EFFICIENCY: Industry experts say most heat pump models on the market can’t meet efficiency standards required to access Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, jeopardizing their expansion. (Canary Media)
SOLAR:
• Researchers say solar panels and crops can coexist and benefit farmers, but they need more time and research to figure out which situations will maximize agrivoltaics’ potential. (Energy News Network)
• A growing number of agrivoltaic projects are in development across the Midwest as utilities and advocates promote working farmland alongside solar projects. (Star Tribune)
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CLEAN ENERGY:
• America’s foreign allies decry the Inflation Reduction Act’s “Made in America” policies meant to build up domestic clean energy jobs, calling them “discriminatory.” (New York Times)
• Global investment in wind and solar is set to outpace oil and gas drilling this year for the first time, an analyst predicts. (E&E News)
• Texas stands to reap a huge windfall in federal tax credits for what is the largest wind and solar grid in the U.S., but its elected leaders still lean against renewables in favor of “cheap, plentiful” fossil fuels. (Capital & Main)
CLIMATE:
• More than 80% of the U.S. is now abnormally dry or drought conditions — the highest percentage since tracking began in 2000. (Washington Post)
• Researchers report a staggering drop in the planet’s wildlife population, with monitored populations of vertebrates dropping 69% from 1970 to 2018. (New York Times)
• Massive amounts of plastic in the ocean harm its ability to sequester as much as a third of humanity’s annual emissions. (Grist)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: A new federal study will examine two Texas cities to unpack how air pollution, increased flooding risk, and environmental justice tie together for communities of color and low-income residents. (Inside Climate News)
GRID: Utility officials and climate advocates say billions of dollars’ worth of new high-voltage power lines are needed for the Northwest to meet clean energy targets, but regional transmission plans are nonexistent or inadequate. (Sightline)
WIND: Significant funding and engineering efforts are being channeled toward making floating wind farms in the Gulf of Maine a reality amid fears from the fishing industry that the infrastructure will hurt their work and marine life. (Boston Globe)
CARBON CAPTURE: Louisiana residents continue to push back against potential carbon capture projects by imposing two moratoriums against the technology. (The Advocate)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Competition is heating up as states offer hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives to lure major electric vehicle manufacturing projects. (Bloomberg, subscription)
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom splits from his party and traditional environmental allies by opposing a ballot measure that would tax the wealthy to fund electric vehicle incentives. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY: Energy industry leaders fear Inflation Reduction Act incentives alone won’t be enough to get the U.S. to net-zero emissions by 2050, two academics write. (The Conversation)
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