OFFSHORE WIND: One of Europe’s largest utilities intends to become a player in the U.S. offshore wind industry, as it sees the Northeast as the biggest opportunity in the worldwide market. (Greentech Media)
ALSO: New York will conduct five studies to assess the impact of offshore wind development on marine life and commercial fishing. (Newsday)
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SOLAR:
• The most profitable piece of the U.S. solar industry is making inverters that connect the panels to the electric grid. (Bloomberg)
• A Michigan utility CEO says transitioning from coal to solar is a “trade-up” and not a “trade-off” for customers, investors and the environment. (S&P Global)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Midwest utilities explore new “smart charging” strategies for encouraging customers to plug in electric vehicles during off-peak times. (Energy News Network)
MICROGRIDS:
• Natural disasters are not a major catalyst for microgrid development, even if some systems are installed after storms, new research shows. (Greentech Media)
• A $1 billion microgrid at a Connecticut data center will be powered by 44 fuel cells. (Microgrid Knowledge)
GRID: Texas’ biggest electricity seller says the state’s grid manager is overstating generating capacity of renewables and that electricity supplies will be much tighter than expected. (Houston Chronicle)
COAL:
• The buyer of two Blackjewel mines in Wyoming plans to keep the mines open for less than 12 months, according to sources. (Wyoming Public Media)
• The new owner of two former Blackjewel coal mines in Kentucky says it will try to re-hire employees who were laid off and pay their backwages. (WBIR)
• A Kentucky coal miner describes why he decided to help start the protest against Blackjewel after being laid off and his pay withheld. (NPR)
• The Labor Department’s move to back miners relies on a rarely used, controversial tool called “hot goods,” which seeks to freeze the movement of goods produced by workers shorted on pay. (Bloomberg)
OIL & GAS:
• U.S. natural gas production is at an all-time high and expected to rise as coal plants shut down, but gas prices keep dropping. (Reuters)
• Northeast fuel distributors predict uncertain supplies this winter due to new sulfur regulations and the loss of a Philadelphia refinery. (Reuters)
• Business owners on Long Island held a rally to say that a moratorium on natural gas hookups is hurting development in the region. (Newsday)
TRANSMISSION: A controversial transmission project in Wisconsin has divided clean energy groups and raised questions about reliability and renewables. (Utility Dive)
POLLUTION:
• The EPA wants to reclassify the Denver region as a “serious” violator of federal health standards due to high ozone levels linked to fossil fuels. (The Denver Post)
• The Minneapolis City Council votes to ban new drive-thru facilities in part to reduce carbon emissions from idling cars. (WCCO)
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VW SETTLEMENT: Energy News Network reporter Elizabeth Ouzts discusses her reporting on the political fight over North Carolina’s Volkswagen settlement money. (WUNC)
COMMENTARY: The solar industry offers a cautionary tale of how trade wars create a lose-lose situation for both countries, writes a research analyst. (Greentech Media)