SOLAR: Munich-based Wacker Chemie opens a solar cell manufacturing plant in Charleston, Tennessee expected to employ 650 people by year’s end. (PV-Tech)
ALSO:
• The public interest is expected to be the focus of an appeal by NC WARN of a judge’s ruling against its attempt to sell electricity to a church. (The Institute for Southern Studies)
• Sunrun formally opens its planned office and warehouse in South Carolina. (PV-Magazine)
• Utilities in Kentucky today are to unveil their first large-scale solar system. (WKMS Public Radio)
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NUCLEAR: Georgia Power discloses it has purchased land about 140 miles south of Atlanta to explore building a new plant there. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
UTILITIES:
• Nuclear and solar power trigger heated debates as Georgia Power unveils its long-range power generation needs. (Augusta Chronicle)
• The EPA grants Dominion Virginia Power a one-year extension to continue operating a coal plant while it tries to secure a new high-voltage transmission line. (Daily Press)
COAL ASH:
• Levels of distrust escalate over how Duke Energy is communicating about the health risks of well water near its coal ash ponds. (Environmental Health News)
• Legislation in North Carolina would ease safety standards for wells near Duke Energy coal ash ponds. (Charlotte Observer)
STORAGE: A 10-megawatt battery storage system being built in part by North Carolina-based Alevo Energy will provide power services to the grid operator in Texas. (Charlotte Business Journal)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: The defeat of drilling off the Southeast Atlantic coast emboldens opponents to stop it in the Gulf of Mexico. (Associated Press)
EFFICIENCY:
• Orlando is moving to help building owners pay for upgrades to conserve power and water. (Orlando Sentinel)
• The mayors of three northern Virginia towns bet on which one can garner the most sign-ups for home energy audits. (Vienna Patch)
LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS: Federal regulators approve the construction and operation of an LNG export terminal in Lake Charles, Louisiana. (Natural Gas Intelligence)
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CLIMATE: Elected officials in northwest Florida debate energy’s role in mitigating rising sea levels and other effects of climate change. (Northwest Florida Daily News)
COMMENTARY:
• A former member of the Florida Energy Commission argues that the Jacksonville Electric Authority should retain solar benefits for homeowners. (The Florida Times-Union)
• The growing number of coal company bankruptcies means environmental clean-ups in Virginia and elsewhere may never happen. (Bacon’s Rebellion)
• Florida utility regulators need to pay closer attention to protecting the environment. (Miami Herald)
• Virginia’s share of revenue in federal legislation to help coal communities diversify should be seen as an economic opportunity. (The Roanoke Times)