FOSSIL FUELS:
• The rapid expansion of renewables is expected to drive down the use of coal and gas-fired power plants over the next two years, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (S&P Global)
• A prominent fund manager predicts that oil demand will plummet by 30% over the next five years as electric vehicles displace gasoline models. (MarketWatch)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The U.S. State Department strikes a deal with Congo and Zambia to help build an EV battery supply chain aimed at reducing reliance on China. (E&E News)
• Uber is working with automakers to design custom electric vehicles for urban traffic that could include two or three-wheeled vehicles. (Wall Street Journal)
• Once a pioneer in green transportation, Toyota now lags because of a strategic decision to dismiss fully electric vehicles in favor of gas hybrids. (Slate)
• Hertz announces a deal with the city of Denver to add more than 5,000 electric vehicles to its local rental fleet and build out charging infrastructure. (CNBC)
CLIMATE:
• A local match requirement for climate resilience funding under the federal infrastructure law is preventing some rural communities from qualifying. (Grist)
• New York lawmakers revive polluter-pays legislation to make fossil fuel companies pay the state for their contribution to climate change. (Gothamist)
SOLAR:
• Critics ding North Carolina regulators’ approval of Duke Energy’s plan to add just 3.1 GW of solar over three years as insufficient to reach the state’s first emissions reduction goal in 2030. (Energy News Network)
• Home Depot plans to install 13 MW of rooftop solar on 25 of its stores in California. (Electrek)
• A Colorado researcher finds wildfire smoke that dampened California’s solar output in 2020 only minimally affected generation nationwide. (Eos)
GRID:
• The FBI warns utilities that white supremacists may sabotage power grid components to cause “societal collapse” after a string of attacks on substations in the Northwest. (OPB)
• Texas grid regulators approve a controversial market overhaul based around awarding potentially lucrative credits to power plants that produce electricity when demand is high and reserves are scarce. (Dallas Morning News)
CLEAN ENERGY: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s budget proposal includes nearly $458 million over the next two years for weatherization, electric vehicle infrastructure and solar incentives. (MPR News)
BIOMASS: In forested regions like New England, wood donation banks help people keep their homes warm amid sky-high heating fuel prices. (The Guardian)
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