Expert: Power outages followed by dangerous heat an “absolute certainty”

GRID: Experts warn Houston’s experience with Hurricane Beryl this summer — widespread power outages followed by a dangerous heat wave — is an “absolute certainty” to affect other parts of the U.S. that are unprepared for such a scenario. (Washington Post)

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ALSO: An analysis finds power outages cost Texas consumers $35,685 for every megawatt-hour of load that goes unserved, although state regulatory staff say their own research shows the figure is somewhat lower. (Utility Dive)

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STORAGE:

• An iron-air battery company celebrates the end of construction and start of trial production at a new West Virginia factory built into the shell of an old steel mill. (WV Metro News)
• A Texas energy company partners with a California firm on a virtual power plant program to aggregate power from solar-connected batteries. (Dallas Innovates)

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SOLAR:

• North Carolina ranks fourth in the nation for solar installations as the U.S. sees a historic surge in solar industry growth. (WRAL)
• Appalachian Power asks Virginia regulators for a 70% reduction in what it pays people with home solar systems for excess energy, prompting criticism from clean energy advocates. (Virginia Mercury)
• A Virginia high school unveils a 1.8 MW solar array, the largest school-based solar installation in the state. (Potomac Local News)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Texas’ plans to build solar, wind and battery projects over the next year and a half dwarf those of any other state, including second-place California. (Canary Media)

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BIOMASS: Critics claim Georgia Power’s plan to purchase 80 MW from three wood-burning power plants is too expensive compared to other alternatives, but utility officials say the move is an attempt to diversify its power sources and boost the state’s forestry sector. (Capitol Beat News Service, WABE)

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OIL & GAS: A Virginia gas utility plans to expand into new areas now that it can purchase natural gas from the Mountain Valley Pipeline. (Cardinal News)

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HYDROGEN:

• Utilities in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas are converting existing power plants and building new ones to blend hydrogen with natural gas in an attempt to decarbonize their emissions. (Power Engineering)
• A green hydrogen company announces it will partner with a company to provide fuel for a 500 MW ammonia project in Texas. (news release)

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POLITICS: Congress passes a Texas representative’s bill to change how federal officials collect royalties for oil and gas leases on public lands, essentially relieving companies from handing over hundreds of millions of dollars in advances. (Houston Chronicle)

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UTILITIES: North Carolina regulatory staff support reducing Dominion Power’s requested rate increase by half, with a final decision expected by November. (S&P Global)

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COMMENTARY:

• The Mountain Valley Pipeline demonstrates why efforts to reform energy permitting should center justice and renewable energy over the profits of fossil fuel companies, write two professors. (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)
• Florida must remove regulatory hurdles to building electric vehicle infrastructure to keep up with its second-in-the-nation EV registrations, writes an electrification advocate. (Orlando Sentinel)

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