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)
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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)
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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)