How clean energy manufacturing transformed under Biden

MANUFACTURING: U.S. clean energy manufacturing rapidly expanded over the past four years as factories emerged to produce solar panels, batteries and electric cars, though the growth trajectory is less certain going forward under President-elect Trump. (Canary Media)

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BUILDINGS: Major U.S. cities are leading the way on decarbonizing large buildings by instituting performance standards that require owners to submit energy usage data and gradually improve their performance. (Canary Media)

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OIL & GAS:

• President-elect Trump pledges to undo President Biden’s last-minute ban on offshore drilling along much of the U.S. coast, but doing so would likely require an act of Congress and cooperation by coastal lawmakers who oppose local offshore drilling. (E&E News)
• Electric utilities serving the Northeast ask federal regulators to enact gas pipeline reliability requirements to ensure power plants have enough fuel to keep the lights on. (Utility Dive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Pentagon announces plans to blacklist Chinese company CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker and a key partner of Tesla and Ford. (Washington Post)

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GRID:

• Residential electricity prices rose faster than inflation from 2019-2023 as utilities increased spending on grid infrastructure, a federal lab’s new report finds. (Power Grid International)
• A planned 325 MW battery storage project in Connecticut faces obstacles from state regulators, as well as area residents worried about possible fires. (Energy News Network)

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NUCLEAR: Nuclear power has suffered in the face of high-profile disasters but has a chance to make a comeback as leaders recognize its ability to generate clean, reliable energy, an environmental journalist says. (Grist)

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SOLAR:

• A study finds wildfire smoke in the Western U.S. is hampering solar generation less than previously feared but still reduces output from panels close to blazes. (The Hill)
• The developer of the nation’s largest solar-plus-storage facility in Nevada looks to build more large-scale arrays to meet the “unbelievable appetite for clean energy.” (Energy Storage News, subscription)

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OFFSHORE WIND: The fishing industry has been a consistent opponent of offshore wind, but developers in Massachusetts have paid $8 million to local fishermen to do safety and security work for the Vineyard Wind project. (New Bedford Light)

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COMMENTARY: Big tech companies should be required to shoulder the costs of new generation to power their data centers so that costs aren’t shifted on to utility ratepayers, an economist and author writes. (Utility Dive)

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