Connect with us

Published

on

The US solar industry just delivered another huge quarter, installing 11.7 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity in Q3 2025. That makes it the third-largest quarter on record and pushes total solar additions this year past 30 GW – despite the Trump administration’s efforts to kneecap clean energy.

According to the new “US Solar Market Insight Q4 2025” report from Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie, 85% of all new power added to the grid during the first nine months of the Trump administration came from solar and storage. And here’s the twist: Most of that growth – 73% – happened in red states.

Eight of the top 10 states for new installations fall into that category, including Texas, Indiana, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Utah, Kentucky, and Arkansas. Utah jumped into the top 10 this quarter thanks to two big utility-scale projects totaling more than 1 GW.

But the report also flags major uncertainty ahead. Federal actions, including a July memo from the Department of the Interior (DOI), have slowed or stalled the approvals pipeline for utility-scale solar and storage. Without clarity on permitting timelines, Wood Mackenzie’s long-term utility-scale forecast through 2030 remains basically unchanged from last quarter.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

“This record-setting quarter for solar deployment shows that the market is continuing to turn to solar to meet rising demand,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA’s president and CEO. She added that strong growth in red states underscores how decisively the market is shifting toward clean energy. “But unless this administration reverses course, the future of clean, affordable, and reliable solar and storage will be frozen by uncertainty, and Americans will continue to see their energy bills go up.”

Two new solar module factories opened this year in Louisiana and South Carolina, adding a combined 4.7 GW of capacity. That brings the total new US module manufacturing capacity added in 2025 to 17.7 GW. With a new wafer facility coming online in Michigan in Q3, the US can now produce every major component of the solar module supply chain.

“We expect 250 GW of solar to be installed from 2025 to 2030,” said Michelle Davis, head of solar research at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report. “But the US solar industry has more potential. With rising power demand across the country, solar could do even more if current constraints were eased.”

SEIA also noted that, following an analysis of EIA data, it found that more than 73 GW of solar projects across the US are stuck in permitting limbo and at risk of politically motivated delays or cancellations.

Read more: EIA: Solar + storage soar as fossil fuels stall through September 2025


If you’re looking to replace your old HVAC equipment, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable HVAC installer near you that offers competitive pricing on heat pumps, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to get a heat pump. They have pre-vetted heat pump installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions. Plus, it’s free to use!

Your personalized heat pump quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. – *ad

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

It’s happening: Chevy Spark EUV production kicks off in Brazil

Published

on

By

It's happening: Chevy Spark EUV production kicks off in Brazil

The spiritual successor to the beloved Chevy Geo Tracker, production of the new-for-2026 electric Spark EUV has officially begun in Brazil with more than 200 miles of range.

That’s right, kids. To know the Chevy Tracker is to love the Chevy Tracker. The tiny, top-heavy Suzuki-based SUV combined bold colors, fun styling, (relatively) good fuel economy, and real off-road chops (especially in ZR2 trim) with an affordable price tag to make the Tracker an early favorite among the serious rock-crawling crowds.

Like, really


2001 Chevy Tracker; via Harry Situations.

While it’s still too early to tell whether or not the all-new Chevy Spark EUV will come even close to that little proto-SUV, it seems we won’t have to wait much longer to find out – GM Authority reports that production of the 2026 Chevy Spark EUV has officially begun at Comexport’s Planta Automotiva do Ceará (PACE) plant, in the state of Ceará, Brazil.

GM Brazil invested the equivalent of $73 million to get the PACE factory ready to assemble GM’s modern, zero-emissions Chevy crossover for the South American and Middle Eastern markets – an investment big enough to earn a visit from Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was on-hand for the December 3rd kickoff event.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

“It’s not a car factory,” said Comexport Vice President and PACE shareholder, Rodrigo Teixeir. “(The) goal is to develop technology there, not simply assemble a vehicle.”

Production of the new Spark EUV began last week, with production of the equally new Chevy Captiva EV set to begin as early as Q1 of 2026.

2026 Chevy Spark EUV


The Made in Brazil Chevrolet Spark EUV is heavily based on the Chinese Baojun, and is powered by that vehicle’s single 75 kW (101 hp), 180 Nm (130 lb-ft) motor driving the front wheels. Power comes from the Baojun’s 42 kWh LFP battery that, with regenerative braking, is good for up to 360 km (220 miles) on the NEDC driving cycle.

Weirdly, the new Spark is also equipped with a 10.1″ infotainment screen and 8.8″ digital instrument cluster (above) that supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard – technology that GM claims lead to “unsafe” driver behaviors in North America.

Let us know what you think of the little electric SUV, and whether or not you think it would be a hit in the US (it would) in the comments.

SOURCE: GM Authority; images by GM, Harry Situations.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Trump ban on wind power projects overturned by federal judge

Published

on

By

Trump ban on wind power projects overturned by federal judge

Power generating wind turbines tower over the rural landscape on July 5, 2025 near Pomeroy, Iowa.

Scott Olson | Getty Images

A federal judge on Monday struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping ban on new wind power projects in the U.S., a major victory for an industry that has been singled out by the White House since the administration’s first day.

Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled that Trump’s ban is “arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law,” tossing out the president’s action in its entirey.

Trump issued a memorandum on Jan. 20 halting permits and leases for offshore and onshore wind farms, pending federal review. Saris said that federal agencies had failed to provide a reasoned explanation for such a drastic change in U.S. policy.

Seventeen states led by New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump in May to overturn the president’s ban. They argued that it created “an existential threat to the wind industry.”

“This is a big victory in our fight to keep tackling the climate crisis and protect one of our best sources of clean, reliable, and affordable energy,” James said in a post on social media platform X.

States in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic in particular have been pursuing offshore wind projects to meet future energy demand as they seek to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement that “offshore wind projects were given unfair, preferential treatment while the rest of the energy industry was hindered by burdensome regulations.”

Continue Reading

Environment

Federal judge rules Trump’s offshore wind ban illegal

Published

on

By

Federal judge rules Trump's offshore wind ban illegal

A federal judge in Massachusetts today ruled that the Trump administration’s ban on new offshore wind projects in federal waters is illegal.

Judge Patti B. Saris of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts wrote that Trump’s executive order banning leasing of federal lands and waters for new wind farms is “arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law.”

Attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, DC, filed a lawsuit in May against the memorandum halting federal approvals of wind energy development, which was supported by industry and public interest groups.

The Attorneys general claimed that the halt “harms the States’ efforts to secure reliable, diversified, and affordable sources of energy to meet the ever-increasing demand for electricity; their billions of dollars in investments in supply chains, workforce development, and wind-industry-related infrastructure, including transmission upgrades; and their statutory- and policy-based efforts to protect public health and welfare from harmful air pollutants like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, as well as greenhouse-gas emissions.”

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Because of Trump’s ban, at least seven offshore wind farms in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have been paused, as well as several others at earlier stages of development. Offshore wind has been a crucial part of the Northeastern states’ plans to transition to renewables, due to their geography and the plentiful wind in the winter. The region also heavily relies on natural gas, which is subject to price fluctuations. 

Ted Kelly, director and lead counsel, US Clean Energy at Environmental Defense Fund, said, “We should not be kneecapping America’s largest source of renewable power, especially when we need more cheap, homegrown electricity. Striking down this unlawful ban gives relief to the communities and workers who need affordable power, local investment and jobs from wind projects that have been stuck in limbo.”

As a result of the Trump administration’s “arbitrary” policies, BloombergNEF reduced its forecast of new offshore wind power coming online by 2035 by 56%. And while the ruling is good news for the wind industry, it doesn’t mean the federal government is required to approve projects. And let’s face it: Foreign renewable companies aren’t exactly going to come running back to the US to do business. (Just today, for example, Denmark’s Eurowind Energy announced it’s shutting its US office, citing “political uncertainty.”) But at least offshore wind is no longer banned.

Oceantic Network CEO Liz Burdock said, “We thank the Attorneys General and the Alliance for Clean Energy New York for taking this case forward to protect American business interests against the politicization of our energy sector.”

Read more: Trump just killed all offshore wind zones as US power needs surge


If you’re looking to replace your old HVAC equipment, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable HVAC installer near you that offers competitive pricing on heat pumps, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to get a heat pump. They have pre-vetted heat pump installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions. Plus, it’s free to use!

Your personalized heat pump quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. – *ad

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending