ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Tesla says it will nearly double its global network of Superchargers this year from 5,400 to 10,000, including 1,000 new charging units in California. (Los Angeles Times)
• The elimination of tax credits for electric vehicles won’t hurt the sales of luxury cars like Teslas, but will threaten cheaper classes of EVs. (Bloomberg)
SOLAR:
• Perovskite solar cell technology could help the U.S. challenge China’s dominance over the global solar market. (E&E News)
• Hawaiian Electric agrees to buy power from a 49-megawatt solar array on Oahu that could become Hawaii’s largest solar facility when it’s completed in 2019. (Pacific Business News)
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RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• Apple has signed power purchase agreements with two major renewable-energy projects in Oregon. (Portland Business Journal)
• Hawaii’s largest electric utility publishes several statistics showing progress towards its 100 percent renewable energy target. (Greentech Media)
• The president of Appalachian Power says investing in renewable energy is crucial for appealing to tech companies and bringing more good-paying tech jobs to the region. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Minnesota clean energy businesses will lobby the legislature as part of the state’s first ever “Clean Energy Business Day.” (Midwest Energy News)
NUCLEAR:
• Renewable energy operators say subsidizing nuclear plants is “the wrong policy” because it will reduce demand for new wind and solar farms. (Bloomberg)
• A House committee will consider a bill to revive the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository by sidestepping Nevada’s ability to withhold permits for the project. (The Hill)
BIOFUEL: A D.C. appeals court hears oral arguments on a lawsuit that alleges the EPA isn’t enforcing the Renewable Fuel Standard, with attorneys on both sides saying the law is too ambiguous. (FuelFix)
OIL & GAS:
• Trump administration officials confirm that the president will sign executive orders this week to expand offshore oil drilling. (Associated Press)
• Many gas companies in Pennsylvania are ignoring state requirements to make an effort to hire women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
• A Texas-based company will do a fracking test to determine the production potential of crude oil locked in shale on Alaska’s North Slope, marking the first test of its kind for the area. (Alaska Dispatch News)
• A new Duke University study finds fracking did not contaminate groundwater in West Virginia, but wastewater spills did impact water quality in streams. (NPR)
COAL:
• One of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s coal facilities is cited for six safety violations during the investigation of a worker’s death. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A federal court granted the Trump administration’s request to delay a decision on rules that limit water pollution from coal plants. (Associated Press)
GRID:
• Unusually cold weather in Texas last month caused energy prices to skyrocket, leading to profits for power plants that were able to provide quick electricity. (Greentech Media)
• President Trump’s pro-fossil fuel rhetoric is casting doubt on the credibility of a 60-day review of the U.S. electric grid ordered by the Department of Energy. (Utility Dive)
• Illinois regulators hope to partner with utilities to address growing concern about the security of information and digital assets in the smart-grid era. (Midwest Energy News)
REGULATION: The EPA holds a three-hour call to ask the public which rules should be eliminated under President Trump’s executive order to cut regulations. (Huffington Post)
COMMENTARY:
• By killing pipeline projects, lawmakers are hurting employment opportunities and raising gas prices for New Yorkers, according to the editorial board of the New York Post.
• The federal government shouldn’t intervene to rescue coal miners’ pensions, says the director of policy services for The Heritage Foundation. (The Hill)