Kentucky’s largest utility tests wind power’s potential

WIND: Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities build a utility-scale wind turbine in Kentucky to test the potential for wind power in the state. (Kentucky Lantern)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A former employee says hiccups and missteps in VinFast’s efforts to build a North Carolina electric vehicle factory represent an impulsive startup that often prioritizes moving quickly over moving deliberately. (News & Observer)
• Georgia saw a surge of electric vehicle and battery-related investment in 2023, driven by ongoing construction at Hyundai’s electric vehicle factory and amplified by federal funding and tax credits. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Savannah Tribune)
• As North Carolina crests 80,000 electric vehicle registrations, a Finnish EV charging company opens a plant in Durham to meet anticipated demand. (WTVD)
• Tennessee’s annual registration fee for electric vehicles doubles from $100 to $200. (WZTV)

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SOLAR:

• A solar company prepares for a hearing with a Virginia county board about its proposed 3 MW solar farm even after a planning commission recommends against it. (Farmville Herald)
• Florida Power & Light’s $212 million purchase of a 40,000-acre ranch for what could be Florida’s largest solar farm ranks as one of the state’s top real estate buys in 2023. (Orlando Sentinel)
• A Presbyterian church camp becomes one of the first in Alabama to install a solar power system. (Bham Now)

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CARBON CAPTURE: Communities across south Louisiana organize to oppose at least 20 underground carbon dioxide storage projects in the planning or development stages that also include a sprawling network of pipeline expansions. (Floodlight/WWNO)

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OIL & GAS:

• A company closes on its $2.2 billion purchase of oil and gas assets on 44,000 acres in the Permian Basin. (Carlsbad Current Argus)
• Pipeline company Williams spends nearly $2 billion to buy a pipeline network and six underground storage facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi. (Offshore Technology)

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GRID:

• A pair of companies propose building a 400-mile transmission line to connect Texas’ power grid with Louisiana and Mississippi in a way that still allows Texas to sidestep federal oversight. (Dallas Morning News)
• The Florida Supreme Court sets a February date to hear arguments over storm-protection plans for Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy, Tampa Electric and Florida Public Utilities. (Tampa Free Press)

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CLIMATE: A federal report on damage done by 2022’s Hurricane Ian finds newer homes survive better than older homes, with newer roofs as the single most important upgrade in damage assessments. (Miami Herald)

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CLEAN ENERGY: A South Korean electronics company announces it will invest $700 million into West Virginia to develop renewable energy, telehealth and other technologies. (Associated Press)

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HYDROGEN: Newly proposed rules governing development of the “green hydrogen” industry appear to favor Texas and states in the Midwest and Southwest, where wind and solar can be built quickly and cheaply. (Canary Media)

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The U.S. EPA awards $50 million to environmental and climate justice organizations from New Orleans and Houston to reduce greenhouse gases and clean up their communities. (Verite News)

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OVERSIGHT: Louisiana Gov.-elect Jeff Landry names an oil and gas industry executive to head up the state’s Department of Natural Resources. (NOLA.com)

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WORKFORCE: A Texas nonprofit trains workers for the solar industry as part of its mission of “disrupting poverty through green career training.” (Dallas Free Press)

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COMMENTARY: Louisiana is gearing up for a legal fight against a federal policy that could dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions even as the state tries to preserve its coastline against rising seas, writes a columnist. (NOLA.com)

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