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COAL: More than half of the world’s largest insurers will no longer cover companies that build or operate coal-fired power plants. (The Guardian)
ALSO: American Electric Power and Southern Co. will not renew memberships with the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. (E&E News, subscription)
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BIOMASS:
• Turning ancient forests into wood pellets is putting Estonia’s tourism and climate commitments at risk — a cautionary tale for North Carolina, industry critics say. (Energy News Network)
• Wood pellets cause more climate pollution than coal when they’re burned, so why does Europe call them “carbon neutral”? (Energy News Network)
EFFICIENCY: Customer education could be a barrier for utilities as they roll out time-of-use rates, according to a recent survey. (Energy News Network)
GRID: California regulators recently discovered that battery deployment was actually increasing emissions, and have figured out how to fix it. (Vox)
HYDROPOWER:
• Canadian hydropower is a carbon-free for New England states, but the dams come at a cost for indigenous communities. (VT Digger / Pulitzer Center)
• Idaho Power is set to voluntarily dismiss its lawsuit against the EPA involving relicensing of a hydroelectric project where federally protected fall chinook salmon reproduce. (Associated Press)
SOLAR:
• Cities, states and utilities are increasingly looking to floating solar projects as a potential solution to land-use concerns. (Grist)
• Texas is expected to double its solar energy output next year and in 2021 as developers take advantage of expiring tax subsidies. (Houston Chronicle)
WIND: Xcel Energy officials say declining wind energy prices are undercutting more expensive fossil fuel power. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
RENEWABLES: An environmental group files a petition with North Carolina utility regulators to stop ratepayer money from being used to fund campaigns against renewables and climate action. (PV Magazine)
ELECTRIFICATION: Washington State Ferries, the world’s second-largest ferry operator, is switching from diesel to batteries. (Greentech Media)
PIPELINES:
• Presidential candidates begin to weigh in on disputes surrounding Enbridge pipelines in crucial Upper Midwest swing states. (Michigan Advance)
• Indigenous activist Winona LaDuke says concerns around Enbridge’s Line 3 and Line 5 pipelines are “pretty interrelated.” (Michigan Advance)
OIL & GAS: The Trump administration plans to open more than 1.9 million acres of national forests and grasslands in Texas to oil and natural gas drilling. (Houston Chronicle)
HYDROGEN:
•“Green” hydrogen produced with renewable electricity remains inefficient and expensive, causing some experts to question its potential. (Greentech Media)
• Maine could host a pilot project to convert excess solar and wind power into a gas that can be stored in underground pipelines. (Portland Press Herald)
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CLIMATE: In Florida and elsewhere, Republicans are being pressured to address climate change and clean energy. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• Clean energy won’t solve the climate crisis if we don’t also cut use of fossil fuels, an energy columnist explains. (Axios)
• Whether waste-to-energy is “renewable” is debatable and not a solution to climate change, a sustainability consultant writes. (Energy News Network)
• Researchers say the growing amount of waste from used solar panels will be an ongoing concern as the industry expands. (Scientific American)