: EDF Renewables North America signed two power purchase agreements with NV Energy for a 400 MW solar-and-battery project in Nevada, adding to the utility's growing renewable portfolio. PV Tech. Read More: PV Tech.
• Clean Energy Capex Projected at $180 Billion for 2026: A Crux market intelligence report pegs total clean energy lending at $143 billion by year-end, with storage financing emerging as a key growth driver after federal tax credit changes took effect July 4. PV Magazine USA. Read More: PV Magazine USA.
• Virginia Regulator Won't Step Aside on $67B Merger: SCC Chair Kelsey Bagot, a former NextEra Energy attorney, declined to recuse herself from the proposed Dominion Energy–NextEra merger that would create the nation's largest electric utility. Virginia Mercury. Read More: Virginia Mercury.
• EDP Completes 92 MW Battery at California Solar Site: The Sandrini Energy Storage project in Kern County pairs a 92 MW / 368 MWh battery system with an existing 300 MW solar array, with 100% of battery capacity contracted to the Redwood Coast Energy Authority. Solar Power World. Read More: Solar Power World.

Solar & Storage

The week's project news tells a consistent story: developers are building storage into every major solar deal, and the buyers are lining up. EDF Renewables North America secured two PPAs with NV Energy for a 400 MW solar-plus-storage installation in Nevada, according to PV Tech. The deal adds to NV Energy's portfolio at a time when the Las Vegas–area utility faces growing load from data centers and continued summer peak demand. For developers watching the Western interconnection, the two-PPA structure signals NV Energy's appetite for large integrated projects remains strong even as federal incentive terms shift. Read More: PV Tech.

In California, EDP Renewables North America completed the Sandrini Energy Storage project — a 92 MW / 368 MWh battery system co-located with the existing 300 MW Sandrini Solar array in Kern County. The Redwood Coast Energy Authority, a community choice aggregator on the state's North Coast, secured a service agreement for 100% of the battery capacity and 100 MW of solar generation, Solar Power World reported. That four-hour duration configuration has become the standard for California grid storage, and the full offtake by a CCA rather than an investor-owned utility reflects how community choice aggregators continue to drive procurement in the state. Read More: Solar Power World reported.

The manufacturing side is moving just as fast. LG Energy Solution opened its second battery plant in Lansing, Michigan, with capacity to produce over 35 GWh annually of lithium-iron phosphate cells for both energy storage systems and electric vehicles. The company now claims to manufacture 80% of ESS products in North America, a dominance that will matter to developers seeking domestic-content advantages for their projects. LFP chemistry — cheaper and longer-lived than nickel-based alternatives — has been gaining ground in grid-scale storage, and the Lansing plant cements that trend with significant domestic production capacity.

Enphase Energy, meanwhile, is making a push into the commercial battery segment. The company announced preorders for its IQ Battery C80, an 80 kWh AC-coupled system with 40 kVA of continuous power designed for multifamily, commercial, and industrial buildings, with shipments slated for early 2027. Enphase said the product will be 100% manufactured in U.S. facilities, Solar Builder reported. The move opens a new market for a company best known for residential microinverters, and places another bet on domestic manufacturing at a moment when trade policy favors it. Read More: Solar Builder reported.

A separate analysis from GridLab, Kevala, and E3 mapped a different storage pathway entirely. The report recommends California enroll 10% of its EV fleet in vehicle-to-grid programs by 2036 — a step the researchers say could deliver roughly a third of the state's energy storage targets, according to PV Magazine USA. For grid planners, V2G remains a long-term tool rather than a near-term solution, but the scale of the potential contribution — using distributed EVs and home batteries to manage rising rates and variable generation — makes it worth tracking. Read More: PV Magazine USA.

Wind Energy

European investment firm Ardian acquired full ownership of the Horse Creek and Electra onshore wind farms in the United States from MEAG, the asset manager for Munich Re, reNEWS reported. The deal underscores a broader pattern: institutional investors are actively trading operating wind assets in the U.S. even as new project development slows. For sellers like MEAG, the exit may reflect portfolio rebalancing; for buyers like Ardian, existing wind farms with contracted revenue offer stable returns without permitting risk. Read More: reNEWS reported.

Separately, Brookfield Renewable Partners and La Caisse finalized their acquisition of Boralex, a Canadian renewable energy producer with approximately 3.8 GW of wind, solar, hydroelectric, and battery storage capacity across multiple countries, including the United States, PV Magazine reported. The deal consolidates more renewable generation under one of the sector's largest infrastructure investors. For U.S. wind and solar operators competing for capital, the transaction signals that big-check buyers remain committed to renewables — but increasingly through acquisition of proven portfolios rather than greenfield development. Read More: PV Magazine reported.

Policy & Markets

Clean energy capital expenditures are on track to reach $180 billion in 2026, with total clean energy lending expected to hit $143 billion by year-end, according to a market intelligence report from Crux, PV Magazine USA reported. The figures arrive six weeks after federal tax credit expirations took effect on July 4, 2026, and the report identifies energy storage financing as a key driver of continued momentum. For investors parsing the post-expiration environment, the takeaway is that capital is still flowing — but the mix of where it lands is shifting toward storage and projects that can pencil without the credits that expired. Read More: PV Magazine USA reported.

The proposed $67 billion merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy hit a procedural flashpoint in Virginia. State Corporation Commission Chair Kelsey Bagot, who previously worked as an attorney for NextEra Energy, declined to recuse herself from presiding over the case, the Virginia Mercury reported. The merger would create the nation's largest electric utility by a wide margin. Opponents will likely use the recusal denial to challenge whatever ruling the commission reaches, adding legal uncertainty to a transaction that already faces antitrust scrutiny and ratepayer-impact questions. Read More: Virginia Mercury reported.

In Alabama, the data center electricity question is getting sharper. Proposed data center developments could consume more power than all residential customers in the state combined, according to an Inside Climate News analysis. Alabama Power faces mounting pressure to explain how it will absorb that demand without raising residential rates. The tension between industrial load growth and consumer rate protection is playing out in utility dockets across the Southeast, but the Alabama case is notable for the sheer scale of the demand imbalance. Read More: Inside Climate News.

LOOKING AHEAD

• Dominion-NextEra Merger Proceedings: Watch for intervenor filings in Virginia challenging SCC Chair Bagot's refusal to recuse — any legal challenge could delay a transaction that would reshape the U.S. utility sector.
• Post-July 4 Tax Credit Fallout: With Crux projecting $180 billion in 2026 clean energy capex despite mid-year credit expirations, developers should watch third-quarter financing data for signs of whether the spending pace holds or drops off in the back half.
• Alabama Data Center Load Decisions: Alabama Power's response to data center demand scrutiny could set a precedent for how Southern utilities allocate costs between industrial and residential customers as AI-driven load growth spreads.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Battery storage is driving investment, manufacturing, and project design across the U.S. clean energy sector — and with $180 billion in capital expenditures still projected for 2026 despite mid-year tax credit expirations, the companies building domestic supply chains and pairing storage with generation are capturing the market's center of gravity.