Renewable Energy

Gov. Spencer Cox called geothermal power the answer to not only people’s questions about the Box Elder Stratos data center, “but these types of projects all across the country.”

In conservative Utah, a coalition of cities and towns shows other communities how to bring new renewable energy to the electric grid in a unique way.

Utah installed more solar power in 2025 than in any year of the past decade. The Trump administration’s actions to slow down renewable energy projects threaten 40% of the state’s planned solar projects.

June 2 is the deadline for communities to officially enroll in Utah Renewable Communities. Participating customers will pay $4 a month toward new clean energy sources in the West.

Last year, Utah was the first state to pass a law allowing small-scale plug-in solar at home. Now, similar bills have popped up in more than 25 other states.

Maybe, but even the ones that want to be environmentally friendly face energy challenges.

The small panels, known as plug-in or balcony solar, are already popular in Europe. They could become more attractive to U.S. buyers now that residential rooftop solar credits are being scrapped under the GOP tax bill.

Tax credits for solar and wind power were cut from the federal budget bill. Geothermal’s incentives were preserved, keeping the technology on track to boom in the years to come.

The Lava Ridge Wind Project drew criticism for the height of its turbines as well as for its proximity to the Minidoka National Historic Site, where thousands of Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.

Waxy crude oil drawn from the Uinta Basin is at record high levels — the vast majority of the state’s 65.1 million barrels produced in 2024 — and is the driver behind Utah’s recent uptick in energy exports.

The Utah Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by seven young people who say the state’s energy policies fuel climate change and harm their lives. But plaintiffs can still amend their case and try again.

A new Sierra Club report touts the economic benefits of a more aggressive transition to clean energy like wind and solar. Utah leaders, however, are focused on their “all of the above” approach that still holds on to coal.