ENERGY EFFICIENCY: With its approval of an integrated resource plan, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board values energy efficiency for the first time on par with other forms of power. (Associated Press)
SOLAR:
• The “Solarize South Carolina“initiative seeks to outfit 2,000 homes with solar in the next 18 months. (The Post and Courier)
• A “system glitch” draws complaints over how Florida Power & Light handled rebates for solar systems in January. (Palm Beach Post)
• A reduction in the federal solar tax credit could add five years to the payback period for a solar system in Georgia. (Athens Banner-Herald)
• Solar cell-maker Suniva says it will invest nearly $100 million to expand its metro Atlanta headquarters, creating up to 500 jobs. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
CLIMATE: A science center in Danville, Virginia is spotlighted by the White House for its climate change education initiatives. (Danville Register-Bee)
UTILITIES:
• Ratepayers of Dominion Virginia Power are paying for tens of thousands of dollars of donations it has made to politically connected charities, according to the Associated Press. (Associated Press)
• Utility workers recall how they responded to Hurricane Katrina 10 years ago. (Utility Products)
TECHNOLOGY: A Georgia plant that makes electrical transformers is trying to transform itself to better compete with manufacturers abroad. (Savannah Morning News)
FOSSIL FUELS: The CEO of Murray Energy sounds off against the Obama administration’s efforts to regulate coal- and natural gas-fired power generation. (Wheeling News-Register)
OIL TRAINS: Documents released from a probe of the 2014 derailment of a CSX oil train in Lynchburg, Virginia have yet to answer why a company official took two hours to respond on site. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• Heightened earthquake risks and cheaper alternatives should prevent the authorization of a a third nuclear reactor at Dominion’s North Anna complex. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• How offshore drilling could forever alter the economies along the Southeast coast. (Huffington Post)
• The new integrated resource plan by the TVA underestimates the potential of energy efficiency and renewables to provide low cost electricity to its customers. (Southern Environmental Law Center)