$1.7 billion for EV factory conversions

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The White House announces $1.7 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding will go to 11 car, motorcycle, truck and bus factories to help them reconfigure to make electric vehicles, provided those companies match the federal investment themselves. (E&E News)

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ALSO: Lucid and Fisker recall thousands of electric vehicles over an issue they say could cause a loss of power. (Quartz)

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GRID:

• A new report finds virtual power plant programs like ones recently launched in California and Texas can shore up power grids against summer demand peaks faster and cheaper than building new generation. (Utility Dive)
• Northwest energy officials predict rising power demand from data centers could push the grid to its limit within five years. (Seattle Times)

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EMISSIONS: As the U.S. EPA commits to updating methane emissions standards at landfills, states like California, Maryland, and Washington could provide a blueprint. (Canary Media)

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WIND:

• Dominion Energy’s purchase of Avangrid’s offshore wind lease and a new report that forecasts $65 billion in private offshore wind investment by 2030 injects new optimism into an industry that’s faced recent turbulence. (Utility Dive)
• California’s energy commission approves an offshore wind strategic plan aimed at developing 25,000 MW of capacity by 2045. (CalMatters)

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ELECTRIFICATION:

• Experts and homeowners share how home insulation can keep a house cool in the summer and warm in winter, reducing energy costs. (Canary Media)
• While meeting its ambitious clean energy and electrification goals has been difficult, Ithaca, New York, is serving as a “catalyst for hope” for other small cities looking to make climate progress. (Christian Science Monitor)

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NUCLEAR: The shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear plant, which experienced an infamous partial meltdown 45 years ago, is among a growing number of retired U.S. nuclear plants that could be recommissioned as power demand grows. (Washington Post)

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OIL & GAS:

• New federal power plant emission rules and shifting economics around the cost of natural gas add uncertainty to Duke Energy’s plans to build a 1,360 MW gas-fired power plant in North Carolina. (Energy News Network)
• Wyoming closes state oil and gas leasing auctions to non-industry entities after a conservation group bid on parcels in an effort to block drilling. (Cowboy State Daily)

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CLIMATE:

• A new study shows how the urban heat island effect can raise temperatures as much as 10 degrees in formerly redlined parts of major U.S. cities. (Axios)
• The Southeast sees rising tides accelerating at some of the most extreme rates in the world, alarming scientists, residents and housing officials. (Inside Climate News)

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