Kentucky housing can’t keep up with the state’s battery boom

WORKFORCE: Kentucky communities where developers are building large battery factories that are expected to create thousands of jobs are experiencing housing shortages, with a legislative study finding the state is 206,207 housing units short of what it needs. (Lexington Herald-Leader)

‍

OIL & GAS:

• Experts say Donald Trump’s promises to push the oil and gas industry to ramp up production are likely to collide with a global crude glut and companies wary of falling prices. (Bloomberg)
• The incoming Trump administration can lift regulations and ease permitting for liquefied natural gas export facilities that were paused by President Biden, but can’t force oil and gas companies to drill more or end domestic refineries’ reliance on foreign oil, analysts say. (E&E News)

‍

SOLAR:

• Georgia lawmakers hear from Georgia Power and solar advocates in a hearing on Republican-backed legislation to establish a community solar program, which failed earlier this year but is expected to be reintroduced in 2025. (Georgia Recorder)
• A company begins operations at a 14.6 MW solar farm in Virginia. (news release)

‍

WIND:

• Virginia officials are confident about the continued construction of Dominion Energy’s nearly $10 billion offshore wind project near Virginia, despite Donald Trump’s stated opposition to wind energy. (WAVY)
• Dominion Energy pauses construction of its offshore wind farm near Virginia until May 2025 for the migration of right whales; so far the utility has installed 78 monopile foundations and 4 offshore cable substation foundations. (Chesapeake Bay Magazine)

‍

CLIMATE: New research finds soaring insurance premiums fueled by climate change increase the probability of homeowners falling behind on their mortgages. (Floodlight)

‍

GRID:

• The Southern Company and other entities endorse the relatively simple interconnection process Texas uses to add solar, wind and battery storage to its standalone state grid, which could become a national model for other grid operators. (PV Magazine)
• Facebook’s parent company proposes building an artificial intelligence data center in Louisiana, along with a new power plant to support the project. (NOLA.com)
• A Tennessee city announces it’s a third of the way into a $150-million grid modernization project that’s added 500 miles of cabling to reduce outages while increasing the availability of fiber broadband internet service. (WATE)

‍

POLITICS:

• Virginia lawmakers convene a summit to discuss a 2020 state law aiming for zero-carbon emissions by 2050, which is being threatened by the state’s explosion of data centers and their rapacious power demand. (Virginia Mercury)
• Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Energy has pointed to a Texas company as a model for the oil and gas industry while denying climate change as “a false and dishonest narrative.” (Houston Chronicle)

‍

NUCLEAR: A new report suggests Texas lawmakers rework the nuclear permitting process and establish a state fund to incentivize construction of new plants, similar to what the state established recently for gas-fired power plants. (Utility Dive)

‍

HYDROELECTRIC: The Tennessee Valley Authority signs a deal with two companies to receive power from a 377 MW portfolio of four hydroelectric dams in Tennessee and North Carolina. (news release)

‍

COMMENTARY: With the incoming Trump administration unlikely to address climate change, it’s up to the private sector to handle the job instead, writes the head of a conservative climate group. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

‍