Utility-scale project roundup: Utah solar, Texas tech power, California microgrids and storage, and Massachusetts community solar

A batch of large power projects moved forward this month, mostly big-picture grid news rather than anything homeowners need to act on. In Utah, EDF Power Solutions locked in financing for a 300-megawatt solar farm that will send power across state lines to Los Angeles under a 30-year contract, helping California utilities meet clean-energy targets. In Texas, ENGIE agreed to supply up to 568 megawatts of wind power to Oracle for its data centers, part of the tech industry's push to run computing operations on carbon-free electricity.

Closer to home for some readers, PG&E in Northern California awarded $30 million to six new community microgrid projects — local solar-and-battery systems that can keep the power on during outages — in Humboldt, Sonoma, San Mateo, Butte, Placer, and El Dorado counties. One project in Pescadero will pair solar panels with battery storage to keep nearly the whole town running for at least 24 hours during wildfire or storm shutoffs. PG&E has now opened applications for a third and final round of this grant program, open to local governments, tribes, and community groups. Separately, Arevon began major construction on a battery storage project in Daly City, capable of powering the equivalent of 321,000 homes during evening peak hours, with electricity going to community choice provider MCE.

In Massachusetts, Northern Sun broke ground on two community solar-plus-storage projects in Swansea, using the state's SMART 3.0 incentive program, which is meant to expand access to shared solar power for residents who can't install panels of their own.