STORAGE: Maryland passes a first-ever energy storage tax credit that offers up to $5,000 for residential and $75,000 for commercial projects. (Greentech Media)
SOLAR:
• Hawaiian Electric Co. says it will add 2,800 customers to a rooftop solar energy program that credits customers for the excess electricity they send to the grid. (Pacific Business News)
• Policy changes could help Georgia and South Carolina surpass North Carolina in solar installations. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• An Illinois program uses solar to teach kids science and prepare them for possible clean energy jobs. (Midwest Energy News)
***SPONSORED LINK: Solar Summit 2017 is 10! Join GTM May 16-18 for three days of packed networking opportunities and a unique mix of market intelligence with engaging panel sessions among industry leaders. 15% off with code MWENERGY15. ***
WIND: Despite resistance from conservative lawmakers, wind energy may finally be coming to states in the Southeast. (InsideClimate News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The ride-booking service Uber is launching an electric-vehicle program in Portland, Oregon, that aims to “spark a major boost in electric cars.” (Portland Business Journal)
• Electricity rate structure is key to expanding electric vehicle charging networks, and we now know that peak demand charges are bad for growth. (Utility Dive)
REGULATION: The head of an auto manufacturing trade group says automakers are not seeking a rollback of existing vehicle fuel efficiency standards and hope to reach a deal with California and the Trump administration. (Reuters)
GRID:
• A hearing is set to begin on a $1.6 billion plan that calls for building a 192-mile transmission line in New Hampshire that would carry hydro power from Canada to southern New England. (Associated Press)
• The president of Duke Energy says the company plans $13 billion in upgrades to its North Carolina power grid. (Charlotte Business Journal)
OIL & GAS:
• A Colorado Senate committee kills a proposal that would have required oil and gas wells to be 1,000 feet from school property lines. (Associated Press)
• Environmental groups and the NAACP file a lawsuit over an oil and gas site they say is too close to a Colorado school. (Denver Business Journal)
PIPELINES: The Keystone XL pipeline could generate $44 million in daily tax revenues when it’s complete, according to a study conducted by a center-right public policy group. (Daily Caller)
COAL: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke meets with tribal leaders to discuss the future of the the West’s largest coal-fired power plant, which is scheduled to retire by 2019. (The Hill)
NUCLEAR:
• The bankruptcy of Westinghouse Electric could sink nuclear construction projects in Georgia and South Carolina and end of U.S. nuclear expansion. (Utility Dive)
• The head of a utility that’s building two nuclear reactors in South Carolina says the project may have to be abandoned in the wake of Westinghouse Electric’s bankruptcy. (Associated Press)
CLIMATE: Climate deniers say EPA chief Scott Pruitt is not doing enough to dismantle current climate policies. (New York Times)
COMMENTARY:
• EPA administrator Scott Pruitt doesn’t care about air quality because his only priority is rolling back regulatory protections, says a senior attorney at the Institute for Policy Integrity. (Grist)
• The passage of tax and finance bills to promote carbon capture technology could be a rare bright spot for climate policy under the Trump administration, says a columnist for Vox.