A “panicked rush” for new gas plants

POWER PLANTS: As economic growth drives new electricity demand, utilities such as Georgia Power look to natural gas as a quick fix, but customers and clean energy advocates say the strategy lacks ambition and ignores the giant pool of federal money currently available for cleaner alternatives. (Grist/WABE)

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ALSO: A new report urges state regulators to be skeptical about “a panicked rush” to build new gas plants and says utilities could mitigate near-term load growth with a myriad of tech and policy solutions. (Latitude Media)

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GRID: Software and smart meters are unlocking new potential for price-based demand response — using variable rates to change customer behavior — with Georgia Power and Entergy Louisiana among the utilities exploring the concept as a way to manage loads. (Utility Dive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The shift to electric vehicles in North Carolina is happening faster than state officials anticipated, with electric vehicle registrations surpassing a state goal two years ahead of schedule with more than 80,000 on the road. (WRAL)  

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SOLAR: The developer of a Virginia solar project informs county officials that it is withdrawing its application for a special use permit. (Farmville Herald)

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COAL:

• The Baltimore bridge collapse has cut off access to a port that ships about a quarter of West Virginia’s total coal exports. (MetroNews)
• A federal official announces $23 million in infrastructure law funding to help reclaim abandoned coal mines in Virginia. (WVTF)
• The director of an Appalachian nonprofit talks about its work planting native trees to regrow forests on former coal mine sites. (Daily Yonder)

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CLIMATE: Indoor farming offers producers steady growing conditions amid increasingly unpredictable weather, but their energy consumption represents a potential threat that could worsen climate change. (Washington Post)

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COMMENTARY: Duke Energy’s proposed carbon plan in North Carolina ignores a 2030 emissions target, doubles down on fossil fuels, and leans too heavily on expensive, unproven technology, an advocacy group writes. (SELC)

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