SOLAR: Regulators are watching as big utilities like Georgia Power enter the commercial solar business. (Associated Press)
WIND: A North Carolina county declares a four-month moratorium on wind farms amid complaints from neighbors about a proposed project. (Virginian-Pilot)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: A Duke University professor sees North Carolina deliberately missing its emissions reduction target. (Charlotte Business Journal)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A Virginia program that installs fast-chargers reaches Blacksburg. (WVTF Public Radio)
• Charlottesville, Virginia adds three charging stations. (The Daily Progress)
• A Huntsville, Alabama team of middle and high school students wins an electric car design award for the second time. (Alabama Media Group)
UTILITIES:
• Appalachian Power asks regulators if it can dismantle two coal-fired powered plants rather than retrofit them for natural gas. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Duke Energy is installing 30,000 sensors to track generation equipment performance. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday over a federal rule requiring electricity providers to give financial incentives to customers who slash power use in times of high energy demand. (Greenwire)
2010 GULF OIL SPILL: BP will reimburse Louisiana $58 million for litigation costs. (The Advocate, Baton Rouge)
BLANKENSHIP TRIAL: The federal government’s next witness is expected to be David Hughart, a former longtime Massey Energy official who pointed the finger at CEO Don Blankenship. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
BIOENERGY: Clemson University researchers explore alternate feedstocks for biomass. (Southeast Farm Press)
POLITICS: A billionaire coal executive running for West Virginia governor owes millions in back taxes to Kentucky. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
COMMENTARY: A South Carolina proposes a rate change for customers with solar systems. that would be “one of the most punitive in the country.” (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)