SOLAR: A $1 billion solar factory announced for Oklahoma represents just the latest solar deal since the passage of the federal climate package, and comes at a time when the solar industry faces growing political uncertainty. (E&E News)
ALSO:
• A nonprofit announces the creation of a solar and electric vehicle charging cooperative in northern Appalachia with the goal of facilitating a competitive bidding process to secure lower prices. (Observer-Reporter)
• A company breaks ground on a 125 MW solar facility in Louisiana. (American Press)
• A Tennessee company uses carbon offsets to finance construction of three solar farms in Mississippi. (CleanTechnica)
• An Oklahoma couple expresses frustration that their newly installed solar system cost more than they expected and isn’t working yet. (KFOR)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A Korean auto parts company announces it will become the eighth parts supplier to build a factory near Hyundai’s planned electric vehicle plant in Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• An Italian electric vehicle charging station manufacturer announces it will open its U.S. headquarters in North Carolina. (Charlotte Observer)
• A steel-making company with plants in Arkansas and Kentucky announces a partnership with a trucking company to use electric vehicles to make its supply chain more sustainable. (News-Enterprise)
WIND: Two energy companies complete the sale of a 199 MW wind farm in Oklahoma. (Power Technology)
GRID:
• Texas lawmakers advance legislation to create a state-backed, low-interest loan program to incentivize construction of more natural gas-fueled power plants in an effort to create more “dispatchable” energy to stabilize the state grid. (Corpus Christi Caller Times)
• Two of the five men accused in a neo-Nazi plot to attack North Carolina electrical infrastructure are set to go to a jury trial next year. (WGHP)
OIL & GAS:
• A Black Florida community rebuilding after the 1999 closure of a paper mill now sees a threat to its plans for community revitalization from a proposed liquified natural gas plant. (Miami Herald)
• Despite growth last year in the Permian and the Haynesville basins, analysts predict natural gas production growth will pause until more liquified gas export terminals are built on the Gulf Coast. (S&P Global)
• A new federal report finds a projected, long-term increase in natural gas production is being driven not by U.S. demand but exports, while opponents of new terminals argue the report underestimates price spikes due to the spot market and Gulf Coast storms. (The Hill)
BIOMASS: Dozens of activists gather outside a biomass company’s North Carolina headquarters to protest its carbon emissions and disruptions to their quality of life. (WRAL)
UTILITIES:
• Texas lawmakers advance legislation to allow electric companies to seek more frequent rate hikes. (Houston Chronicle)
• A North Carolina official warns a rate hike for Duke Energy now could lead to an even larger request in the next round of negotiations. (WRAL)
CLIMATE:
• Continued housing development on the Florida Keys prompts debate over how the state should address rising seas and climate change. (WTVJ)
• Florida officials work to restore native vegetation on barrier islands to boost their natural defenses against mainland flooding exacerbated by climate change. (Miami Herald)
POLITICS:Alabama’s attorney general argues that investment firms pursuing environmental goals should not be able to blacklist companies and industries because doing so defies the free market. (AL.com; Wall Street Journal, subscription)
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