BNEF raises US storage forecast 30% on data center demand

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• BNEF Boosts US Storage Forecast 30% on Hyperscaler Orders: Bloomberg NEF raised its US energy storage deployment outlook by 30%, citing firm orders from hyperscalers for onsite and nearby battery systems paired with data center operations. The revision signals that corporate demand — not just utility procurement — is becoming a primary driver of grid-scale storage buildout. Utility Dive. Read More: Utility Dive.
• Maryland Opens $200M Solar and Storage Grant Program: Maryland launched the Megawatts for Maryland competitive grant program targeting 2,637 MW of new solar capacity over five years, building on the state's existing 3,440 MWdc installed base. PV Magazine USA. Read More: PV Magazine USA.
• Samsung SDI, Alpha Omega Sign 1 GWh Battery Deal: Samsung SDI America and Alpha Omega Power signed a 1 GWh supply agreement expanding their total energy storage capacity to 1.5 GWh, with deployments targeting utility-scale solar projects in the WECC region and Texas ERCOT market starting in 2027. Solar Builder. Read More: Solar Builder.
• LG Energy Solution Signs 4.5 GWh BESS MOU With Energix: LG Energy Solution and Energix signed a memorandum of understanding for 4.5 GWh of battery storage deployments spanning the US and Europe, adding to a wave of large-scale supply commitments in 2026. Energy Storage News. Read More: Energy Storage News.
• CPP Wind Engineering Launches Solar Wind Certification: Colorado-based CPP Wind Engineering introduced the first formal wind certification program designed specifically for utility-scale solar projects, offering site certification and system qualification services to assess wind conditions for mounting systems. PV Magazine USA. Read More: PV Magazine USA.

Solar & Storage

The battery storage sector is getting a jolt from an unexpected corner: the companies building America's data centers. Bloomberg NEF's decision to raise its US energy storage deployment forecast by 30% stems directly from hyperscalers — the tech giants operating massive computing facilities — placing firm orders for onsite and nearby battery systems, according to Utility Dive. For developers and investors, the revision recasts energy storage as a two-customer market: utilities still drive bulk procurement, but corporate buyers are now large enough to move national forecasts. Read More: Utility Dive.

Supply agreements are stacking up to match that demand. Samsung SDI America and Alpha Omega Power formalized a 1 GWh supply agreement that lifts their combined energy storage capacity to 1.5 GWh, with battery solutions slated for utility-scale solar projects across the WECC interconnection and the Texas ERCOT market beginning next year. The deal, first reported Sunday, strengthens a domestic supply chain that has become a selling point as developers weigh tariff exposure and sourcing risk. Separately, LG Energy Solution signed an MOU with Energix covering 4.5 GWh of battery storage deployments in the US and Europe — a commitment nearly five times the size of the Samsung-Alpha Omega deal and one of the larger memoranda announced this year. Read More: 1 GWh supply agreement.

On the generation side, Maryland made its biggest state-level solar bet in years. The Megawatts for Maryland competitive grant program will distribute $200 million to expand utility-scale solar and energy storage capacity, targeting 2,637 MW of new solar over five years, according to PV Magazine USA. The state already has 3,440 MWdc of solar online. Officials framed the program as a response to rising electricity demand and regional transmission costs — language that resonates with PJM stakeholders watching capacity prices climb. For developers, the program opens a new competitive funding lane in a mid-Atlantic state where interconnection queues are long and land-use fights can be fierce. Read More: PV Magazine USA.

In New York, Distributed Energy Infrastructure completed the 3.37-MWdc Sapphire Solar project in Jefferson County after navigating shallow bedrock and a high water table that forced mid-construction design changes, as reported by Solar Power World. The project is modest in scale, but the construction story matters: as solar moves off flat, easy-to-build agricultural land in the Northeast and into sites with more complicated geology, engineering adaptations add cost and schedule risk. EPC firms that can manage those conditions will hold an edge in a region where developable acreage is shrinking. Read More: Solar Power World.

Meanwhile, Colorado-based CPP Wind Engineering rolled out a first-of-its-kind wind certification program tailored to utility-scale solar installations. The offering — covering site certification and system qualification — addresses a gap that insurers and lenders increasingly flag: whether a project's mounting hardware can handle the wind loads at a specific location. As tracker-mounted arrays grow larger and more insurance carriers scrutinize wind-damage claims, a standardized certification could smooth financing and reduce post-construction risk. Read More: first-of-its-kind wind certification program.

Wind Energy

No major US wind project announcements surfaced in today's reporting cycle. The industry's attention remains trained on federal permitting reform, where pending legislative proposals could reshape timelines for both onshore and offshore wind development.

Policy & Markets

The permitting debate in Washington is intensifying around a deal that former Biden-era climate envoy John Podesta characterized as handing the Trump administration significant regulatory leverage. Podesta's comments, reported by Heatmap News, center on a permitting package and its implications for future energy project approvals. The details of the legislation remain in flux, but Podesta's framing — describing the deal as "a loaded howitzer" for the current administration — suggests clean energy advocates see risk in how new permitting authorities could be wielded. Read More: Heatmap News.

The broader push to reform America's energy and environmental permitting regulations continues to draw attention from across the political spectrum. Supporters argue streamlined approvals would accelerate all energy projects, including renewables and transmission. Critics worry that expedited permitting could weaken environmental review or concentrate too much discretion in executive agencies. For developers waiting on federal permits, the outcome will directly affect how quickly projects move from queue to construction — a timeline that currently stretches years for many large solar, wind, and transmission proposals.

Nuclear energy is also threading its way into the policy conversation. A Washington Post opinion piece argued for nuclear power as a necessary component of America's clean energy mix, reflecting the technology's growing bipartisan support even as construction costs and regulatory timelines remain formidable obstacles.

LOOKING AHEAD

• Samsung-Alpha Omega ERCOT Deployments: Watch for specific project sites and offtake details as battery deployments targeting the Texas market ramp toward a 2027 start. ERCOT's growing reliance on storage for grid reliability makes these contracts a bellwether.
• Maryland Grant Applications: The Megawatts for Maryland program's competitive structure means developers will need to move quickly to identify viable sites and submit proposals. Eligibility details and application windows will shape which projects advance.
• Permitting Reform Legislation: Congressional negotiations over energy permitting overhaul will determine whether new authorities expedite or complicate the approval process for utility-scale solar, wind, and transmission projects nationwide.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Data center operators have crossed from speculative interest to firm battery storage orders at a scale large enough to lift national deployment forecasts by nearly a third, and the supply agreements to back that buildout are landing week after week.