Chinese batteries under scrutiny after Duke Energy spurns them

STORAGE: A battery company that powers cars made by Tesla, Volkswagen and BMW has become the latest front in the conflict between China and the U.S. after Duke Energy says it will stop using the batteries after concerns over their use on a Marine Corps base in North Carolina. (Guardian)

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ALSO: A Texas-based clean-energy and battery developer is working on a tool for grid batteries to measure the cleanliness of emissions, which could appeal to projects with clients bound by strict carbon-accounting standards. (Canary Media)

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GRID: Southeast utilities are juicing their near-term forecasts for power demand amid the construction of data centers, cryptocurrency operations, marijuana farms and electric vehicle factories. (Floodlight)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Volkswagen is leaning on the backstory of pioneering SUV brand Scout Motors to generate interest in a revamp that will sell electric vehicles. (CNN)
• Electric vehicle maker Canoo announces its Oklahoma plant has been named as a foreign trade zone, which gets the company a 5% discount on imported parts. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• A Florida county considers requiring developers to set aside parking spots for electric vehicle charging, but so far officials have resisted the proposal. (Observer)

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WIND:

• Conservative groups sue to block Dominion Energy from building an offshore wind farm near Virginia, saying federal officials overlooked its threat to endangered whales. (WHRO)
• An Oklahoma county considers a moratorium on wind farms as residents complain they’re “tired of being taken advantage of.” (KOKH)

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SOLAR: A Florida utility announces a 2-acre solar facility on a pond, which it claims is the largest floating solar array in the U.S. (Solar Industry)

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OIL & GAS: Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm receives a frosty welcome at a Houston energy conference because of the Biden administration’s pause on approving permits for liquified natural gas export terminals. (Houston Chronicle)

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EFFICIENCY:

• Federal energy officials cite historically Black school Morehouse College in Atlanta as one of nine “goal achievers” for its energy efficiency improvements. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• A Kentucky county takes steps to approve a program that would allow nonprofits and commercial and industrial businesses to apply for financing to offset the costs of energy improvements. (Commonwealth Journal)

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: A report by Virginia officials finds the numerous programs to assist low-income residents with energy bills fall short of need. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

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CLIMATE: Texas’ historic wildfires were triggered by malfunctioning electrical infrastructure and amplified by climate change, providing a possible glimpse of the future as state officials continue to resist regulations on the oil and gas industry. (Sierra)

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EMISSIONS: A new report finds Louisiana, Texas and other states have significantly subsidized plastics manufacturers, only for those plants to repeatedly violate air pollution rules into vulnerable neighborhoods primarily occupied by people of color. (DeSmog)

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OVERSIGHT: Florida lawmakers pass numerous bills to override existing city and county ordinances, including one to prevent local governments from mandating heat-exposure protections for outdoor workers. (WLRN, Inside Climate News)

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MINING: Georgia moves closer to approving a titanium mine just outside the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, amping up an already raging fight over protecting America’s largest intact blackwater swamp. (Washington Post)

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