Author: Clean Energy Group Staff    Published: 12/12/2025  Clean Energy Group

Updates for December 2025

The Three Biggest Harms from Irresponsible Data Center Development

Clean Energy Group hosted a recent webinar 

The numerous risks from the unrestricted build-out of data centers across the country have prompted local groups to spearhead the movement for data center reform. CEG hosted a recent webinar on the potential hazards of rapid data center development and what community groups can do to mitigate harmful proposals.

The main takeaways from the discussion were:

  • Data center energy demand is increasing pollution from fossil fuel power plants
  • Data center development is raising electric utility bills due to expensive infrastructure costs
  • Data centers use massive amounts of water, further straining local supplies

A new blog post by CEG Project Manager Eva Morgan describes the local impact of data centers and outlines how clean energy advocates can respond to data center growth.

Community Events Across the Country Focus on Solar+Storage

Clean Energy Group’s partners in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Boulder hosted a series of community gatherings this fall to build awareness about solar+storage, resilience hubs, and available incentives and funding opportunities in their area.

  • Green Building United (Philadelphia, PA) launched its Better Buildings Hub, a one-stop resource for creating energy-efficient, climate-ready, and people-centered buildings, including a suite of educational materials about solar and energy storage in Pennsylvania.
  • Empower Our Future (Boulder, Colorado) participated in a series of virtual and in-person community events and meetings reaching over 100 people. EOF’s new resilience hub webpage hosts a growing library of resources and Colorado case studies.
  • Forward Together Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) hosted a full day convening for over 200 people from across the state to celebrate climate successes, discuss opportunities for clean energy investments, and collaborate towards a cleaner future. CEG Project Manager Anna Adamsson joined the event to moderate a panel on resilience hubs, featuring speakers from the Bad River Band, the La Farge library resilience hub, and Elevate.

These three organizations are participating in CEG’s Clean Energy Incentive Navigator program. Navigator organizations serve as local solar+storage knowledge hubs able to provide support to community members that are developing and seeking funding for local solar+storage projects. CEG is hosting a webinar later today, December 11 at 2pm ET, where five of the Navigator organizations will present what they learned, what resources they developed, and what advice they have for building momentum around resilient power in the current climate. Register for the webinar here.

Introducing the Southeast’s First Health Center Powered by Solar+Storage
When Hurricane Ida landed in Louisiana in August 2021, it decimated the area’s energy infrastructure. Over 1 million residents lost power, some for weeks, with outages impacting everything from communications to transportation. CrescentCare, a Federally Qualified Health Center in New Orleans, was forced to close when its backup diesel generators failed to operate during the crisis. A new case study follows the health center’s journey to install solar and battery storage for energy savings and resilience.

Questions About Battery Storage Safety? Two New CEG Resources Answer Frequently Asked Questions

Battery storage systems can serve as a clean, reliable source of backup power for homes and businesses and as an efficient tool to meet peak demand and provide flexibility to the power grid. But as battery storage adoption grows, so do concerns regarding safety. To build battery storage safety awareness and dispel common misconceptions, Clean Energy Group has published the first two resources in a new Lithium-Ion Battery Storage Safety Toolkit.

The Residential Lithium-Ion Battery Storage Fire Safety handout provides advice for mitigating fire risks and responding to a battery fire in single family homes.

The Utility-Scale Lithium-Ion Battery Storage Fire Safety handout outlines safety standards and best practices for large-scale battery storage installations, and how communities can engage with developers to ensure they understand the system proposed for their community and its safety measures. The resources are the first in a series of resources about lithium-ion battery storage safety and its environmental, health, and human rights impacts.

New Jersey Peaker Power Plant Could Cut Emissions by 70% by Adding Storage

Clean Energy Group submitted comments regarding the renewal of Calpine Mid-Atlantic Generation’s Sherman Avenue peaker power plant in Vineland, New Jersey. Based on CEG’s analysis of the plant’s operations, adding battery storage to the site is both economically and technically feasible and would lead to a substantial decrease in emissions. A 90-megawatt, 8-hour battery system would meet 82 percent of the events in which the plant is called upon, leading to a 55 percent reduction in local air pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions. A 12-hour battery system would lead to a 74 percent reduction in emissions. CEG recommended that the plant be required to pursue hybridization to renew its Title V Air Permit, under the requirements of New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Impact Law.