Shift in U.S. funding needed to ready grid for solar

SOLAR: The U.S. must redirect spending from solar tax credits to prepare the grid for large-scale solar energy use if the industry is to play a significant role in lowering carbon emissions, says a report released by MIT researchers on Tuesday. (Reuters)

ALSO: Dominion is making moves out west with the purchase of a 20 megawatt solar facility in California, adding to its more than 350 megawatts of solar in operation across the country. (FierceEnergy)

METHANE: An instrument used to measure methane leaks from oil and gas operations severely underestimates emissions under certain conditions, a preliminary study found. (InsideClimate News)

GRID: Somewhere between the power plant and light switch, as much as 6 percent of U.S. electric power disappears, the recovery of which will be integral to the future grid. (EnergyWire)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Two state attorneys general gave a preview Tuesday of their legal arguments against the EPA’s climate rule for power plants and promised further legal action after the agency approves the rule this summer. (Associated Press)

BIOFUELS: The Obama administration is conducting the last step in its review of proposed annual ethanol and biodiesel blending mandates for 2014, 2015 and 2016. (The Hill)

FRACKING: Fracking wells in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region are disproportionately located in poor rural communities, which bear the brunt of associated pollution, according to a new study. (Environmental Health News)

ELECTRIC CARS: The Wall Street research firm Jefferies published the results Tuesday of a survey of 700 people that suggests Tesla could sell “at least” 500,000 cars a year by 2020. (Business Insider)

EFFICIENCY: A Maine entrepreneur has built a new home that’s 90 percent more energy efficient than the typical home and produces more than twice as much energy than it consumes. (Associated Press)

WIND:
• A bill that would have provided Nebraska’s first-ever production tax credits for wind farms and other renewable energy facilities died Tuesday in the face of a filibuster. (Omaha World-Herald)
• MidAmerican Energy Company has submitted plans to the Iowa Utilities Board to develop 552 megawatts of wind in the state. (FierceEnergy)
• Renewable energy developer SunEdison has decided not to seek a long-term contract with Maine utilities for its Weaver Wind project. (The Bangor Daily News)

CARBON PRICING: The Corvallis, Oregon, voted 8-1 Monday night in favor of supporting state lawmakers in their effort to put a price on carbon emissions. (Corvallis Gazette-Times)