SOLAR: Vice President Kamala Harris announces a Korean solar manufacturer will buy 2.5 million solar panels from a U.S. company to build the “largest community solar effort in U.S. history,” which will bring 1.2 GW of community solar in Maine, Maryland and Illinois. (The Hill, Boston Globe)
ALSO: Solar developers have started negotiating deals with Wisconsin farmers for third-party-owned solar projects following a favorable ruling from state regulators. (Energy News Network)
Sponsored Link
The Nation’s Premier Electric Transportation Event
Forth Roadmap Conference, May 15-17, 2023 in Portland, Oregon
Connect with industry professionals in mobility, government, utilities, OEMs and nonprofits – all with a shared focus on advancing equitable transportation electrification. Register Now!
GRID:
• The expensive, yearslong grid interconnection process is forcing renewable energy developers to either scramble to raise more money or abandon projects altogether. (CNBC)
• Northwest researchers say moving power from proposed offshore wind turbines through the existing transmission system would be like “getting a blood transfusion through your fingertips.” (KLCC)
• Analysts say California must build out its power grid to reach clean energy targets, but new transmission is expensive and difficult to permit. (Los Angeles Times)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Walmart plans to add electric vehicle charging stations to most of its stores by 2030, noting it has a store within 10 miles of 90% of Americans. (Washington Post)
• National lab scientists say they’ve created a dime-sized solid-state battery cell that could greatly expand the range of electric vehicle batteries and allow their use on aircraft and heavy-duty vehicles. (Inside Climate News)
• Plans for a $2.4 billion electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant divide a western Michigan town where residents dispute the potential for economic development and environmental damage. (Bridge Michigan)
EMISSIONS:
• Atmospheric greenhouse gas levels rose significantly last year, continuing a three-year trend of unprecedented growth, federal data shows. (Guardian)
• States in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative have seen significant economic growth and reduced power plant carbon emissions, but should require smaller power generators to report their emissions, a clean energy advocacy group’s report suggests. (Utility Dive)
• The Biden administration is set to announce the U.S.’s toughest ever tailpipe emissions rules next week, though it won’t go so far as to ban combustion vehicle sales by a certain date. (Bloomberg)
HYDROGEN: The U.S. Department of Energy will soon review dozens of bids to build as many as 10 clean hydrogen production hubs across the country. (E&E News)
CLIMATE: Under President Biden, the U.S. has gone from lagging other countries on climate action to inspiring Canadian and European Union legislation modeled on the Inflation Reduction Act. (Canary Media)
POLITICS: North Carolina’s Democratic governor has used executive actions to sidestep a Republican-majority legislature and set goals and shift policy to reduce the state’s carbon emissions. (Wilmington StarNews)
POLLUTION: The U.S. EPA proposes a crackdown on hazardous emissions from chemical and plastics plants, which advocates say will especially help Gulf Coast communities with heavy petrochemical development. (Inside Climate News, Associated Press)
Sponsored Link
Virtual Indiana Transportation Electrification Bootcamp
The Electrification Coalition invites you to our Friday, April 14
Virtual Indiana Transportation Electrification Bootcamp.
Presentation, panel, and discussion topics will include EV policies, economic benefits, the role of state agencies and utilities, rural electrification, and electric school buses.
UTILITIES: A judge orders NorthWestern Energy to halt construction on a natural gas power plant in Montana, saying regulators ignored environmental risks when permitting the facility in 2021. (Billings Gazette)
ELECTRIFICATION: Smart panels that help manage electric loads can be a solution to electrify older residential buildings and apartments that rely on natural gas in states like Minnesota, experts say. (Energy News Network)
More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West