WIND: A county in eastern North Carolina denies a key permit for a 57-turbine wind farm as its Virginia-based developer weighs an appeal in court. (Triangle Business Journal, Raleigh News & Observer)

SOLAR:
• While experiencing a spurt of development, large solar systems in Virginia face an uncertain future without policies to sustain growth. (Southeast Energy News)
• Georgia Power unveils a 30 MW system at an Army base near Augusta. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)

OFFSHORE DRILLING: Environmental and business activists mostly from the Carolinas and Virginia hope their appeals this week will inspire President Obama to block exploration off the Atlantic coast before he leaves office.  (Virginian-Pilot)

PIPELINES:
• Concerns over a discharge from the Sabal Trail gas pipeline in Georgia heightens concerns over its environmental risks. (POLITICO Florida)
• A mining company in Virginia is negotiating a connection to natural gas from the planned Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (The News Virginian)
• Inspired by protests against other pipelines, some Virginians vow civil disobedience to stop the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipeline routes through their regions. (Augusta Free Press)
• Spotlighting the rights of Native Americans, three protest marches are planned for this weekend in North Carolina against the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline. (WFAE)

COAL:
• The Tennessee Valley Authority says it will continue moving away from coal regardless of what happens to the Clean Power Plan. (Nashville Public Radio)
• Capturing carbon from coal-fired power plants and storing it may face a bright, albeit expensive, future under President-elect Trump. (Washington Post)
• Exports of Appalachian coal from Virginia’s peninsula are not expected to be affected much, if at all, by policies of President-elect Trump. (Virginia Gazette)

UTILITIES: The Chattanooga Electric Power Board strives for a new standard of customer service. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

GENERATION: Duke University students win two hearings over Duke Energy’s proposed combined-heat-and-power plant on campus. (Charlotte Business Journal)

VOLKSWAGEN EMISSIONS SCANDAL: The director of the West Virginia University research center that discovered VW’s cheating software about a year ago is interviewed about how to sustain its operations. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

EFFICIENCY: A new environmental sciences center under construction at Virginia Wesleyan College is designed to conserve energy and supply some of its power with a rooftop solar system. (Virginian-Pilot)

COMMENTARY:
• A 2014 coal ash spill into North Carolina’s Dan River might have spurred some voters to back Attorney General Roy Cooper for governor over incumbent Pat McCrory. (Salisbury Post)
• A new documentary – “Blood on the Mountain” – explores the role of coal companies exploiting West Virginia’s land and workers. (The Atlantic)