Why? A combo of high prices and power consumption as US households tried to keep cool amid searing temps, according to Heatmap and MIT’s Electricity Price Hub. Some of the biggest price spikes occurred in the mid-Atlantic, the country’s main data center hub.

Looking back: Last year, the average July bill notched only slightly lower at $215.

Another chart-topper: Amazon is planning a data center campus in Texas with a 7.6-GW onsite gas plant—this could become the country’s biggest single source of climate pollution.

What happened: Citing national security concerns, President Trump announced a 15% tariff on imports of polysilicon—a key ingredient in solar panels and AI infrastructure. China dominates global polysilicon production, while the US share of worldwide manufacturing has dropped from 50% in 2005 to less than 2% in 2024. 

Solar and security: In a rare pro-solar nod, Trump’s executive order acknowledges solar’s use in “various United States defense programs and artificial intelligence innovations.”

What happens now: The US must rely on its two existing polysilicon factories, located in Michigan and Tennessee. But the Trump administration says it will offer companies incentives to spur more domestic production.

The industry response? “Imposing tariffs and prices floors on solar materials will create new challenges for American manufacturers and raise energy costs for families and businesses,” wrote Solar Energy Industries Association CEO Tim Pawlenty in a statement. For example, most planned domestic factories haven’t even broken ground yet—and today’s limited capacity can’t meet current demand.

In Texas: Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent pause on data center reviews could delay nearly 50 GW of new projects—nearly 20% of the entire country’s data center pipeline—and cost developers up to $15B. 

In Wisconsin: A proposed $1B transmission project from American Transmission Company (ATC), planned to serve OpenAI and Oracle data centers, must return to square one. Last week, WI’s Public Service Commission voted to revoke the project’s “completeness determination.” Why? ATC has made over 500 changes to its original application, the PSC said. 

The background: Northern Virginia’s “Data Center Alley” needs more gigawatts to meet ballooning demand. One solution: New 765-kV lines to shuffle much-needed power from the Ohio Valley into eastern PJM. Valley Link (a joint venture between Dominion, FirstEnergy, and Transource) plans to develop nearly 400 miles of 765-kV lines in WV, MD, and VA. These include a 115-mile line spanning Central Virginia, which is estimated to cost up to $2B. 

The criticism: As we reported with the high-voltage buildout in Texas, some residents in the paths of proposed lines worry about possible environmental harms and impacts to their properties…and don’t want to fund the construction. Several county governments in the footprints of these lines have publicly opposed them. 

The response: After feedback from residents poured in, Valley Link tweaked route options in Central VA to reduce the number of homes within 500 feet of the corridor. “We aim to build transmission lines that power communities and the economy while minimizing community and environmental impacts,” the company wrote.

What’s next: This fall, Valley Link plans to file an application with Virginia’s State Corporation Commission for its Central VA line, while it doesn’t aim to submit applications for the multi-state line until 2027.

The latest: Duke has settled with NC officials representing ratepayers to 1) increase rates by an average of 3.4%/year over two years and 2) return money to customers if infrastructure upgrades hit delays. If greenlit by the NC Utilities Commission, the new rates will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

“We listened to stakeholders and responded to the everyday cost pressures facing our customers,” said Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, in a statement.

The background: Last month, Duke settled with the NC Public Staff on a 9.5% two-year rate increase (roughly half of Duke’s original 18% rate-hike request). But NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson refused to sign onto the agreement, claiming the figure was still too high. 

US battery storage capacity has grown by an average of 70% per year since 2023, per EIA data. 

Where we’re at now: In late 2025, the US had 43.6 GW in operational battery storage capacity. So far this year, operators have added 8.3 GW (and plan to add another 14 GW by EOY). 

Spark me up: Over the next 2.5 years, operators plan to bring on another 54 GW.