Looking Ahead to 2026

Base Power announced a new collaboration with Denton County Electric Cooperative (CoServ), a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 330,000 electric meters, to deploy 100 MW of residentially-sited battery storage across CoServ’s North Texas service territory. The agreement is Base’s largest to date and creates one of the largest distributed residential energy storage programs led by a Texas electric cooperative.

Through the program, Base Power will deploy a fleet of networked residential battery systems in CoServ’s service region, providing CoServ with dispatchable capacity to support the grid during periods of high electricity demand and strengthen the grid infrastructure. The batteries will be installed at qualifying residential homes and provide affordable whole-home backup power to those residents during outages.

“Distributed energy storage is becoming an increasingly important tool for utilities navigating load growth, extreme weather, and infrastructure constraints,” said Gary Franzen, Chief Energy Resources Officer at CoServ.“This collaboration with Base Power allows us to add flexible, cost-effective capacity while maintaining operational control and delivering tangible reliability benefits for our Members at an affordable price.”

Under the program, CoServ will manage the battery fleet by dispatching during peak hours to shave load and perform energy arbitrage using Base’s proprietary algorithms. Base Power handles system installation and ongoing maintenance, enabling CoServ to deploy capacity efficiently without adding operational complexity. For homeowners with existing solar systems, Base can pair the battery to be powered either by the member’s solar system or by the grid, depending on availability.

“By aggregating residential batteries into a utility-controlled resource, CoServ can strengthen reliability, manage peak demand, and ultimately improve affordability for its Members, all while providing reliable outage protection,” said Zach Dell, CEO of Base Power. “We’re proud to partner with CoServ in bringing 100 MW of flexible, reliable capacity to its system.”

This effort marks Base’s fifth utility collaboration in Texas and builds on a proven model of rapidly bringing new capacity online while protecting homeowners from widespread outages.         

Base Power | www.basepowercompany.com/utilities

CoServ | coserv.com

Mainspring Energy Inc. announced that it has been awarded a contract by the United States Department of the Air Force (DAF) for a pilot program to test a Mainspring Linear Generator operating on multiple fuels, including natural gas and hydrogen. The DAF will assess the Mainspring product as part of its efforts to enhance energy resilience, fortify critical infrastructure, and provide project installations a reliable energy source without limitations of fuel type.  

The pilot project, to be held at Travis Air Force Base, California, this year, will assess the Linear Generator’s fuel efficiency, power output, consumption, and emissions data for each fuel type tested.  The Mainspring product dynamically adapts to different types of fuels, including natural gas, propane, biomethane, syngas, ammonia, and hydrogen to ensure adaptability to future fuel landscapes. The product operates on all fuels with near-zero NOx emissions.

“DAF’s reliance on any single fuel type presents a supply chain risk. A generator capable of running on multiple fuel types reduces vulnerability to fluctuating fuel standards, availability, or price shifts, providing resilience without the need for costly equipment replacement,” said Kirk Phillips, Air Force Office of Energy Assurance director.

“This announcement demonstrates an innovative solution to a rapidly evolving energy environment,” Phillips added. “With their multi-fuel capability, these generators won’t become obsolete as available fuels change and evolve. This increases resilience and directly aligns with the Administration’s vision under Executive Orders 14154 and 14156 to unleash American energy and dominate for mission effectiveness across the defense enterprise.”

“Travis AFB welcomes this prototype demonstration,” said David Lin, 60th Air Mobility Wing Deputy Base Civil Engineer. “The contract with Mainspring explores an innovative response to the Department’s directive to increase flexibility and reduce single points of failure in mission energy infrastructure.” 

Adam Simpson, Mainspring Chief Commercial Officer, said, “It is an honor to have The Department of the Air Force recognize the Mainspring Linear Generator’s potential to increase power resilience and fortify U.S. defense infrastructure. The Air Force is leading the way in energy resilience, and this project will help accelerate critical capability adoption of new power generation innovations.”

Mainspring competed for the project via the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace platform and was the first power generation provider on the platform to be designated “awardable,” positioning Mainspring as a key provider for all Defense Department branches seeking multi-fuel energy solutions.  Tradewinds streamlines procurement by emphasizing innovation, scalability, and mission impact.

Air Force Office of Energy Assurance | https://www.afcec.af.mil/Energy/

Mainspring | https://www.mainspringenergy.com/

Virginia regulators recently issued a major decision that makes permanent increased solar project costs that will slow down clean energy growth in the state. On February 5th, 2026, the Virginia State Corporation Commission filed a decision that allows Dominion Energy to continue requiring an unnecessary and expensive grid protection system called Direct Transfer Trip (DTT) for projects above 250 kilowatts (such as community solar projects and installations on schools, churches, and municipal buildings). Requiring DTT—which has an average cost of at least $300,000—often makes these projects financially infeasible. 

Dominion Energy has argued that DTT is necessary to ensure grid reliability but has failed to provide evidence to justify the need for the requirement, or demonstrate its benefit to the electric grid or Dominion Energy ratepayers. Most other states and utilities do not require widespread use of DTT because there are several less costly solutions that are equally effective.

“This is an incredibly disappointing outcome after years of industry-utility collaboration, decades of research, and gigawatts of interconnections in other territories all proving that DTT is arbitrary for use in inverter DER applications,” said Brian Lydic, Chief Regulatory Engineer for the nonprofit Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). 

Dominion’s requirement of DTT—commonly referred to as “dark fiber” because it typically involves installing fiber optic lines—is triggered when any project above 250 kW fails an engineering review screen (called the “Load-to-Generation Ratio test”) during the interconnection process. This screen compares the amount of electricity used on a local power line to the amount of electricity that connected solar projects would produce. If the total electricity generated from connected solar projects supplies more than a third of the electricity consumed by nearby customers, every additional solar project above 250kW would then be required to install DTT. This simple test is merely a rule of thumb and is not based on any power systems engineering analysis, yet failure can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional cost. As such, many community, school, and commercial solar projects have been and will continue to be unable to move forward due to cost constraints.

Over the past three years, IREC has engaged in Virginia’s DTT regulatory proceeding to inform the Commission’s decision on this topic. Working alongside Commission Staff, solar industry members, and utility engineers, IREC recommended that the Commission direct Dominion to modify its requirements to match best practices currently in use in other states.

A research paper published by IREC last year demonstrated that DTT is unnecessary for distributed clean energy projects. One of the key findings of the paper is that the probability of grid issues that DTT is designed to prevent is practically zero, occurring only once every 10,000 years. Such issues are so rare, in fact, that only three instances have ever been recorded globally, none resulting in any damage or harm to personnel or equipment. 

In its decision, the Commission cited as evidence of the requirement’s reasonableness the fact that 20MW of clean energy development has moved forward after paying for DTT. Yet, over the same timeframe, National Grid in New York installed similarly sized projects at a rate six times faster than Dominion. Without changes to this practice, Virginia will continue to fall behind regions with more modern, evidence-based interconnection requirements. 

As part of its decision, the Commission assigned Dominion two follow-up tasks. First, Dominion must propose one additional screen to supplement the simple load test. Second, Dominion must provide additional evidence for why it is imposing the DTT requirement specifically for projects above 250kW. In the process set forth by the Commission, neither of these deliverables is to be reviewed by or co-developed with external parties. This is a significant misstep that prevents input from research institutions and third-party experts that are most informed on interconnection screening practices nationwide.

At the end of the day, Virginia residents will bear the burden of this decision. “It is disappointing that—during a time of historic increases in energy prices, in the data center capital of the world—Virginians will have less access to the energy cost savings of community DERs,” said Shay Banton, IREC Regulatory Program Engineer and Energy Justice Lead.

Interstate Renewable Energy Council | irecusa.org 

Property owners seeking new revenue opportunities without deploying capital may find an overlooked asset directly overhead. Solect Energy has published an article outlining how rooftop solar site leases allow commercial and industrial property owners to generate long-term, contractually defined income from unused rooftop space.

As commercial property owners seek new ways to strengthen net operating income and enhance asset performance, rooftop solar site leases are emerging as a practical strategy for generating long-term, non-operational income. The structure aligns with long-term property strategy without disrupting business operations.

The article, “Rooftop Solar Site Leases: A New Revenue Stream for Commercial Property Owners” explains how third-party rooftop commercial solar lease structures transform non-revenue-producing roof space into a 20–25 year income stream.

Under a rooftop solar site lease, a solar developer leases the rooftop, finances and installs the solar energy system, and manages long-term operations and maintenance. Property owners retain full ownership and control of their buildings while receiving predictable lease payments. Because the system occupies rooftop space only, tenant operations, interior square footage, and parking areas remain unaffected.

“Rooftop solar site leases function much like a long-term tenant occupying otherwise unused space,” said Matt Shortsleeve, SVP of Policy & Marketing at Solect Energy. “For many property owners, it represents a practical way to generate stable income without capital investment or additional operational complexity.”

Properties best suited for rooftop solar site leases often include industrial and warehouse properties, flex and distribution facilities, and large retail buildings with significant usable roof area and long-term site control.

The article also discusses current federal incentive considerations, including eligibility for the 30% federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) under existing “Safe Harbor” provisions. Project timing can influence eligibility, development flexibility and financial outcomes.

The full article, detailing lease structure, qualification criteria, and federal incentive considerations, is available here: Rooftop Solar Site Leases: A New Revenue Stream for Commercial Property Owners

Solect Energy |  https://solect.com/

EDF power solutions Canada and Alliance de l'énergie de l'Est and the Société de gestion éolienne de la Madawaska inc. (a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec) are proud to announce the successful financial closing for the Madawaska Wind project. The 274-megawatt (MW) project is located in the municipalities of Dégelis and Saint-Jean-de-la-Lande within the Regional County Municipality (RCM) of Témiscouata, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. The closing follows the recent issuance of the government decree authorizing the project, giving the green light for implementation.

The required capital for the project has been secured through lead arrangers Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, National Bank of Canada, Desjardins Group, and KfW IPEX-Bank. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce acted as administrative agent. The financing is structured in accordance with the Green Loan Principles, with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, National Bank of Canada, and Desjardins Group acting as coordinators for the application of these principles.

“Securing this financing underscores the commercial viability and strategic importance of the Madawaska Wind project in achieving Quebec’s energy transition goals and the importance of our collaboration with local communities,” said Amy Lloyd, CFO of EDF power solutions North America. “We are especially grateful to our financial partners for supporting the project, allowing us to move forward with the construction phase. Beyond strengthening the Hydro-Québec grid with low-carbon capacity, we're delivering a win for the climate and a lasting economic boost for the community.”

“I would like to express our gratitude to our financial partners, as well as our partners EDF power solutions and Hydro-Québec,” said Michel Lagacé, President of Alliance de l'énergie de l'Est. “This funding underscores the importance of the Madawaska project for Quebec and for the host communities here in eastern Quebec.”

Mathieu Johnson, Senior Vice President – Partnerships and Development, Hydro-Québec, said, “The financing agreement for the Madawaska Wind project marks a key step toward achieving our energy transition ambitions. This project is part of our wind power development strategy, which calls for adding 10,000 MW by 2035, while working closely with the community, in order to generate tangible, long-term benefits for the regions."

The Madawaska Wind project will feature 45 wind turbines, which will be connected to Hydro-Québec's grid. Once completed, the project will generate enough energy to power more than 44,000 homes per year.

The project contributes directly to the decarbonization of the Quebec economy while providing significant local benefits. Over the course of the project, the member communities of the Alliance de l'énergie de l'Est will share approximately CAD $181 million.

While the host communities, Dégelis and Saint-Jean-de-la-Lande, will share more than $25 million.

Preparatory work for the construction phase has been underway since January. With financing closed, the Madawaska Wind project can officially move into the construction phase, generating more than 300 jobs. The project partners are committed to working with local businesses and suppliers, ensuring sustainable development that benefits the community. The wind farm is scheduled to begin operations in the fall of 2027.

Stikeman Elliott acted as legal counsel to the project for the transaction, with Blake, Cassels and Graydon LLP acting on behalf of the lenders.

Madawaska Wind Project

EDF | re.com

Alliance de l'énergie de l'Est | https://alliance-est.ca/

Vistra (NYSE: VST) announced an expansion of its battery aggregation program to include Enphase Energy's IQ Batteries, further scaling its residential virtual power plant (VPP) to strengthen grid reliability across Texas. The program, Battery Rewards, is offered through Vistra's flagship retail electricity brand, TXU Energy, and allows eligible Enphase customers to earn incentives by exporting stored battery power to the grid during periods of high demand.

Through Battery Rewards, Vistra aggregates energy from participating, customer-owned residential batteries and dispatches it to the Texas grid when it is needed most. By harnessing flexible distributed energy resources, the program helps manage peak demand and maximize the use of existing grid infrastructure.

"As Texas continues to expect rapid load growth, demand-side solutions are becoming increasingly important," said Sam Sen, Vistra's vice president of energy transition solutions. "By bringing additional flexible resources like batteries online during critical periods, we can strengthen grid reliability and serve more load using the infrastructure already in place."

TXU Energy customers who enroll in Battery Rewards and own an Enphase IQ Battery will receive financial incentives for participating while maintaining control of their systems during local power outages. Participants can also continue to benefit from TXU Energy solar buyback plans, which provide bill credits for excess solar energy exported to the grid.

"The pace of energy demand growth in Texas is unlike anything we've seen before, especially as more people move to the state, and industries from manufacturing to technology are all growing," said Marco Krapels, chief marketing officer and head of global energy markets at Enphase Energy. "Through our partnership with Vistra, flexible, distributed energy resources like Enphase home battery systems can help supply this demand when and where it's needed most, while homeowners are compensated and retain backup power and control when it matters most."

The virtual power plant relies on a sophisticated operating system to coordinate energy assets in real time. Kraken's AI-powered platform automatically responds during periods of high demand by shifting participating homes to draw power from their batteries instead of the grid. This temporarily reduces each home's grid demand and, when available, allows excess stored energy to be exported to the grid – helping customers participate effortlessly in a more flexible, affordable, and reliable energy system.

"Vistra is putting customers at the heart of the energy transformation," said Devrim Celal, chief flexibility officer at Kraken. "By connecting batteries into one smart system, we are helping the company support the grid while creating value for consumers. This creates better experiences and helps to build lasting customer relationships."

This VPP expansion builds on Vistra's long history of introducing innovative energy solutions, including first-to-Texas connected thermostat offerings and the nation's first free electric vehicle charging program supported by vehicle telematics.

With Battery Rewards, Vistra continues to give customers more choice and control over their energy use while playing an active role in supporting grid reliability. For more information about the Battery Rewards program, please visit txu.com.

Vistra | https://vistracorp.com/

Cypress Creek Renewables ("Cypress Creek" or the "Company") announced the departure of Sarah Slusser as Chief Executive Officer and the appointment of Kevin Smith as the new CEO.

As CEO for the last seven years, Ms. Slusser transformed the Company from a development-focused business into a leading independent power producer with more than 3.4 GW of solar and storage assets operating or under construction. Under her leadership, the Company expanded from its Southeastern roots into 24 states across the country, doubled its development pipeline, and built a strong in-house energy storage platform, highlighted by the commercialization of Cypress Creek's first standalone storage asset in 2023.

Ms. Slusser oversaw the Company's acquisition by EQT in 2021, positioning Cypress Creek for long term growth with the backing of a leading global infrastructure partner. She also guided the Company through two major federal tax policy shifts, advanced its focus on large utility-scale projects, strategically evolved its community solar platform into a scalable development and asset-rotation business, and assembled a talented management team that has positioned Cypress Creek for continued growth to serve the burgeoning demand, including large load.

Kevin Smith joins Cypress Creek at a pivotal moment in the Company's evolution, bringing more than three decades of leadership experience developing, financing, constructing, and operating energy infrastructure across five continents. Over his career, Kevin has led energy development efforts across the U.S. and internationally, building projects in 26 states and more than a dozen countries, with power contracts exceeding $75 billion in revenues.

Most recently, Kevin served as CEO of Arevon Energy, where he led the development and construction of more than $5.6 billion in solar and battery storage projects over the past two and a half years while nearly doubling the company's operating revenues. Prior to that, he was CEO, Americas for Lightsource bp in the United States, overseeing the company's rapid expansion in the U.S. market and completing more than $3.5 billion in solar projects. Kevin holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

"It has been an honor to lead Cypress Creek through a period of extraordinary growth and transformation," said Sarah Slusser. "I'm incredibly proud of the team we've built and the impact we've made in bringing more clean energy online across the country. Cypress Creek is stronger than ever, and I look forward to seeing it continue to thrive under Kevin's leadership."

"Sarah's tenure at Cypress Creek has been defined by growth, innovation, and a clear focus on scaling energy solutions to meet the demands of the future," said Matt Kestenbaum, Managing Director for EQT's Infrastructure Advisory Team Americas. "Sarah has built a strong platform for the next phase of the Company's journey, and we are thankful for her dedication, leadership, and partnership over the past five years. Kevin's proven track record of scaling renewable platforms and driving disciplined growth makes him uniquely suited to lead Cypress Creek through its next phase of expansion."

"On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Sarah for her exceptional leadership and dedication to Cypress Creek," said Kevin Howell, Chairman of the Cypress Creek Board of Directors. "Her vision and strategic execution have strengthened our Company's foundation and expanded its role as a leader in the energy transition. We are grateful for her contributions and wish her all the best. As we look to the future, the Board would like to welcome Kevin Smith to Cypress Creek."

"Cypress Creek has built a strong, differentiated platform with significant growth potential," said Kevin Smith. "I look forward to working alongside the team and our partners at EQT to scale the business, enhance enterprise value, and strengthen the Company's position as a leading renewable energy platform in the U.S."

Cypress Creek Renewables | https://ccrenew.com/