The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has changed the game for renewable energy developers. With fewer subsidies to fall back on, developers are being pushed to rethink where and how they build projects. It’s no longer about chasing tax credits, it’s about finding the projects that can stand on their own two feet.
Here are five of the biggest shifts developers should have on their radar when building their pipeline and project strategy post-OBBBA.
1. Viable Projects Must Stand Without Subsidies Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Not every project will survive in the post-OBBBA world. According to Enverus Intelligence® Research (EIR), just 30% of solar and 57% of onshore wind projects in queues today are resilient enough to move forward without tax incentives. Developers need to look beyond incentives and focus on regions with the strongest economics, think high-capacity factors, competitive costs and favorable offtake options.
Key question: Are you building projects that work even when tax credits dry up?
2. Location Will Make or Break Your Project
The days of “anywhere is good enough” are over. EIR data shows a sharp regional divide between high-value and low-value regions are widening:
- Solar projects in California (98%) and Arizona (100%) remain strong.
- Wind projects in Montana (100%) and Oklahoma (82%) are still competitive.
- Other regions like Texas (6% solar, 61% wind) and Illinois (40% solar, 48% wind) are facing steeper challenges.
Key question: Are you prioritizing regions where your project economics still hold up?
Developers who use Enverus find land 4x quicker, spend 500 fewer days in the interconnection queue and are 9x more likely to reach project success than those who don’t use Enverus.
3. Interconnection Speed Matters More Than Ever in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Era
Interconnection delays were already a bottleneck—now they risk being fatal to project economics. OBBBA reduces the construction window for projects seeking tax credits, meaning projects must reach operation faster or risk becoming stranded assets. Projects starting after July 4, 2025, must be in service within four years (by 2029), or lose eligibility for the ITC/PTC.
Financing is tighter, margins are thinner and speed is the difference between a viable project and a sunk cost.
Key question: Are you setting your projects up to move quickly through the queue?
4. Transmission Capacity Is Now Prime Real Estate
With margins narrowing, transmission access is more valuable than ever. While the reports don’t provide direct numbers on transmission, the combination of declining subsidy availability and strict in-service timelines makes sites with favorable interconnection and transmission access a key competitive advantage. Projects without clear access risk curtailment or financial infeasibility.
Key question: Are you screening sites for long-term deliverability and interconnection success?
5. Data-Driven Siting and Designing Is Your Margin Protector
Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, margins are shrinking but that doesn’t mean your returns have to. Developers leveraging detailed siting data, competitive intelligence and design optimization will outcompete those relying on outdated approaches. With less room for error, data is no longer optional — it’s essential to profitability. The OBBBA reports show just how variable project viability is across regions and developers, underlining the importance of precise data in site selection, competitive benchmarking and economic optimization.
And it doesn’t stop at site selection; design optimization plays a huge role in protecting margins. Developers using RatedPower, Enverus automated PV and BESS design tool, can optimize designs faster, identify the most cost-effective configurations and increase project profitability by up to 20%. In today’s margin-tight environment, every percentage point counts.
Key question: Is your team armed with the data—and the design tools—to make smarter, faster decisions?
Final Word: The OBBBA Era Rewards Smarter Development
The renewables market isn’t slowing down, but it is changing. Developers that adapt quickly, with better siting, faster timelines and sharper economic strategies will be the ones who thrive in the next 30 months.
The rest? Risk getting left behind.
About Enverus
Enverus is the largest energy-only focused software company in the world. More than 6,000 businesses use our solutions, including more than 1,000 in electric power markets. Every day, 7,500+ users utilize our solutions to develop and design projects, manage the grid, trade power, and buy and sell assets.
We are one of the key players in power software and analytics and we have differentiators across the business and in each of our platforms. Just to name a few…we’re the only company with a 15-year head start in renewables and grid infrastructure intelligence and real-time grid optimization down to the node, and we’re the best at forecasting load. If you’re active in the power market, chances are we have a solution that can help you.
Our team is 1,700 employees strong and includes more than 300 people dedicated to power and renewables. These industry veterans and PhDs apply their real-life experience and expertise to ensuring that the data, software, and intelligence solve the unique challenges facing the power industry.
