UTILITIES: The Florida Supreme Court rules state regulators overreached in authorizing Florida Power & Light to bill customers for a speculative investment in a fracking company. (Miami Herald)
ALSO: Shareholders of Florida Power & Light’s parent company reject proposals for the company to report on its political contributions and risks of sea level rise. (Miami Herald)
***SPONSORED LINK: Register now for WINDPOWER 2016 – the wind energy industry’s largest annual conference, May 23-26 in New Orleans. Register here. ***
COAL ASH:
• Dozens of activists in North Carolina protest the state’s plan for dealing with coal ash as “window dressing.” (WTVD)
• People living near Duke Energy coal ash pits in North Carolina consider being connected to city water lines. (Associated Press)
• An environmental group continues pressing Duke Energy to stop moving ash to an empty clay mine in North Carolina. (Fayetteville Observer)
WIND: A new report spotlights the financial and other challenges of offshore wind facing utilities such as Dominion Virginia Power. (Utility Dive)
RENEWABLES: A summit of cloud computing companies grapples with how to power data centers, including hubs in North Carolina and Virginia, with wind, solar and storage systems. (GeekWire)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: As many as 400 opponents are to join hands on a North Carolina beach tomorrow to protest against seismic testing. (Lumina News)
STORAGE: North Carolina-based Alevo Energy hires a new CEO and ramps up production of its utility-scale batteries. (Charlotte Business Journal)
COAL:
• Dust from a nearby export terminal may be a health hazard to residents and workers in Mobile, Alabama. (WALA)
• The decline of coal for power generation would accelerate if the Clean Power Plan survives legal challenges. (Washington Examiner)
TRANSPORTATION:
• An Orlando-based engineering firm converts much of its vehicle fleet to propane gas. (Jacksonville Business Journal)
• A transit system in South Carolina is replacing some of its fleet with vehicles powered by compressed natural gas. (Anderson Independent Mail)
EFFICIENCY: To regain its footing, North Carolina-based LED-bulb manufacturer Cree takes aim at the street light market. (Triangle Business Journal)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A North Carolina company hungry for technical talent says it is willing to lease Tesla Model 3s for new hires. (Raleigh News & Observer)
BIOMASS: Producing energy from hog waste in North Carolina is slow to get started. (WHQR Public Radio)
OIL & GAS: An oilfield fabricator in Louisiana says it will lay off 80 workers in July. (WVUE)
***SPONSORED LINK: Register today for Solar Power Southeast, May 25-26 in Atlanta. This year’s event will include educational sessions as well as a completely sold out exhibit floor. Get a 15% discount with code SPSE16SACE. ***
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A Kentucky cement plant is cleared to begin burning hazardous waste as a fuel. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
COMMENTARY:
• Sen. Lamar Alexander’s concern for natural beauty doesn’t seem to apply to energy projects other than wind. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• What North Carolinians really get from this week’s coal ash pond rankings: 18 more months of uncertainty. (Salisbury Post)
• Inside the minds of Dominion’s leaders, vacant space where climate thinking should be. (Power for the People VA blog)
• A North Carolina Senate bill “would flush the state’s vibrant renewable energy industry down the toilet.” (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)