2026 Goldsmith Explanatory Prize Winner: Power Struggle

Why It Matters

The story shows that without grid upgrades, even aggressive renewable mandates cannot deliver clean‑energy growth, reshaping policy priorities for states and investors.

Key Takeaways

• Texas outpaces Washington and Oregon in renewable project development
• Texas lacks green mandates yet builds more wind, solar farms
• Northwest states face grid capacity constraints limiting new clean energy
• Legislators ignored warnings about grid readiness for renewables
• Reporting exposes governance gaps hindering renewable infrastructure rollout

Summary

The Goldsmith Explanatory Prize‑winning series “Power Struggle” examines why Texas, a state without any renewable‑energy mandates, has built far more wind and solar capacity than the supposedly progressive Pacific Northwest.

The reporting shows that Washington and Oregon, both legislated to reach 100 % clean power, rank among the nation’s lowest in renewable growth. State officials were warned that the regional transmission grid could not absorb additional clean‑energy projects, yet no upgrades were pursued, leaving developers facing “longer odds” than anywhere else.

As the series notes, “What surprised us most was… Texas… has done exponentially more than Washington or Oregon.” The piece cites Texas adding gigawatts of wind and solar annually, while the Northwest’s grid bottlenecks have stalled projects despite policy ambitions.

The investigation highlights a governance failure: policy goals without infrastructure planning stall the clean‑energy transition. It signals to lawmakers that grid modernization is as critical as renewable targets for achieving climate objectives.

Original Description

Monica Samayoa and Tony Schick | Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) in collaboration with ProPublica's Local Reporting Network

Produced in partnership with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network, Power Struggle explains why states in the Pacific Northwest — despite their portrayal as leaders in green energy — rank near the bottom of the country for the growth of renewable power. This reporting team broke down green energy production and its relationship to the nation’s electrical grid and explained how the Northwest region’s electrical grid was incapable of hooking up all the new wind and solar farms that are needed to reduce fossil fuel use. The series was eye-opening to local lawmakers and served as a catalyst for reform.

Learn more at: https://goldsmithawards.org/honoree/2615/ and read the reporting at https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/12/oregon-washington-green-energy-bonneville/

Images used here courtesy of OPB and ProPublica.