11 GW-plus Northwest plan, Austria's storage pivot, Walmart's 100th charger

Three items from August 13 to 21, 2026: the Pacific Northwest's draft plan for more than 11 GW of new generation, Austria's planned pivot from rooftop-solar subsidies to storage, and Walmart's 100th fast-charging store.

The Northwest's draft plan calls for more than 11 GW of new generation by 2032

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council released its draft Ninth Power Plan on August 13, 2026, recommending the four-state region add more than 11 GW of new generation capacity by 2032: 9 GW of renewables plus 2.1 GW of natural-gas capacity, alongside more than 5 GW of storage, 1,060 average megawatts of energy efficiency, and 590 MW of demand response. The council projects the region's annual energy demand growing from 22,000 average megawatts today to between 31,000 and 44,000 by 2046, with data centers driving the near-term surge and electrification carrying the longer arc. The portfolio's estimated fixed cost in 2032 is $2.3 billion, about 0.15% of the region's $1.46 trillion economy. Public hearings run September and October across Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, with adoption targeted for the end of 2026. More than 5 GW of added storage would land on top of a national utility-scale fleet already near 52 GW.

Austria plans to fund batteries instead of small rooftop solar

Austria's economy and energy ministry announced a "storage offensive" on August 20, 2026: from 2027, the ministry plans to phase out broad subsidies for small residential rooftop solar and redirect support toward battery storage. A storage study the ministry commissioned puts the economically useful level at up to 8 GW of market-oriented battery capacity by 2030. Austria has more than 3.2 GWh of battery storage installed today, per industry forecasts the ministry cites, most of it in home-scale units under 50 kWh, next to 6.2 GW of pumped hydro. Under the planned redesign, niche solar would keep its funding (building-integrated panels, agrivoltaics, parking canopies, floating arrays, noise-barrier systems), storage paired with the installation of an energy-management system would become eligible even without a new PV array, battery permitting is slated for acceleration, and a dedicated program is to fund home and commercial energy-management systems. The reworked scheme is also to pay a bonus to projects using European-made core components. Per ESS News, the redesign follows a funding round whose budget was exhausted in 33 seconds; the final call under the current rules opens in October 2026. Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer's argument is the duck curve's own: cheap midday solar helps only if it is still available when demand arrives. The instrument differs, but the direction matches New Jersey's proposal to pay home batteries directly.

Walmart's fast-charging network reaches 100 stores in 20 states

Walmart opened its 100th company-owned fast-charging site at a Supercenter in Monument, Colorado, the company announced on August 21, 2026. The network spans 20 states and delivers up to 400 kW through both CCS and NACS plugs, with most sites fielding eight to 16 stalls; the hardware is ABB E-mobility's A400 and Alpitronic's HYC400, per Electrek. Payment and session management run inside the standard Walmart app, with discounts for Walmart+ members. Walmart's stated strategy is siting chargers where people already shop, and the arithmetic behind it is Electrek's other detail: more than 5,200 US locations, with roughly 90% of Americans living within 10 miles of one. Electrek notes Walmart's original plan: chargers at thousands of Walmart and Sam's Club stores by 2030. The Monument opening makes 100.