SOLAR: An expiring state tax credit ignites a major push for solar installations in North Carolina which were the second highest of any state in the 3rd quarter. (Charlotte Business Journal)
ALSO:
• Backers of a Florida solar choice ballot measure say a competing measure by utilities is slowing their effort to gather signatures. (Miami Herald)
• The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council seeks to reduce “soft costs” and other barriers to residential solar. (TBN Weekly)
• A 1 megawatt solar farm planned by Georgia Power draws scrutiny, then praise as a teaching tool for an elementary school nearby. (The Tifton Gazette)
***SPONSORED LINK: Attention Floridians – Southern Alliance for Clean Energy & Floridians for Solar Choice are hosting a webinar update on the solar ballot battle in the Sunshine State! Join us today (Thursday, Dec. 10) at 1 p.m. EST by registering here.***
WIND:
• Dominion Virginia Power says a new round of bidding could lower the cost of building the two proposed wind turbines off Virginia Beach. (The Virginian-Pilot)
• An Arkansas lawmaker says she’s “very concerned” about a proposed wind farm in her district and the background of the company proposing it. (KHBS/KHOG)
BLANKENSHIP TRIAL: A judge denies a request by the Associated Press for the names of jurors in the criminal trial of ex-Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES: The Suwannee County Commission in Georgia calls an emergency meeting for today at 10:30 a.m. to discuss its opposition to the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline. (Suwannee Democrat)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Kentucky estimates it’s losing about $147 annually in gasoline taxes for each electric car registered in the state. (WDRB, Louisville)
STORAGE: Duke Energy teams up with a startup to install batteries at commercial, industrial and government facilities. (Greentech Media)
BIOENERGY:
• North Carolina hog farmers question why Duke Energy is going out of state for biogas. (WRAL)
• Under fire for pollution impacts, a company that produces wood pellets pledges $5 million for forest conservation in Virginia and North Carolina. (Raleigh News & Observer)
UTILITIES:
• The TVA has reduced is reliance on coal to generate power from 60% in 2006 to to 34% this year. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
• Alabama Power expects to spend about $900 million complying with environmental rules from 2016-2020 and about $260 million to close coal ash ponds. (Montgomery Advertiser)
***SPONSORED LINK: Rocky Mountain Institute’s e-Lab Accelerator is calling on America’s most innovative teams at the forefront of the electricity transformation looking to take projects to the next level. See if your project is eligible for this invitation-only event April 24—27. ***
CLIMATE:
• New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu outlines how the city will try to mitigate climate change as part of the 100 Resilient Cities project. (New Orleans Public Radio)
COMMENTARY: An editorial decries a judge’s decision to uphold Virginia’s ban on mining uranium for nuclear power plants. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)