What’s actually behind rising electricity costs

UTILITIES: Rising gas prices, grid infrastructure investments and utility business models that incentivize capital spending are the primary contributors to rising electricity costs, according to a recent report dispelling claims that clean energy is the culprit. (Canary Media)

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BATTERIES: A peer-reviewed study finds lithium ion batteries are full of toxic forever chemicals that have contaminated the areas surrounding manufacturing and disposal sites, spurring the need to find alternative energy storage solutions and ramp up recycling efforts. (The Guardian)

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GRID:

• Clean energy experts recommend investing in personal solar and battery technology instead of gas generators as storms and wildfires increasingly threaten the power grid. (Washington Post)
• California’s grid operator says added generation and energy storage capacity helped the state’s electricity network endure record-high power demand during this month’s prolonged heat wave. (NBC Bay Area)
• Federal energy regulators authorize ISO New England to implement a long-term transmission planning process that involves new review metrics and a way for states to pay for projects that other states might not want. (Utility Dive)
• Experts say West Coast states must increase generation and storage capacity, build more transmission and establish a regional grid organization and power market to meet growing power demands. (KGW)

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WIND: Coastal Maine residents concerned about both climate change and ecological preservation are conflicted over the planned location of a facility that advocates say will help launch Maine’s offshore wind industry. (Energy News Network/Grist/Maine Monitor)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Some rental car companies are selling off electric vehicle inventories and reducing new orders amid a lack of charging infrastructure, renters’ unfamiliarity with driving EVs, and limited repair options. (New York Times)

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COAL:

• West Virginia University researchers extract rare earth elements and other valuable metals from groundwater flowing from old coal mines, potentially providing materials for clean energy technology while cleaning up poisonous mine drainage. (Associated Press)
• With New England’s last coal plants slated for closure by 2028, the region has “few easy replacements” for the 3 GW of lost baseload power. (E&E News)
• A celebrity investor backs a $200 million project in West Virginia that aims to convert coal into clean-burning hydrogen fuel, but critics are skeptical whether the technology will work. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)

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OIL & GAS: The Biden administration seeks public input on its proposal to expand an area of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska with special drilling restrictions. (Alaska Public Media)

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NUCLEAR: California startup Oklo looks to build its first small modular nuclear reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory by 2027. (Reuters)

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