Good morning and happy Friday, 

The Senate Finance Committee released its version of the One Big Beautiful Bill on Monday – lots to cover on that topic, so we’ve devoted both feature articles to it, below.

In other news, we have a bevy of new resources for you this week. A recent research brief from the BlueGreen Alliance finds that repeal of the IRA’s clean manufacturing tax credits puts two million jobs at risk; another study finds that cutting tax credits for clean energy will cost the U.S. economy $1.1 trillion by 2035.

A new report from Energy Innovation reaches similar conclusions and provides state-specific fact sheets.

A separate study looks at support for large-scale solar projects among those who live nearest to them. Encouragingly, it finds “evidence to reject the NIMBY hypothesis,” and that “most LSS neighbors are neutral or supportive of additional LSS in or near their communities,” although that support is influenced by a variety of factors. 

And, surprise, surprise: the latest report from Lazard finds that solar and onshore wind are the quickest and lowest-cost generation source to deploy in the U.S. – meanwhile, “the cost to build new gas-fired power plants…has hit a 10-year high” amidst backlogs for turbines and equipment. 

Read on for more.

Clean energy advocates have been waiting with bated breath hoping the Senate Finance Committee would throw a lifeline to the industry. Instead, they’ve rearranged the deck chairs on the Titanic. Here’s a cheat-sheet list of provisions in the current draft of the OBBB that will impact utility-scale wind, solar, and energy storage:

• Tax credits for solar and wind projects would shrink significantly — dropping to 60% of their original value by the end of 2026, then down to 20% by the end of 2027. Projects that begin construction in 2028 wouldn’t qualify at all.
• There’s a carveout for a very specific type of project: wind or solar projects that are over 1 gigawatt, partly located on federal land, and already have a right-of-way permit from the government as of June 16 would still qualify for full credits.
• Energy storage, geothermal, nuclear, and hydropower would keep their current tax credit timeline, but those credits would also start to wind down — dropping to 75% in 2034, 50% in 2035, and disappearing completely after that. Clean hydrogen, however, loses its credit altogether under the new proposal.
• The bill still includes restrictions on using materials and components from certain foreign countries — rules that some say are too vague or difficult to follow. Industry analysts warn that if these issues aren’t fixed, it could dramatically slow down energy storage development in the U.S. (See more in Also on Our Radar).
• Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) said the Senate proposal isn’t much better than the House version, and could end up causing nearly the same amount of harm to clean energy.
• Advocates on both sides of the aisle criticized the bill: Some say it guts funding for essential social programs to benefit polluters, while others argue it doesn’t go far enough to cut clean energy incentives. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) questioned why rural healthcare should lose funding to support solar panel imports.

A 20-pound sledgehammer. The heads of ACP, SEIA, ACORE, and NRDC all spoke out against the legislation, saying it will decimate the industry, jeopardize billions of dollars of private investments, kill jobs, drive up electricity prices, and cause the U.S. to “forfeit the AI race to China.” Lobbying on clean energy tax credits has been intense – the day after the bill was released, SEIA held a rally near the Capitol, after which participants met with lawmakers as part of the organization's eighth lobbying day this year. Republicans who support clean energy are getting in on the influence game, too – Built for America is a $2 million campaign running ads on Conservative platforms that say things like “Trump country is booming. We’re building, hiring and winning in America, because energy tax credits put America first.” 

Clean energy advocates remain hopeful they can still affect the bill’s provisions, and many Republican lawmakers are expressing concerns. The next step will be for the Finance Committee to vote on the draft legislation, after which it will go to the full Senate for a vote. Once the bill passes out of the Senate, it will go back to the House which will change, accept or reject the bill. Republican leaders are hoping to have the OBBB on the President’s desk for signature by July 4.

Folks in the energy storage industry are likely feeling some mixed emotions this week following the Senate Finance Committee’s release of its version of the OBBB. Although the text preserves support for domestic battery manufacturing as well as the ITC for energy storage, it retains “unworkable” language regarding the use of equipment and materials from China, begging the question, “What’s the point of tax credits if no one can use them?” Here’s an overview of the situation:

• Battery manufacturing facilities would keep full tax credits through 2029. After that, the credits would drop by 25% each year — to 75% in 2030, 50% in 2031, and 25% in 2032.
• Energy storage projects like big battery installations would keep the full Investment Tax Credit through 2033. The credit would then shrink to 75% in 2034, 50% in 2035, and disappear completely after 2035.
• There’s a catch: battery factories that were built or supported by companies from certain countries — mainly China — wouldn’t be eligible for these tax credits.
• Republican lawmakers want to stop battery makers that use Chinese materials or technology from getting federal support, in hopes of building a fully American battery supply chain.
• The challenge? China is already so far ahead in this industry that it’s nearly impossible to build batteries in the U.S. without using some Chinese components or expertise.
• Experts say it’s unrealistic to expect a fully domestic battery industry overnight. In the short term, building a U.S. supply chain will still require help from abroad.

Batteries not included. The Biden administration and Congress put generous incentives in place to boost domestic battery manufacturing, and they were working – but that boom could go bust due to a double whammy from the restrictions on tax credits and high tariffs on China. In terms of the U.S. market for energy storage installations, Rystad Energy says it’s booming with 60% annual growth, thanks to high demand and falling costs. But if the IRA tax credits don’t get sorted out, BloombergNEF predicts that U.S. energy storage installs will plummet – although global growth will be upheld by new markets.

• A Leader Lost: Minnesota solar industry mourns loss of its five-star general 
• It’s Complicated: Clean energy has fans in Trump's America, complicating budget talks 
• Pulls the Plug: Solar industry groups react to Senate Finance Committee draft bill 
• No Deus ex Machina: The winners and losers of the Senate's take on the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' 
• Offshore on Offense: ‘We're not going to approve windmills’ and Trump is still denying crucial permits to onshore wind, and Why offshore wind officials stay silent when Trump attacks, and Anti-offshore wind groups target $426M grant for California port 
• Renaissance: State lawmakers go big on bills to advance nuclear power and To feed power-wolfing AI, lawmakers are embracing nuclear  
• Teaming Up: Google, CTC Global partner to deploy advanced conductors 
• Unlocked: Meta signs geothermal power deal for New Mexico data centers 
• Life’s Better With BESS: How big batteries will help avoid power outages this summer 
• A Lamb-Slide: Solar grazing undergoing rapid growth, census finds 
• Stalled: An Illinois bill seeking to supercharge battery storage failed. Now what? 
• Fast-Tracked: Largest battery storage project wins approval in California 
• Collapsing: The billion-dollar US green hydrogen boom ended before it ever began 
• Time for a RESET?: Pennsylvania bill would create a state board to oversee new energy projects
• Blame Game: Spain's government blames huge blackout on grid regulator and private firms 
• Stats Class: Understanding P50, P90 and P99 in solar energy 
• Fusion Exclusion: The One Big, Beautiful Bill’s fusion exclusion   
• Opinion: Our bridges are old, our grid is on the fritz, and soon America will be obsolete 
• Opinion: Senate: Don’t fumble the energy future  
• Chart: Hundreds of gigawatts of clean energy at risk with GOP bill 
• Podcast: Sen. Martin Heinrich of N.M. on trying to save clean energy incentives 

• CO: Severance Town to host public hearing for amendments on land use code for solar energy
• GA: Pike County to discuss zoning condition of Flat Shoals Energy Center
• IL: Grundy County approves petition for text amendment for BESS ordinance
• IL: Jackson County reviews solar siting ordinance and agreements with Arevon's Big Muddy Solar Project
• MS: Hearing set for Hexagon Energy's CPCN petition for Sabre Solar Project in Holmes County
• OK: Wagoner County to vote on conditional use request of NextEra’s 4,900-acre solar farm
• OR: Crook County to hold hearing on TSR North Solar Farm’s request for Statewide Planning Goal Exception
• OR: Marion County hosts a public hearing to consider BESS amendments
• TX: Energy Vault, Agilitas Energy launch BESS projects in Scurry County
• VA: Public hearing scheduled for SUP extension of Axton Solar Project by Vesper in Pittsylvania
• VA: Fairfax County reviews draft of BESS zoning amendment
• WI: Chippewa County to discuss zoning ordinance for solar energy systems
• WY: WDEQ posts notice for approved amendment to ISP for Cowboy Solar I and II projects

Operating wind turbines create audible sounds. While siting and turbine selection can play a big role in reducing unwanted noise levels, the Canadian firm Biome Renewables has developed a retrofit called FeatherEdge that can lower them even further. The technology replaces the standard serrations on a blade’s trailing edge, changing its aeroacoustics and significantly reducing sound levels.

Specifically, the company says FeatherEdge retrofits “direct air flow to mix at discrete locations to reduce noise emissions and improve turbine performance, benefits appreciated by operators, regulators, and the local community.” 

Field tests of FeatherEdge have been conducted in France, Canada, and Germany, with promising results. Biome says “the technology allows turbines to run in more productive operating modes without breaching noise limits, opening up opportunities for previously curtailed assets.”

Biome has also drawn on kingfishers and maple seeds to solve another issue: root leakage, which is the “loss of aerodynamic efficiency at the base of the blades, near the hub, due to pressure differences.” Its PowerCone retrofit, which “channels incoming wind onto the blades to address root leakage.” A flight path worth following.