CLEAN ENERGY: As several states race ahead on clean energy policy, advocates and subject-matter experts are being called on more than ever, prompting concerns about “stakeholder fatigue.” (Inside Climate News)
ALSO:
• Unions, advocates and industry groups warn a shortage of electrical steel used to make transformers, electric vehicle chargers and other clean energy components threatens wide-scale electrification. (Utility Dive)
• Nebraska community colleges struggle to recruit students for renewable energy training programs, mirroring a broader labor shortage for the industry. (Flatwater Free Press)
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POLITICS:
• Clean energy advocates are divided over proposed federal permitting reforms, with some supportive of fast-tracking new transmission lines but others more worried about the environmental impacts. (Utility Dive)
• The U.S. House fails to override President Biden’s veto of a bill to re-establish solar import tariffs on four Southeast Asian countries. (Politico)
• Republicans on a U.S. House committee advance a bill to limit federal regulations on gas stoves. (E&E News)
SOLAR: Investment in clean energy is expected to exceed fossil fuel spending this year, according to the International Energy Agency. (Reuters)
HYDROGEN: Clean energy advocates hail Colorado’s new hydrogen law as a national model because of its clear, careful parameters that favor projects where other clean fuels won’t work. (Colorado Sun)
STORAGE: Total U.S. battery storage capacity surged 52% at the end of 2023’s first quarter from the year before, with California home to almost half of the country’s capacity. (S&P Global)
GRID: Grid connection applications surge in the Western U.S. amid soaring demand for renewable energy projects, posing a test for grid operators. (Reuters)
ADVOCACY:
• A Detroit activist’s community space on the city’s east side also serves as a crucial way to help historically under-resourced neighborhoods adapt to climate change. (Planet Detroit/Energy News Network)
• Activists press North Carolina regulators to consider existing pollution when evaluating environmental permit applications to avoid placing disproportionate burdens on people living in the area. (Charlotte Observer)
TRANSPORTATION:
• Connecticut can’t achieve its climate targets unless residents start driving less, but local zoning policies prohibiting dense residential development impede the state’s work. (Energy News Network)
• A San Francisco startup demonstrates a prototype for a robotic system that can swap out an EV battery for a fully charged one in five minutes. (Canary Media)
NUCLEAR: The first of two new nuclear reactors at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle nears 100% power, seven years late and $17 billion over budget. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Associated Press)
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OIL & GAS: Shell agrees to pay $10 million in penalties for air pollution violations at a Pittsburgh-area facility that began operating in November, but local environmentalists point out the fine is just a tiny fraction of the company’s profits. (Inside Climate News, Pittsburgh Business Times)
CLIMATE: A poll finds just less than half of Americans say they believe human actions cause climate change, the lowest share in several years. (The Hill)
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