SOLAR: A roofing company rolls out a solar shingle product that features a slim profile and will cost about $14,000 less than installing a traditional roof and panels separately. (Washington Post, Canary Media)

ALSO: Researchers at Colorado’s National Renewable Energy Lab work to bring perovskite solar cells, which are cheaper and more efficient than photovoltaics, to market. (Colorado Sun)

COAL:
• A conservative think tank partners with coal companies to convince state lawmakers to carry legislation that punishes companies for divesting from fossil fuels. (New Republic)
• Indigenous activists in eastern Kentucky collaborate with those in the West to push for economic reinvention of their coalfield communities. (WFPL)
• West Virginia U.S. Rep. David B. McKinley calls for the revival of the National Coal Council after the Biden administration allowed its charter to lapse in November. (Weirton Daily Times)

GRID:
• Over a foot of snow accumulated in Maryland, Delaware and southern New Jersey yesterday, leading to thousands of power outages that have largely since been resolved. (NBC News, Salisbury Daily Times, PowerOutages.US)
• Xcel Energy distributes 20,000 portable heaters to residents left without power or natural gas after a devastating fire tore through Colorado communities. (Colorado Public Radio)
• Texas’ grid manager says generation and transmission facilities are ready for winter after inspecting units affected during last year’s winter storm. (S&P Global)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Ford says it will nearly double annual production of its electric F-150 pickup truck based on a high number of advance registrations. (Associated Press)
• Startup ride hailing companies are positioning themselves against Uber and Lyft by rolling out company-owned electric vehicle fleets and hiring employees rather than relying on gig workers. (Axios)

POLITICS: A Democratic Congress member reintroduces the Climate Solutions Act, which would impose renewable energy and energy efficiency standards along with new EPA regulations. (E&E News, subscription)

CLEAN ENERGY: Updated integrated resource plans from Michigan’s two largest utilities are among key clean energy policy issues to watch this year, according to a clean energy analyst. (Energy News Network / Planet Detroit)

OIL & GAS:
• The federal Bureau of Land Management plans to auction 6,300 acres of oil and gas leases in Montana and North Dakota later this year after the Biden administration paused leases. (Bismarck Tribune)  
• A New Year’s weekend cold snap freezes oil and gas wells in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, causing a natural gas price spike. (Reuters)

WIND:
• New Jersey regulators explain that if wind turbines are installed too far from shore, the power they generate may become prohibitively expensive. (Associated Press)
• The Biden administration seeks public input on its plan to lease 400 square miles for offshore wind development along central California’s coast. (KSBY)

EFFICIENCY: Maine’s energy efficiency program administrator is offering larger incentives for nursing homes and assisted living facilities to upgrade their HVAC and air filtration systems, both to filter viruses and increase energy efficiency. (Energy News Network)

COMMENTARY: Federal officials and state governments need to stop seeing rural Americans as a monolith unconcerned about the environment to get them involved in fighting climate change, a science journalist writes. (Grist)

Kathryn brings her extensive editorial background to the Energy News Network team, where she oversees the early-morning production of ENN’s five email digest newsletters as well as distribution of ENN’s original journalism with other media outlets. From documenting chronic illness’ effect on college students to following the inner workings of Congress, Kathryn has built a broad experience in her more than five years working at major publications including The Week Magazine. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism and information management and technology from Syracuse University.