U.S. utilities slow to embrace new grid tech

GRID: Grid-enhancing technology that could expand existing power lines’ capacity is catching on worldwide but struggling in the U.S. as utilities shy away from high upfront costs. (E&E News)

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ALSO:

• Data centers are taking off across the country, including in the Permian Basin, raising concerns over the power grid’s ability to keep up. (E&E News)
• A new report predicts extreme heat will drive U.S. households’ utility costs up 8% this summer. (The Guardian)

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CLEAN ENERGY:

• Clean energy and transportation investments totaled a record high of $71 billion in the first quarter of the year. (Utility Dive)
• The world isn’t on track to meet a 2030 renewable energy goal, the International Energy Agency says. (The Guardian)
• U.S. solar deployment has skyrocketed since the Inflation Reduction Act’s passage, but wind projects have slowed amid growing backlash, supply chain challenges, and permitting delays. (New York Times)

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CLIMATE: Oil and gas corporations ask the U.S. Supreme Court to block lawsuits brought by states seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars of climate change-caused damage. (Los Angeles Times)

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GEOTHERMAL: A Massachusetts utility this week will launch the nation’s first utility-operated underground thermal energy network. (Canary Media)

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POLITICS:

• Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse calls former President Trump’s reported promise to aid fossil fuel companies if they fund his campaign the “definition of corruption” as the Democrat leads an effort to investigate the issue. (The Guardian)
• Three Republican Congress members who own car dealerships are fighting White House efforts to boost the electric vehicle industry. (E&E News)
• Sen. Joe Manchin leaves the Democratic party, but will remain at the helm of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. (E&E News)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Car dealers say they’re seeing more blue-collar electric vehicle buyers as federal incentives and price drops make EVs more affordable. (New York Times)

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NUCLEAR: U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm calls for the construction of 98 more nuclear plants on the scale of new units at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle. (Associated Press)

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PIPELINES: Federal records identify roughly 130 potential problem areas revealed during testing of the Mountain Valley Pipeline earlier this spring, raising further concern about the pipe’s integrity. (Roanoke Times)

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EFFICIENCY: Attorneys general from 23 states threaten legal action if the Biden administration moves forward with new energy-efficiency standards on stoves, cooktops and ovens. (Nebraska Examiner)

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HYDROGEN: Minnesota-based 3M is investing in research that aims to lower the costs of producing green hydrogen and make it more competitive with renewables and fossil fuels. (Star Tribune)

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