SOLAR:
• Large-scale solar projects are overtaking rooftop installations to dominate the industry. (Reuters)
• Is North Carolina reaching ‘peak solar?’ Not so fast, advocates say. (Southeast Energy News)

FINANCE: The New York Green Bank wants to invest $200 million over the next year in large clean energy projects. (RTO Insider)

GRID:
• Low natural gas prices and high wind output is driving down electricity prices in the southwest. (Platts)
• Commonwealth Edison gears up for a distributed generation boom. (Greentech Media)

COAL:
• Coal giant Murray Energy says it plans to lay off 80 percent of its workforce, or about 4,400 employees, across six states due to federal regulations and increased reliance on natural gas. (Huffington Post)
• Backers of a federal bill to protect coal miners’ health and retirement benefits are facing opposition in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. (USA Today)
• Hope is fading fast for what was supposed to be a model for generating power using “clean coal” in Mississippi. (The New York Times)
• A Kentucky coal company has “joined the legion” of others that have filed for bankruptcy. (SNL / Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)

CLIMATE: Gasoline pumps in California could soon feature labels telling drivers they’re paying more per gallon because of the state’s cap-and-trade program. (ClimateWire)

TRANSMISSION: The governors of Maryland and Delaware say ratepayers in their states will be saddled with costs for a transmission project that mostly benefits New Jersey. (Baltimore Sun)

OIL AND GAS:
• Advocates and industry officials line up for a forthcoming Obama administration decision on a five-year offshore drilling plan. (The Hill)
• The natural gas industry’s “frack master” is charged in a fraud scheme federal officials say bilked investors out of $80 million. (DeSmog Blog)

REGULATION: The federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 is still generating controversy over how it should be implemented. (RTO Insider)

WIND: The Port of Corpus Christi in Texas can play a key role in helping the state’s wind industry grow. (Corpus Christi Caller-Times)

EMISSIONS: Despite objections from state officials, the U.S. EPA rules that a Maryland coal plant is emitting unhealthy levels of sulfur dioxide. (Baltimore Sun)

RENEWABLES:
• A ruling last month by federal regulators may expand access to renewable energy for rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities. (Midwest Energy News)
• A public relations expert discusses the unique messaging challenges for renewable energy projects. (Midwest Energy News)

BIOFUELS:
• One California county uses a “Farm to Fork to Fuel to Farm” model to reuse food waste for energy. (Yale Climate Connections)
• An increasing amount of imported biofuels made from soybeans means the U.S. sector is shrinking. (Bloomberg News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla ships fewer vehicles than expected in the past three months. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: The “‘war on coal’ narrative is based on a lie,” but it resonates in some states because of the economic downturn associated with the industry’s collapse. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)