Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., has drafted an executive order at the request of President-elect Donald Trump that would enact a six-month moratorium on offshore wind. Trump's transition team and incoming Interior Department leaders are reviewing the draft, with Drew expecting an executive order to arrive within the first couple months of the administration.

President Joe Biden has issued an executive order directing the Defense Department and Energy Department to supercharge the development of clean energy and gigawatt-scale data centers. The order calls for increasing leasing and a focus on facilitating "this infrastructure's interconnection to the electric grid, fulfill permitting obligations expeditiously, and advance transmission development around federal sites." The administration envisions data centers will require 5GW of new power within three years.

Many smaller farms in the US are struggling to stay afloat and solar projects could help change that by providing much-needed financial stability while also driving investment in the communities that host them, writes Virginia farmer Donna Miller. Four years ago, Miller entered into an agreement with a developer that would've supported a 150-megawatt solar array and generated $3.25 million for Augusta County, but it failed to advance. In this article, Miller explores the environmental and economic benefits of solar while urging state leaders to break down permitting barriers for the industry.

Worcester County, Md., secretly funded a website to urge Sussex County, Del., residents to oppose a permit for US Wind's offshore wind farm, citing potential harm to tourism and the environment. The Sussex County Council denied the permit, and US Wind has appealed the decision.

The Energy Department has updated its virtual power plants liftoff report to highlight how the industry has evolved since 2023 and can support up to 20% of peak power demand by 2030. Challenges remain, however, with Wood Mackenzie separately noting that VPP deployment may be slowed by a lack of standardization in the way utilities value and work with distributed energy resources.

The Supreme Court has turned down a bid by Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil and other oil majors to dismiss Honolulu's climate change lawsuit, which alleges the industry misled the public about the environmental impact of fossil fuels. The decision allows the case to proceed in state court, thwarting the companies' push to have it moved to federal court.

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made history when it achieved fusion ignition in 2022, but the milestone is a drop in the bucket compared to the team's next task: replicating and scaling its success. The team is leveraging El Capitan, a supercomputer that can perform 1.742 quintillion calculations per second, to aid its research. Another interesting facet of the project is that it relies heavily on artificial intelligence, the energy intensity of which could someday be offset by fusion energy.

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council has introduced a free online course and career map to highlight the diverse career opportunities in the solar industry. The program helps job seekers match skills and locate training programs. "[I]t really gives you the opportunity to dig into … all the different sectors: manufacturing, system design, project development, and installation and operation," says IREC's Cynthia Finley.

Heatwaves are disrupting municipal infrastructure and public schooling in Barcelona, Spain, as climate change intensifies. The city is responding by implementing a program funded by tourist tax revenue to install air conditioning and green energy solutions in schools, aiming to alleviate the impact of extreme heat on students' learning conditions.