CLEAN POWER PLAN: California’s dependence on imported clean energy could complicate its road to meeting carbon targets. (Bloomberg)
SOLAR:
• Industry employees dress as Darth Vader and other pop-culture villains to protest a Nevada utility’s net metering cap. (Reno Gazette-Journal)
• A solar company is threatening to sue to obtain correspondence between a Nevada utility and the governor’s office amid a solar policy dispute. (Las Vegas Sun)
• North Carolina became the fourth state in the country to reach 1 gigawatt of solar photovoltaic capacity. (PV Tech)
WIND: Two new Department of Energy reports find that wind energy continues to surge as prices fall. (Washington Post)
POLLUTION: The EPA is working on revisions to its mercury and air toxics pollution rule that the Supreme Court said recently didn’t fully account for costs. (The Hill)
FRACKING: A Texas man was permanently disfigured after methane from a nearby drilling operation contaminated his water well and exploded, according to a lawsuit. (Courthouse News Service)
KEYSTONE XL: TransCanada is quietly planning a response to what company officials expect will be a rejection of the project from the White House. (CBC News)
COAL:
• More-efficient mining techniques are expected to help sustain the coal industry. (Bloomberg)
• Operations are suspended once again at an Illinois coal mine due to elevated levels of carbon monoxide detected. (SNL Energy)
GRID:
• While Texas grid operators are reporting no reliability issues despite a hot summer, there are still concerns about the future. (EnergyWire)
• The PJM Interconnection is expressing concern over how the EPA’s mercury rule will affect reliability. (Platts)
UTILITIES:
• An Ohio utility will have its chance next month to convince state regulatorsthat its income-guarantee plans for struggling plants will be good for customers.(Columbus Business First)
• A New Mexico utility wants to join a lawsuit seeking to block a newspaper from publishing details of a rate case involving a partial coal plant shutdown. (Albuquerque Journal)
TECHNOLOGY: The infant U.S. wave-to-energy industry looks to build more testing facilities. (ClimateWire)
EFFICIENCY: Next month, global retailer Ikea will start selling only LED light bulbs at its stores as part of its sustainability efforts. (New York Times)
COMMENTARY: How renewable energy can save utilities money. (Utility Dive)