CLEAN ENERGY: Wind and solar companies call on Congress to pass tax incentives to keep project financing flowing during the pandemic. (Reuters)

ALSO: Analysts predict clean energy demand will eventually return to normal: “I think people will go back to work and build again.” (InsideClimate News)

OVERSIGHT:
• Federal energy regulators disagree on whether to delay certain regulatory actions during the global coronavirus pandemic. (The Hill)
• In Ohio, emergency orders by the state’s public utilities commission could test the limits of its authority. (Energy News Network)

OIL & GAS:
• The Trump administration seeks $3 billion from Congress to fill the county’s strategic petroleum reserves, which could help prop up U.S. oil producers after global crude prices crashed. (Associated Press)
• FERC approves a controversial natural gas export terminal in Oregon, despite state rejection of key permits. (The Oregonian)
• Ohio Valley utilities, energy producers and energy sector workers are adjusting operations and bracing for economic impacts due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Ohio Valley Resource)
• As natural gas and chemical plants expand in coastal Louisiana, so are efforts to stop the factories by residents concerned about their health impact. (WWNO)

WIND: Travel bans, supply chain issues, and deferred maintenance could hurt wind farm output during the pandemic, experts say. (Greentech Media)

SOLAR:
• Despite concerns about coronavirus, a developer closes on a $250 million financing package for a 260 MW solar project in Texas. (Greentech Media)
• Tesla shuts down its manufacturing plants nationally, including its solar panel factory in Buffalo. (MarketWatch)

STORAGE: Lead batteries that have very little risk of catching fire could be a selling point in places like California where the demand for residential battery storage systems is growing. (Utility Dive)

GRID:
• The mass shutdown of schools and businesses is starting to reduce electricity demand in the biggest U.S. power markets. (Bloomberg Environment, subscription)
• A compliance filing by grid operator PJM quells some concerns raised by the renewable industry over federal regulators’ minimum offer price rule. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla finally agrees to cooperate with a local shutdown order to prevent spread of COVID-19 and will suspend operations at its Bay Area plant at the end of the day Monday. (New York Times)

COAL:
• An economic slowdown from the coronavirus pandemic may accelerate the decline of coal, which analysts say is more vulnerable than other mining industries. (S&P Global)
• The last coal-fired power plant in New York shuts down this month, leaving few prospects for its last workers and financial uncertainty for the rural town where it’s located. (New York Times)

NUCLEAR: About 120 workers at Georgia’s Plant Vogtle are quarantined at home awaiting the results of their colleagues’ coronavirus tests. (E&E News, subscription)

TRANSPORTATION: It’s unclear whether reducing speed limits in cities — which promotes safety and pedestrian-friendly streets — will result in decreased air pollution, experts say. (Energy News Network)

PIPELINES: The Mariner East pipeline project appears to be included in Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s Thursday night order to shut down “non-life sustaining” businesses even though regulators earlier in the day dismiss a state legislator’s call to halt construction due to coronavirus. (StateImpact Pennsylvania, Daily Local News)

COMMENTARY:
• The author of a new book on the politics of clean energy and climate policy describes how electric utilities have promoted climate change denial and delay. (Drilled)
• If we bail out the airlines, it better come with strings attached that require airlines to tackle climate change, a reporter writes. (HuffPost)

Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.