Southeast Energy News

Dominion’s five new solar projects to support Facebook

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EMISSIONS: Even if Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam vetoes a Republican amendment to block the state from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the General Assembly will still have leverage to shape how the state participates in it. (Energy News Network)

SOLAR:
• Dominion Energy announces plans to acquire or build five solar projects in North Carolina and Virginia to support Facebook’s operations. (PV Magazine)
• A Texas county approves a tax abatement plan for a large solar project. (Corsicana Daily Sun)
• The San Antonio area’s second-largest solar array comes online at an Ikea. (San Antonio Express-News)

***SPONSORED LINK: Receive continuing education credits, learn about new energy solutions and best practices, and network with over 800 attendees at the 2019 State Energy Conference of North Carolina, April 30-May 1, in Raleigh N.C. Learn more and register today!***

EFFICIENCY:
• The University of North Alabama partners with an energy company to cut energy costs on campus by 20%.

Southeast Energy News

Virginia regulators vote to join RGGI

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EMISSIONS: Virginia regulators vote to enter the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to reduce carbon emissions from power plants, but Republican legislators are trying to block the move. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

ALSO: An Alabama plant is among the first carbon capture projects to begin sucking carbon dioxide out of the air. (Washington Post, subscription)

***SPONSORED LINK: Receive continuing education credits, learn about new energy solutions and best practices, and network with over 800 attendees at the 2019 State Energy Conference of North Carolina, April 30-May 1, in Raleigh N.C. Learn more and register today!***

SOLAR:
• A clean energy group’s report showed Georgia is a regional leader in solar but other states are catching up and could pull ahead. (Associated Press)
• Duke Energy expects to boost its solar capacity by 20% in the Carolinas within the next two years thanks to newly announced projects. (Winston-Salem Journal)

WIND: A Houston developer starts construction of a 160 megawatt wind farm in Andrews County, Texas.

Southeast Energy News

Controversial N.C. power plant on hold for 15 years

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UTILITIES: Duke Energy’s plans to build a natural gas plant in western North Carolina that would accommodate high energy demands in the area are put on hold until at least 2032. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

ALSO:
• North Carolina lawmakers advance a bill that would let Duke Energy seek multi-year rate increases for major projects. (Charlotte Business Journal, subscription)
• The Florida Chamber of Commerce files a legal brief with the state Supreme Court opposing a proposed amendment that would reduce large power companies’ control over the energy market. (Florida Politics)

***SPONSORED LINK: Receive continuing education credits, learn about new energy solutions and best practices, and network with over 800 attendees at the 2019 State Energy Conference of North Carolina, April 30-May 1, in Raleigh N.C. Learn more and register today!***

OIL & GAS:
• East Texas and Louisiana break a 2011 shale production record, hitting 10.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day this month. (Houston Chronicle)
• Rising production in Texas and Appalachia could lead to pipeline capacity constraints sooner than originally thought, some analysts say.

Southeast Energy News

Will TVA’s new leader make the utility greener?

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RENEWABLES: The Tennessee Valley Authority’s new CEO talks with the utility’s council about its long-range energy plan and ways to boost renewable energy production. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

SOLAR:
• Duke Energy announces contracts for 602 MW of solar in North Carolina, with nearly half of the projects to be built by the utility or its own subsidiaries. (Greentech Media)
• An Arkansas electric cooperative will build a 1 MW solar array to power some of its operations. (Arkansas Money & Politics)
• Chesterfield, Virginia officials plan for its first two solar projects. (Chesterfield Observer)
• Florida could surpass North Carolina as the Southeast’s top solar state, according to a clean energy group’s report.

Southeast Energy News

TVA knew about toxic coal ash decades ago

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Critics worry Duke Energy’s $76 million electric vehicle plan for North Carolina will give the company a monopoly and crowd out competition for charging infrastructure. (Energy News Network)

COAL ASH:
• The Tennessee Valley Authority’s own testing in 1981 and 1995 revealed coal ash contained radioactive materials and toxic heavy metals, but the company didn’t tell workers. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
• A North Carolina Senate committee passes a bill that would change the way state regulators approve rate increases for Duke Energy and could help it get approval for increases to clean up coal ash. (WRAL)
• Officials in a North Carolina county pass a resolution to study cancer hot spots some believe may be related to coal ash contamination. (Fox 46)

***SPONSORED LINK: Receive continuing education credits, learn about new energy solutions and best practices, and network with over 800 attendees at the 2019 State Energy Conference of North Carolina, April 30-May 1, in Raleigh N.C. Learn more and register today!***

SOLAR:
• A public hearing for a utility-scale solar farm in northern Virginia will take place in July.