Revolution Wind powers up as America's third offshore wind farm. Ørsted's 704-MW

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• Ørsted's 704-MW Revolution Wind Now Fully Online: The $6.2 billion offshore wind farm off Rhode Island and Connecticut has entered commercial operation, connecting to the New England grid as the nation's third major operating offshore wind project. — Canary Media, Power Magazine. Read More: Canary Media, Power Magazine.
• Energix Completes 152-MW Solar Plant in Ohio: The Border Basin solar project in Hancock County is now delivering power into PJM Interconnection, adding utility-scale solar capacity to the mid-Atlantic grid operator's footprint. — PV Tech. Read More: PV Tech.
• California Court Blocks State's First Carbon Capture Project: A judge ruled that approval of California Resources Corp.'s TerraVault 1 in Kern County violated environmental law, throwing into question the state's reliance on carbon capture in its climate strategy. — CalMatters. Read More: CalMatters.
• Democrats' Sweep Clouds Bipartisan Permitting Reform: The Senate permitting bill that had bipartisan support now faces uncertain prospects as Democratic electoral gains shift the political dynamics around fast-tracking energy project approvals. — Inside Climate News. Read More: Inside Climate News.
• Faropoint Launches 16-Project Community Solar Program in New Jersey: Construction has started on a 1.6-MW rooftop installation in Fair Lawn, the first of 16 projects totaling over 10 MW that will generate 12.7 GWh annually, with at least half the capacity reserved for low- and moderate-income households. — Solar Builder. Read More: Solar Builder.

Wind Energy

Revolution Wind is now the largest operating offshore wind farm in the United States. The 704-MW project, developed by Ørsted off the coasts of Rhode Island and Connecticut, reached full commercial operation and is feeding power into the New England grid — a milestone achieved against sustained headwinds from the Trump administration, which has sought to slow or halt federal offshore wind permitting. At $6.2 billion, it is also the most expensive single clean energy project operating in the country.

The significance for developers and investors goes beyond the nameplate capacity. Revolution Wind is only the third major U.S. offshore wind farm to reach commercial operation, joining Vineyard Wind and South Fork Wind. Each completion strengthens the supply chain, builds operational track records that lenders want to see, and makes the next project marginally easier to finance. For New England utilities locked into long-term power purchase agreements, the project delivers carbon-free generation at a scale that no onshore alternative in the region can match.

That said, the project's completion doesn't resolve the broader federal permitting freeze that has stalled or delayed other offshore wind proposals under the current administration. Revolution Wind was already well advanced in construction before the political landscape shifted, and developers with projects still in the federal review pipeline face a far more difficult path. The election results this week — including what multiple outlets describe as significant Democratic gains — may eventually reshape that dynamic, but any congressional or regulatory changes are months away at best.

Solar & Storage

Energix Renewables' 152-MWdc Border Basin solar project is now delivering electrons into the PJM market from Hancock County, Ohio. The project is one of a growing number of utility-scale solar plants coming online across the PJM footprint, where data center load growth and coal plant retirements are driving fierce demand for new generation. For PJM capacity market participants, every megawatt of operating solar that clears interconnection and reaches commercial operation matters — the queue backlog across PJM remains enormous, and projects that actually make it to operation stand out.

In New Jersey, Faropoint is taking a different approach to solar growth. The company broke ground on a 1.6-MW rooftop community solar installation in Fair Lawn, the first of 16 planned projects that will collectively exceed 10 MW and generate roughly 12.7 GWh per year. The portfolio is projected to avoid 8,500 metric tons of carbon emissions annually. Perhaps more notable for policy watchers: at least half of each project's capacity is reserved for low- and moderate-income households, aligning with New Jersey's community solar program requirements and the broader push to ensure clean energy benefits reach ratepayers who can't install rooftop panels on their own.

Community solar at this scale — 16 rooftop installations across a single state — tests a model that developers elsewhere are watching. The economics depend on state incentive structures, and New Jersey's program has been one of the more aggressive in the country. Whether Faropoint can execute all 16 projects on schedule will signal how scalable the rooftop community solar model really is in dense, high-electricity-cost markets.

Policy & Markets

The bipartisan permitting reform bill that appeared to have momentum just days ago is now in trouble. Multiple outlets report that Democratic electoral gains in Tuesday's midterms have scrambled the political calculus around the legislation, which aimed to speed approvals for energy projects of all types. The bill had drawn support from both parties, but the shifting balance of power raises questions about whether Democrats will push for a version with stronger environmental guardrails or abandon the bipartisan framework altogether. For clean energy developers sitting in interconnection queues that stretch years, any delay in permitting reform means continued uncertainty and carrying costs.

This story has been evolving all week. As recently as Tuesday, analysts at Wood Mackenzie identified the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act as the likely vehicle for permitting changes. Former FERC Chairman Mark Christie had publicly called for targeted Senate amendments. Now, the post-election landscape has complicated that trajectory. Developers who had been banking on faster federal reviews for transmission lines, solar farms, and wind projects will need to recalibrate timelines.

In California, a court dealt a blow to the state's carbon capture ambitions by ruling that the approval of TerraVault 1 — designed by California Resources Corp. to store 46 million metric tons of CO2 underground in Kern County — violated environmental law due to inadequate environmental review. The ruling is consequential because California's climate strategy explicitly relies on carbon capture and storage to meet its emissions targets. If the state can't site CCS projects without surviving legal challenge, policymakers will need to find alternative pathways — likely meaning even greater reliance on renewables and electrification.

Separately, the California Public Utilities Commission directed PG&E, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric to develop a coordinated framework for managing distributed energy resources statewide. The directive targets grid strain by better integrating battery storage, EVs, and distributed solar. For DER developers and aggregators operating in California, this could streamline interconnection and unlock new revenue streams — or, depending on how the utilities design the framework, create new layers of compliance.

Voters also weighed in on energy and environment at the ballot box this week. Across multiple states, ballot measures related to conservation, water management, and data centers won approval, signaling continued grassroots support for environmental policy even in a polarized political climate.

LOOKING AHEAD

• Senate Permitting Reform Timeline: Watch for signals from Senate leadership on whether the bipartisan permitting bill will be renegotiated, delayed, or shelved entirely in the lame-duck session following Democratic gains.
• California CCS Legal Fallout: California Resources Corp. could appeal the TerraVault 1 ruling; the outcome will determine whether carbon capture remains a viable part of the state's climate compliance toolkit or gets sidelined in favor of other decarbonization strategies.
• CPUC Distributed Energy Framework: PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E must now develop coordinated DER management plans — the timeline and structure they propose will shape market access for battery storage, rooftop solar, and EV charging developers across California.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Revolution Wind's 704-MW completion proves U.S. offshore wind can deliver at scale, but the post-election scramble over permitting reform means the policy infrastructure to replicate that success — onshore or offshore — remains as uncertain as ever.