SOLAR: The Daytona International Speedway is now home to a 2.1 MW solar array. (Orlando Business Journal)

ALSO:
• North Carolina’s restrictions on third-party financing prevent schools from adopting solar; a Republican lawmaker aims to change that. (Al Jazeera, Fayetteville Observer)
• An executive at a Florida construction company explains why their including solar panels on all new homes. (Orlando Sentinel)
• A solar firm plans 250 MW of projects in the Carolinas and Alabama. (PennEnergy)
• A Mississippi co-op’s solar array is expected to lead to larger projects down the line. (Greenwood Commonwealth)
• Why Tennessee holds some advantages over other states on solar. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
• A Virginia solar pioneer says “we kind of bend over backwards” in his state to appease utilities. (Lynchburg News & Advance)
• Analysts expect a shakeout in North Carolina’s solar industry. (Charlotte Business Journal)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join resiliency stakeholders and problem solvers from state and local government, businesses, universities, and the military in the first statewide Resilient Virginia Conference, March 22-23 in Richmond, Virginia. Register today to build Virginia’s resilient future!***

RENEWABLES: South Carolina lawmakers advance property tax credits for renewable energy projects. (Bluffton Today)

COAL:
• Kentucky names a former coal executive to head the state’s mining safety office. (Louisville Courier-Journal)
• Bills passed by the legislature to extend tax credits for coal put Virginia’s governor in a tough political spot. (Associated Press)

COAL ASH: Eight people are arrested in a protest over a utility’s plan to dump treated water from coal ash ponds into rivers. (Associated Press)

NATURAL GAS:
• A West Virginia senator says “there is room for both” coal and natural gas in her state, and says more pipelines are needed to get gas to market. (Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register)
• North Carolina regulators will meet today to discuss a proposed natural gas plant near Asheville. (Associated Press)

FRACKING:
• Ceramic particles are beginning to replace sand in some fracking operations. (Pittsburgh Tribune)
• A West Virginia bill would allow drilling on co-owned tracts even if some landowners object. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

BIOMASS: Wood pellets from the Southeast are helping Britain meet its renewable energy targets, but environmentalists warn it’s not sustainable. (Science 2.0)

NORTH CAROLINA: A panel discusses the state’s energy future. (Charlotte Business Journal)

UTILITIES: A judge rules the proposed sale of a Louisiana utility would not be in the public interest. (Associated Press)

***SPONSORED LINK: Have you heard the good news? TVA cancelled the Bellefonte nuclear project! Now let’s pick a brighter future for the facility in northeast Alabama! Vote here! (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)***

OVERSIGHT: Bills in the Mississippi legislature would clarify the authority state regulators have over co-ops. (SNL Energy)

COMMENTARY:
• Duke Energy’s modernization plan is too dependent on natural gas. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
• North Carolina needs to maintain its leadership on solar power. (Fayetteville Observer)

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Ken Paulman

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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