Issue: Utilities

The landscape for clean energy buildout in the US has changed dramatically in the last year. Yet one constant is the ongoing barrage of mis- and dis-information1 from a variety of actors, from industry-backed anti-wind front groups to the President. The narratives and debates continue to evolve, however, and this report collects relevant research and insights from practice from the past 12 months, to provide guidance for anti-disinformation practitioners on two key emerging topics in the clean energy information space:
Affordability: electricity costs and clean energy
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)

Join us for our final Clean Energy Deep Dive of the year, featuring Clean Virginia– a group on the frontlines of the fight for a just and equitable clean energy transition.

Views on grid-connected battery energy storage systems (BESS) are positive, but awareness is low: people are at an early stage of learning (and likely thinking) about this emerging technology, and over time opinions could potentially be swayed either way. Results from a national survey and a message test indicate no major opposition to BESS, and support is high after being informed about basic information, though there are some concerns about risks. When asked, people rate grid reliability as the most convincing reason for BESS, followed by its ability to support intermittent renewable energy; BESS’s positive impacts on local economies and lowering utility bills were also convincing. In testing, both high production value videos featuring testimonials from renewable energy workers as well as simpler graphic explainer videos were persuasive.

We have our work cut out for us. Every day, the Trump administration launches a fresh attack on clean energy. Today, I want to share a path forward to bolster our clean energy narrative and messaging (so we can organize more effectively), based on my conversations and insights from the Lab’s Clean Energy Hub.

Current energy and water systems are failing us. Too often, corporate shareholder profits are prioritized over providing affordable, clean energy and water to our communities. While profits break records, millions have their power and water shutoff and accumulate debt turning these essential services back on. We’re launching the “Utilities for All” playbook to point the path towards a world where utility bills are affordable, with no risk of shutoff or mountains of debt accumulating in sight.

Research with voters across the country points to the best path forward to hold power companies accountable. Messaging was extensively tested via qualitative and survey research, which identifies a clear path forward that focuses on corporate greed, monopolization, and corruption.

From our July 2025 study with The Alliance for Climate Transition (ACT), we found that residents in the US Northeast have little familiarity with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), but are intrigued by the technology when it is framed around improved electricity reliability and lower utility bills. However, those perceptions are endangered by concerns that BESS may endanger their homes or entail high upfront installation costs.

Finding “bright spots”, or models of success, can inspire and inform change. Today we’re sharing highlights from a Lab case study about how funders and local organizers and advocates built an inclusive and powerful climate movement in Minnesota that resulted in wins such as the state’s 2023 100% clean energy law.