What IRA got done in its first 2 years

CLEAN ENERGY: The Inflation Reduction Act has spurred billions of dollars in clean energy investment as it nears its second birthday, and forthcoming tax credit guidance is set to further accelerate its impact. (Utility Dive)

‍

BUILDINGS:

• The U.S. Energy Department has made a “ton of progress” this year on boosting home energy assessments, advancing energy-saving building codes, and promoting efficiency upgrades and electric appliances, advocates say. (Utility Dive)
• New research shows how households can avoid costly electric panel upgrades if they install efficient devices and stick to a “watt diet” when buying electric appliances. (Canary Media)
• In New Hampshire, a bill on the governor’s desk would update much of the state’s building code except for its energy efficiency provisions, leaving those at an earlier standard because of claims that new home costs would rise. (NHPR)

‍

OVERSIGHT: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission started 2024 with only three of five commissioners but managed to enact major transmission, cost allocation and other rules in the first half of the year. (Utility Dive)

‍

WORKFORCE: A $60 million federal program will fund nine training efforts across 10 states to prepare workers for climate resilience-boosting jobs. (Inside Climate News)

‍

CLIMATE:

• As Hurricane Beryl hits the Texas coast, a rapid attribution study finds climate change caused by fossil fuels made the tropical storm’s wind and rain 10 to 30% more intense. (Associated Press, Inside Climate News)
• Climate change could increase the chance of hurricane-induced power outages in parts of the U.S. by as much as 50% in the coming decades, a new analysis finds. (New York Times)
• Record-breaking heat continues across the U.S. as the Earth closes out its warmest June on record. (The Hill, Axios)
• A nonprofit and utilities race to bring electricity to some 13,000 off-grid Navajo Nation homes to power air-conditioners as climate change-exacerbated heat waves become more frequent. (CNN)

‍

STORAGE: Residential and utility-scale energy storage development is off to a strong start this year, on pace to break development records. (Canary Media)

‍

SOLAR:

• Two developers pursuing solar projects in Ohio are proactively meeting with communities early in the development process in an effort to boost their chances with state regulators. (Energy News Network)
• The Gila River Indian Community nears completion of a 1.3 MW solar installation over an irrigation canal in central Arizona. (Canary Media)

‍

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Professional racing league NASCAR, while still heavily reliant on internal combustion vehicles, releases a prototype all-electric race car at an event in Chicago. (Chicago Tribune)
• Mississippi Republicans rush to embrace an electric vehicle factory that’s the single largest payroll commitment in state history, but which was made possible by federal legislation they opposed and which Donald Trump has promised to roll back. (Mississippi Today)

‍