Startup pitches free solar panels, batteries to Texas homeowners

SOLAR: A virtual power plant startup offers free solar panels and battery  systems to thousands of Texas homeowners that would provide backup power during outages but otherwise be used by the company as a grid resource. (Canary Media)

‍

ALSO:

• A rural North Carolina county will resume a permitting discussion for a proposed solar-storage project Feb. 6 after tabling a decision this month. (The Standard)
• Duke Energy proposes a program that would allow North Carolina customers to pay a fee to receive power from new, utility-owned solar projects. (news release)

‍

EFFICIENCY: Advocates are “crossing their fingers” that the incoming Trump administration won’t revoke $208 million in federal funding for a residential energy efficiency rebate program announced yesterday in North Carolina. (WSOC)

‍

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Virginia receives $10 million in federal funding to install nearly 400 electric vehicle charging ports, more than half of which will be in disadvantaged communities. (WAVY)
• Fairmont, West Virginia, officials discuss plans for spending a $75,000 federal grant to install charging stations at a downtown parking garage. (WVNews)

‍

GRID:

• Texas regulators approve a $137 million grid resilience plan by Entergy aimed at reducing outage times in Southeast Texas. (MyTexasDaily)
• Oklahoma regulators sign off on a rate settlement that utility Public Service Company says was vital for its grid enhancement efforts. (news release)  

‍

OIL & GAS: Texas joins a 22-state coalition suing the U.S. EPA to block implementation of a methane emission tax created under the Inflation Reduction Act. (Texas Tribune)

‍

PIPELINES: An open house for a planned natural gas pipeline expansion project in Alabama draws hundreds of residents and property owners. (Elmore Autauga News)

‍

NUCLEAR: A company hopes to build the world’s first commercial nuclear fusion energy plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia, by the early 2030s. (WRAL)

‍

UTILITIES:

• The U.S. House passes legislation to require transparency around Tennessee Valley Authority salaries, which have been secret since a 1995 law. (E&E News)
• In response to concerns about rising bills, a Tennessee electric co-op advises customers to consider smart thermostats and home energy audits. (WYFF)

‍

COAL: A West Virginia coal mine will be idled for at least three months so that the operator can extinguish an underground mine fire. (MetroNews)

‍

CLIMATE: For much of central Appalachia, 2024 was the hottest year on record, driven by a mild winter and warm overnight temperatures that scientists say are signs of human-caused climate change. (Louisville Public Media)

‍

COMMENTARY: Duke and Southern Co. are among the utilities postponing coal plant retirements ahead of President-elect Trump’s second term, but a journalist concludes the changes are mostly stopgap moves that do not signal a reversing tide in coal’s favor. (Inside Climate News)

‍