Storage deployment continues to skyrocket

STORAGE: The U.S. added 5 GW of utility-scale battery storage in the first seven months of this year, bringing total installations to 21.4 GW and continuing an exponential deployment trend. (The Guardian)

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ALSO:

• A disaster relief agency envisions a “lending library” of portable solar and battery systems deployed throughout the Southeast to aid in power outages. (Energy News Network)
• A new Texas plant will repurpose electric vehicle batteries for use as energy storage, with support from a $20 million Department of Energy grant. (KXAN)

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COAL:

• Cancer rates related to air pollution are 12% higher near plants that use coal to make steel compared to national rates, and 26% higher for residents living near coke plants, a new study finds. (Inside Climate News)
• Tribal nations in Montana’s coal country look to clean energy to help them weather the industry’s decline, but say a lack of resources hampers efforts to tap federal transition funding. (Montana Free Press)

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GRID: Power plant owners support PJM’s proposal to delay an upcoming capacity auction by six months to craft new capacity market rules, but warn that longer delays could erode investor confidence. (Utility Dive)

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POLITICS:

• The presidential election could have a significant impact on the nation’s energy mix, incentives for home weatherization, electric vehicle deployment, and other aspects of the clean energy transition. (Grist)
• Utility commission races in Arizona, Louisiana and Montana could have big implications for the states’ clean energy futures. (Heatmap)

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WORKFORCE: A report finds some small states are punching above their weight in clean job creation, while some top fossil fuel-producing states are missing an opportunity to shift their economies. (Yale Climate Connections)

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EMISSIONS:

• The U.S. Energy Department offers a $162 million loan to a company that will monitor methane emissions at oil- and gas-producing basins. (Axios)
• A startup that places sensors at methane collection wells throughout landfills to fully record leaks could strengthen accountability and make it easier for landfills to find and address emissions. (Canary Media)

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MATERIALS: The U.S. Treasury Department unveils tax incentives for material extraction and producing clean energy components. (Axios)

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NUCLEAR: Amazon and utilities propose advanced nuclear reactors in Washington state to power the firm’s data centers in Oregon, which has a ban on new nuclear plants. (OPB)

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UTILITIES: A report finds agencies have downgraded more than 100 utilities’ credit ratings due to wildfire hazard as insurance and mitigation costs have increased, leading to higher electricity rates. (Utility Dive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Tesla reports a 17% profit increase in the third quarter, but says most of its earnings came from sales of home batteries and emissions credits. (New York Times)
• An electric plane startup builds out its Vermont factory as it answers a big question: “how do you become an aerospace manufacturing company?” (Seven Days)

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EFFICIENCY: Harvard University researchers retrofitted a 1940s home with a ground-source heat pump, solar panels and other efficient technologies to show how older homes can achieve carbon neutrality. (Utility Dive)

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