Colorado Becomes Fourth State to Legalize Plug-In Balcony Solar
Plug-in balcony solar is emerging as a new and disruptive distributed energy technology, as yet another state embraces it.
Is it the 1970s All Over Again for Renewable Energy?
Five decades ago, a worldwide oil crisis put renewable energy on the radar of governments and consumers. Here we are again, but this time, renewables have a lot more muscle.
DERs Disrupt the Simple Story of AI’s Energy Surge
As AI drives unprecedented load growth, DERs, efficiency, and flexible demand are complicating the supply–demand equation
The Latest Decentralized Energy News
List of Biden-era Energy Projects that Trump Administration Says Will Receive Funding
Here is the list of Biden-era energy projects that Trump's DOE says it will fund either as is or restructured.
Don’t Underestimate Balcony Solar
Balcony solar isn’t really about small panels on apartment railings. It's about the moment a consumer starts to feel agency over their energy.
Xcel Energy Wins Approval of Controversial Minnesota Virtual Power Plant Pilot
Xcel Energy Minnesota won approval of its controversial virtual power plant pilot that divided the distributed energy community.
Almost Bankrupt, This Electric Co-op Survived by Ditching the Status Quo
Rayburn Electric Cooperative's story offers a provocative message for utilities: Ditch the status quo.
Strange New Alliance Powers the AI Era
Enphase Energy executive explains how the AI build-out is turning utilities and distributed energy companies into collaborators.
The Factory Boom Is Real—Until You Try to Plug It In
As data centers absorb growing amounts of grid capacity and interconnection delays stretch for years, even modest industrial loads are struggling to secure power. The result is a shift in how factories are sited—and a growing role for onsite energy.
States Deliver a Record Year for Distributed Energy Policy
2025 was a record year for distributed energy policy, with states accelerating action on solar, storage, EVs, and resilience. New Pew data shows just how widespread the shift has become.
Fast Power. New Money. How the Data Center Race is Remaking DERs
Speed to power is creating a new market for distributed energy. Three developments from the past week illustrate how varied — and unsettled — the new market is.
Good Times Ahead for Home Solar…Just Not This Year
WoodMac finds home solar contracting in 2026 but is bullish about its future. Community solar also has slowed, but not everywhere.
Maryland Governor Proposes $100 Million Distributed Energy Auction
First proposed by Senators Brian Feldman and Bill Ferguson, the DER auctions would be held annually beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
What Now for Distributed Energy? A Project Buyer’s Perspective
Electrons are not political — everyone needs them. And maybe it's our industry's own fault. We didn't do enough to say, "Look, these projects are economic.” It's a no-brainer in certain states to have solar on your roof.Top Podcast
Jigar Shah’s Surprising Stand on This Utility Program
Jigar Shah explains why he supports the Xcel Minnesota virtual power plant program in an Energy Changemakers Podcast.
Latest Resources
2026 Market Survey: Microgrid and Distributed Energy Projects Grow in Complexity
Reports of distributed energy’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, according to a 2025 survey of distributed energy and microgrid industry professionals. When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act became law in July 2025, many industry experts feared solar-heavy distributed energy development would dry up with the loss of federal incentives. While survey respondents (67%) say […]
Energy Allies: Communities and Utilities Building Resilience Together
This white paper examines how
successful partnerships among communities, utilities, and energy service providers can improve the grid
and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
Microgrids as a Building Block for Future Grids
This white paper is the fourth in a series of seven white papers in support of the DOE Microgrid R&D Program and presents a broad vision for future grids where microgrids serve as a building block along with technologies that would need to be developed, use case scenarios and the research targets. The DOE Microgrid […]
Utility Bills are Rising: PowerLines
New polling by PowerLines, a nonpartisan consumer education nonprofit, reveals the toll of rising utility bills on American energy consumers.
Microgrids Now
- Montgomery County, Maryland, Notches Another Microgrid Win, This One for Affordable Housing
- Against the Odds, Communities Can Build Local Energy. Here’s How
- Microgrids Are a Goldmine for Grid Operators — They Just Don’t Know It
- What Makes a Community Microgrid Actually Work? Start by Listening, Not Engineering
- Is Distributed Wind Poised for a Second Act in Virtual Power Plants and Microgrids?