SOLAR: How the “contagion” effect helps solar power spread among homeowners. (Vox)

ALSO:
• A Nevada utility unveils a program that would let large customers subscribe to a new solar array. (PV Magazine)
• In some parts of New Hampshire, the state’s new net metering cap has already been hit. (New Hampshire Business Review)
• Local officials approve plans for Maine’s largest solar farm, a 50 MW project sited at an airport. (Portland Press Herald)

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NATURAL GAS:
• Flawed welds are suspected as the cause of a recent pipeline explosion in Pennsylvania. (Associated Press)
• Costs associated with the Aliso Canyon natural gas leak have reached $665 million. (Los Angeles Times)

COAL: Plans to shut down Illinois coal mines will hit bankrupt producers especially hard. (SNL Energy)

COAL ASH: A South Carolina bill would curtail the public’s right to sue for enforcement of coal ash and other pollution laws. (The State)

WIND:
• The Fish and Wildlife Service moves forward with a plan to allow 30-year “take” permits for eagles, which will require developers to implement conservation measures. (Greenwire)
• The first quarter of 2016 for wind installations was the strongest since 2012. (Smart Grid News)

RENEWABLES:
• Amazon says “renewable energy is high up on the chop list” as it selects sites for data centers. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
• A renewable energy siting bill in Vermont may face questions of constitutionality. (Burlington Free Press)
• A poll finds a majority of Texans support advancing clean energy regardless of what happens with the Clean Power Plan. (Texas Tribune)

TRANSMISSION: A proposed $1.5 billion underwater transmission line will help connect renewable energy sources to New York City. (Utility Dive/RTO Insider)

OIL:
• Tens of thousands of residents are evacuated as a wildfire in the heart of Alberta’s oil sands spreads to nearby towns. (Associated Press)
• How the chemical business has helped keep oil companies afloat. (Bloomberg)

FRACKING: Environmental groups sue the U.S. EPA over the agency’s alleged failure to stop the disposal of drilling waste that can threaten groundwater supplies and trigger man-made earthquakes. (Associated Press)

UTILITIES: A Nevada utility drops plans for a new $1 billion natural gas power plant, and will buy a facility in Arizona instead. (Las Vegas Sun)

TECHNOLOGY: A Texas company’s natural gas power plant prototype is designed to reach full capacity in five minutes. (Houston Chronicle)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: North Carolina is called out for blocking sales of Teslas which reportedly source 30 components from the state. (CleanTechnica)

COMMENTARY:
• With 100,000 MW of coal retired since 2010, a “profound energy transition” is underway. (Huffington Post)
• How shifting utility business models will pose a challenge for regulators. (Greentech Media)