Renewable Energy

ELectric red and white Caltrain train at outdoor covered platform.

Electric Caltrain Will Earn $1 Million/Year Returning Power to the Grid

The train returns 23% of the power it generates to the state’s grid, powering homes and businesses along its route.

October 16, 2025 - Metro Magazine

Worker in yellow safety jacket standing in field next to wind turbine.

Feds Terminate $7.56 Billion for Clean Energy Projects

The Department of Energy canceled awards to over 200 renewable energy projects.

October 5, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Metal gate with Texas logo and star with wide open field with white wind turbines behind it.

Texas Rural Communities Could Lose Billions From Renewable Energy Tax Credit Cuts

Texas produces more solar and wind energy than anywhere in America — and the tax revenue from it pays for rural schools, hospitals, law enforcement and more. The One Big Beautiful Bill threatens that.

August 19, 2025 - Julia Tilton

Close-up of white sneakers walking on solar-powered sidewalk panels.

Is the Future of Solar in our Sidewalks?

From photovoltaic pavement to bus stops that charge EVs from below, the next generation of clean energy infrastructure is right under our feet.

August 12, 2025 - Jennifer Cole

Oil refinery sillhouetted against evening sky.

Building a Just Energy Transition

A new book outlines a “four-plus pillars” framework for phasing out fossil fuels while addressing systemic inequities, emphasizing public support, dedicated funding, economic diversification, coalitions, and reforms that dismantle extractive systems.

August 11, 2025 - Inequality.org

Lake Erie waterfront with many small boats and Cleveland, Ohio buildings in background.

Op-Ed: The Great Lakes Could Be a Key Source of Wind Energy

States, not the federal government, have authority over wind power leases in the Great Lakes.

August 6, 2025 - Governing

Electric vehicle charging station with white cars plugged in

Charging Ahead: Why EV Infrastructure Is Still Expanding Despite Market Uncertainty

Electrify America is forging ahead with major charging network expansions, confident that long-term demand will keep rising despite short-term EV market and policy disruptions.

August 4, 2025 - Inside EVs

Solar panels installed on wrought iron balcony in Germany.

Bay Area Embraces ‘Balcony Solar’

Popular in Germany, wall- or balcony-mounted solar panels come at a lower cost and face fewer regulatory hurdles than rooftop solar, but their legal status in California is murky.

July 30, 2025 - KQED

Large Google data center building in The Dalles, Oregon.

Data Centers Threaten Western Water Supplies, Power Grids

The rapidly growing need for water to cool data centers is endangering one of the West’s most essential resources.

July 28, 2025 - High Country News

Downtown Portland, Oregon with convention center in foreground with green glass spires and rooftop solar panels visible.

Oregon Approves Ambitious Framework for ’Microgrids’

Local energy “islands” within the larger power system ensure key facilities can remain online during emergencies and power outages.

July 22, 2025 - Oregon Capital Chronicle

Aerial view of single-family homes with rooftop solar panels in planned development near Austin, Texas.

A New Texas Neighborhood is Powered by Geothermal Energy

The 7,500-home development claims to be Austin’s ‘first zero energy planned community.’

June 29, 2025 - Floodlight

"Radiation Zone, Keep Out" sign on wood post with red Arizona desert mesa in background

Integrating Human Rights Into Energy and Extractive Sector Transitions

Why just transition efforts must move beyond economic considerations by embedding human rights principles into business practices to ensure equitable, transparent, and accountable outcomes for affected communities and workers.

May 12, 2025 - Cambridge University Press

Offshore wind turbines in water against a sunset sky

Bringing Community Voices Into Renewable Energy Planning

The MIT Renewable Energy Clinic helps coastal communities navigate the complexities of offshore wind development through neutral, inclusive engagement that surfaces local concerns and supports fair decision-making.

May 5, 2025 - MIT News

A large Google data center building in the Netherlands.

Rethinking Computing: Researchers Tackle AI’s Energy Demands

USC researchers are reimagining how AI systems are trained and powered — through smarter algorithms, innovative hardware, and brain-inspired designs — to dramatically reduce computing’s energy footprint.

May 4, 2025 - USC News

A line of white wind turbines surrounded by wheat and soybean fields with a cloudy blue sky in the background.

Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal

The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.

April 15, 2025 - Fast Company

Aerial view of Claifornia aqueduct with green orchard on one side.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy

California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

April 3, 2025 - Turlock Journal

Herd of cows standing in front of wind turbine in grassy field in Texas.

Renewable Energy Overtakes Coal for First Time

Solar and wind power generated close to a third of U.S. electricity supplies in 2024.

March 25, 2025 - Governing

Lava visible in crater with steam coming out in Hawaii.

Can Geothermal Energy Fuel Hawaiʻi’s Future?

Gavin Murphy, a New Zealand-based consultant with experience in indigenous-led geothermal projects, argues that Hawaiʻi is poised to achieve energy independence and economic growth by respectfully developing its untapped geothermal resources.

March 24, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Orange sign with white "Electric vehicle charging only" sign outdoors with tree in background.

10 States Follow Through on Promise to Put 3.3 Million EVs on the Road

Rebate programs are at the heart of collaborative success.

March 20, 2025 - Oregon Capital Chronicle

Close-up of electric bus being charged with portable charger.

Zero-Emission Bus Fleets Grow, But Federal Funding Is in Jeopardy

Transit agencies around the country have purchased over 7,000 zero-emission buses, but a federal program that funds the shift could be eliminated under the new administration.

March 17, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.