A West Virginia wind farm shows the delicate path to clean energy

OVERSIGHT: A new Virginia commission to provide state lawmakers more guidance on increasingly complicated utility and energy bills could give new life to stalled proposals to restrict utilities’ spending and introduce more competition for wind and solar. (Energy News Network)

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TRANSITION:

• The sight of wind farms and other renewables in West Virginia coal country still stir emotions in residents who grew up grounded in coal culture and are uncomfortable with the clean energy transition. (NPR)
• Research shows local opposition to wind and solar projects is the leading cause for delays and cancellation, despite a national poll showing bipartisan majorities support the construction of more renewables. (Inside Climate News)

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STORAGE: Texas looks set to outpace California in construction of new battery storage facilities, just one year after it surpassed California in large-scale solar power capacity. (Canary Media)

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SOLAR:

• A growing number of Florida residents join solar cooperatives to receive support and discounts for rooftop installations, as the state’s utilities accelerate construction of utility-scale projects. (Naples Daily News)
• Experts advise Arkansas farmers interested in solar to take action by the end of September to meet deadlines for federal grants and to qualify for one-to-one net metering in Arkansas. (Pine Bluff Commercial)
• A solar company negotiates with an Arkansas city to build a 4.9 MW facility to supply 70% of its power needs. (Arkansas Business)
• A company completes construction of a 452 MW Texas solar farm. (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

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WIND: Dominion Energy says Virginia ratepayers won’t be affected by its sale of a 50% stake in its offshore wind farm to an investment firm. (Virginia Mercury)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Volkswagen bets $2 billion on the reintroduction of its vintage Scout sport utility vehicle as an electric vehicle by breaking ground on a factory in South Carolina. (Inside Climate News)
• Houston has added just 49 electric or hybrid cars to its municipal fleet over the last two years, threatening its goal of shifting entirely to electric vehicles within the next decade. (Houston Chronicle)

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OIL & GAS:

• Virginia residents express opposition to Dominion Energy’s plans to build a 1,000 MW natural gas plant it says would be used primarily during cold snaps and other times of high power demand. (WTVR)
• Utility regulators in Austin, Texas, ask the municipal utility to reconsider its plan to build a hydrogen-capable natural gas plant. (Austin Monitor)

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COAL:

• Kentucky lawmakers consider undoing a 2007 law passed after the death of a coal miner that requires two emergency technicians be present for each mine shift. (Kentucky Lantern)
• The head of West Virginia’s coal association contrasts recent Democratic and Republican presidents’ policies toward the industry. (WV News)

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UTILITIES:

• Georgia lawmakers advance a bill to create a consumer’s utility counsel to advocate for the public after state regulators approved numerous rate hikes for Georgia Power. (Georgia Recorder)
• Georgia regulators prepare for a second round of hearings with environmental and consumer advocates on Georgia Power’s request for an additional 6,600 MW of capacity. (Capitol Beat News Service)

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CLIMATE: Federal officials expand the heat scale that signals the severity of heat stress on corals after record-high ocean temperatures last year led to a severe mass bleaching event near Florida. (E&E News, subscription)

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