ELECTRIC VEHICLES: United Auto Workers says federal electric vehicle manufacturing incentives are going to companies but not trickling down to employees, and wants to see better benefits for workers before endorsing President Biden’s re-election. (The Hill)

ALSO:  Loopholes in the federal Inflation Reduction Act mean consumers are able to secure full electric vehicle rebates in more situations. (Detroit Free Press) 

CLEAN ENERGY:
• President Biden calls out Republican lawmakers for touting clean energy and electric vehicle investments in their districts despite voting against the spending packages that made them possible. (E&E News)
• Amazon looks to grow its renewable power footprint with a 184.5 MW wind farm in Mississippi and multiple solar farms in Arkansas and Georgia. (Power Engineering, WMC)

SOLAR:
• Solar power cells are having a “revolutionary” year as technological advancements push cell efficiency past a key milestone of 30%. (Guardian)
• Enphase produces the first solar microinverter made in the U.S. at its South Carolina facility, crediting the Inflation Reduction Act for making its new facility possible. (Canary Media)
• A peer-reviewed study finds low-income California residents are more likely to participate in state-subsidized rooftop solar programs if they receive direct referrals from family or friends. (The Hill)  
• Colorado researchers find shade cast by agrivoltaic solar arrays can benefit crops in arid regions by reducing water use and soil evaporation. (PV Magazine)

EMISSIONS:
• U.S. carbon emissions dropped 5% in the first five months of the year, but experts say weather had more to do with the decline than federal energy policy. (E&E News)
• Truck manufacturers agree to accept California’s plan to ban new sales of diesel semis by 2036, which other states could soon adopt. (The Hill)
• International discussions result in an agreement to reduce global shipping emissions at least 20% by 2030, with a goal of reaching net zero “close to” 2050. (Guardian)
• Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the first city in the country to make existing non-residential buildings cut their greenhouse gas emissions, requiring buildings larger than 100,000 square feet achieve net-zero by 2035. (Utility Dive)

HYDROGEN: Europe’s newly adopted rules defining green hydrogen could be a model for the U.S. as it prepares tax incentive guidance for the fuel. (E&E News)

CARBON CAPTURE: Retrofitting a North Dakota coal plant to capture its carbon emissions could prove to be an important test case for the energy-intensive technology. (Inside Climate News)

GRID: Canadian wildfires triggered a shutdown on a power line importing hydroelectricity to New England’s grid, forcing the regional grid operator to lean on last-minute generators to address the capacity shortfall. (Concord Monitor)

COAL: New Mexico officials say they have disbursed $7 million in state energy transition funds so far to workers displaced by the 2022 retirement of the San Juan coal power plant and mine in the northwestern part of the state. (KRQE)

More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West

Kathryn brings her extensive editorial background to the Energy News Network team, where she oversees the early-morning production of ENN’s five email digest newsletters as well as distribution of ENN’s original journalism with other media outlets. From documenting chronic illness’ effect on college students to following the inner workings of Congress, Kathryn has built a broad experience in her more than five years working at major publications including The Week Magazine. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism and information management and technology from Syracuse University.