Southeast Energy News

An end in sight for the longest oil spill in U.S. history

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OFFSHORE DRILLING: Oil that’s been leaking from a Gulf of Mexico drilling site for 14 years is finally being contained, and a chronic oil sheen is now “barely visible,” according to Coast Guard officials. (Associated Press)

ALSO:
• Federal regulators are still processing nine permits for seismic testing in the Atlantic Ocean despite announcing plans to delay an expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling. (The State)
• Groups in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia will protest offshore drilling along beaches tomorrow. (WJCT, Savannah Morning News, Virginian-Pilot)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join utility and energy professionals at the region’s largest energy event, Solar Power Southeast, May 29-30 in Atlanta. Back for a 5th year, over 700 attendees and 70 exhibitors will be in attendance.

Southeast Energy News

Florida regulators approve shared solar tariff

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SOLAR: A Charlottesville, Virginia, solar installer partners with the city to train and diversify its solar workforce. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:
• Florida regulators approve Tampa Electric Company’s shared solar energy tariff that is supposed to encourage customers to transition to solar. (Utility Dive)
• A Georgia county adopts a moratorium on solar farms, saying commissioners need to develop an ordinance for projects. (WALB)
• The mayor of South Miami says he wants the city to be powered primarily by solar energy within the next 20 years. (CBS Miami)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join utility and energy professionals at the region’s largest energy event, Solar Power Southeast, May 29-30 in Atlanta.

Southeast Energy News

Puerto Rican coal ash shipments anger Florida residents

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WIND: A contentious bill to ban wind farms in eastern North Carolina misses a key legislative deadline, but the proposal could reappear this session. (Energy News Network)

COAL ASH: Central Florida residents demand the halt of coal ash shipments from a power plant in Puerto Rico to a private landfill in their county. (Osceola News Gazette)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join utility and energy professionals at the region’s largest energy event, Solar Power Southeast, May 29-30 in Atlanta. Back for a 5th year, over 700 attendees and 70 exhibitors will be in attendance. You can expect to hear from the utility, private sector, and non-profit leaders from throughout the Southeast region.***

RENEWABLES:
• Clean energy generated more than $28 billion in economic impact in North Carolina since 2007, according to an industry group’s report.

Southeast Energy News

Dominion says storage too costly for long-range plan

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SOLAR: Dominion Energy excluded solar-plus-storage projects from its long-term resource plan, saying storage is too costly. (PV Magazine)

ALSO:
• U.S. solar installations are expected to double to 4 million in four years, boosted by growth in states like South Carolina, according to a research firm’s report. (Houston Chronicle)
• A boat manufacturer starts using solar to power its manufacturing facility in Summerville, South Carolina. (Solar Power World)
• Construction begins on a solar farm in rural North Carolina that will help power a pharmaceutical company. (WWAY)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join utility and energy professionals at the region’s largest energy event, Solar Power Southeast, May 29-30 in Atlanta.

Southeast Energy News

Solar industry to double down on policy in Southern states

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SOLAR: Solar industry groups plan to focus more on state policy in the South after South Carolina passes a bill that overhauls net metering and utility planning. (PV Magazine)

ALSO: Georgia Power plans a solar demonstration on a Georgia university campus to engage students. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join utility and energy professionals at the region’s largest energy event, Solar Power Southeast, May 29-30 in Atlanta. Back for a 5th year, over 700 attendees and 70 exhibitors will be in attendance. You can expect to hear from the utility, private sector, and non-profit leaders from throughout the Southeast region.***

UTILITIES: Duke Energy’s CEO says she is “disappointed” that South Carolina utility regulators are restricting its plans to raise monthly bills and clamp down on profit margins.