ELECTRIFICATION: Santa Cruz, California, suspends its natural gas hookup ban after determining it was too similar to Berkeley’s court-overturned ordinance to survive legal challenges. (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
CLIMATE:
• The California plaintiffs in a lawsuit accusing Delta Air Lines of misleading customers with its carbon neutrality claims say they aim to set a precedent with the action. (Los Angeles Times)
• Climate advocates say an Alaska plan to lease state forests to produce carbon offsets without reducing logging is fraudulent since it wouldn’t reduce emissions. (New Republic)
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SOLAR:
• Xcel Energy brings a 248 MW solar-plus-storage installation online in southern Colorado. (KRDO)
• A developer proposes a 125 MW solar installation on state land in southern New Mexico. (Solar Power World)
OIL & GAS: A California county draws criticism from environmentalists after approving ExxonMobil’s request to take ownership of a pipeline that spilled more than 120,000 gallons of oil in 2015. (KEYT)
STORAGE:
• A developer brings a 137 MW battery storage system online in Fresno County, California, with a co-located 150 MW solar installation expected to be completed in August. (Solar Power World)
• A California luxury hotel installs a 1.4 MWh ice-based thermal energy storage system. (CleanTechnica)
• California researchers suggest sending electricity from battery-powered train locomotives back to the grid to respond to energy demand spikes. (Utility Dive)
MICROGRIDS: A California water conservation project plans to replace diesel generators with microgrids powered by solar, battery and combined heat and power generation systems. (PV Magazine)
UTILITIES: Hawaii Gas union workers end a two-week strike after approving a three-year contract. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
TRANSPORTATION: Las Vegas, Nevada’s planning commission approves a proposal from Elon Musk’s company to expand its Vegas Loop underground transportation system. (Las Vegas Sun)
CRITICAL MINERALS: The operators of a California rare earth element mine plan to begin processing the materials used in electric vehicles and other clean energy applications. (Grist)
HYDROGEN:
• California transit agencies use hydrogen fuel cell-powered buses to meet state zero-emission requirements ahead of deadlines. (S&P Global)
• A California city plans to replace diesel generators with hydrogen fuel cells to provide backup power during outages. (Hydrogen Fuel News)
BIOFUELS: The U.S. Agriculture Department invests $43 million in wood energy and biomass power projects across the U.S., including several in Western states.
(KTOO)
COAL: Federal officials work to spread awareness of black lung disease among current and former Wyoming coal miners. (Wyoming Public Radio)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Seattle seeks artists to create design elements for electric vehicle charging stations around the city. (GeekWire)
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