In 2026, utility-scale energy storage projects in the U.S. will face headwinds that could slow the pace of a technology that is fast becoming a global grid staple, warns columnist Dej Knuckey.

The Trump administration has ordered all offshore wind generation construction halted and has stalled some onshore wind projects.

The degree of risk and uncertainty springing from indifferent or outright obstructive new federal policies in 2025 has trimmed planned solar deployment.

An announcement by the U.S. Department of Interior said the Department of Defense had identified wind farms as national security risks and is pausing offshore wind leases.

House Republicans amended the SPEED Act on its way to a floor vote, in order to allow the Trump administration to keep repealing Biden-era permits for offshore wind, which led renewable energy groups to drop support for the bill.

New solar, battery storage and onshore wind power generation totaled 11.7 GW in the third quarter of 2025, the American Clean Power Association reported.

The House Natural Resources Committee advanced a package of permitting bills, headlined by the SPEED Act that seeks to speed up permit processing and limit litigation.

Reports of the energy storage industry’s demise are greatly exaggerated, experts said during the American Clean Power Association’s annual Energy Storage Summit.

CAISO’s Market Monitor cautioned that a new resource adequacy proposal could lead to strategic gaming in the ISO’s market when capacity supplies are tight on the grid.