RENEWABLES: The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts for the first time that renewables will overtake natural gas as the country’s largest source of electricity by 2050. (Greentech Media)
ALSO:
• New York holds its first hearing on a proposal to turn Rikers Island into a clean energy production center when the famed prison closes. (New York Daily News)
• Wind and solar installation and maintenance jobs could be an economic spark in rural Iowa communities, experts say. (Marshalltown Times-Republican)
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CLIMATE:
• The Federal Reserve has a role to play in keeping climate change from destabilizing U.S. banks and financial markets, the bank’s chair says. (Reuters)
• Momentum is growing to pass a carbon price in Massachusetts this year, but details have yet to be worked out. (Energy News Network)
• Illinois’ Gov. J.B. Pritzker says in his state of the state address that “urgent action” is needed this legislative session to address climate change. (WNIJ)
• Oregon Gov. Kate Brown says crafting a climate change policy is one of her top priorities for the upcoming short session of the state’s legislature. (KBND)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Chicago receives high marks in a report on resiliency planning, but questions remain about whether the city can live up to environmental justice commitments. (Energy News Network)
WIND:
• Texas installed more wind turbines than any other state last year, totaling 4 gigawatts, according to an industry group’s report. (Bloomberg)
• East Coast states with big plans for offshore wind are catching up with Texas’ wind capacity, according to the same report. (Greentech Media)
• Analysts say wind growth was partly driven by uncertainty about tax credits, and that concerns exist about competition with natural gas. (E&E News, subscription)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Ford plans to partner with EV startup Rivian to develop the first fully electric Lincoln model. (Detroit News)
• Los Angeles has committed to fully electrifying its sanitation fleet by 2035, but most cities aren’t yet ready to follow its lead due to many hurdles. (Utility Dive)
• Southern states have some of the lowest adoption rates of electric vehicles, but some drivers are slowly starting to make the switch. (Electrek)
STORAGE:
• Tesla finishes its fiscal year with a record quarter for storage deployments and notable growth from its solar business. (Greentech Media)
• A growing field of scientists are looking to tiny nanoparticles for the next breakthrough in battery technology. (Grist)
COAL:
• Coal plants are increasingly operating in ways they were not designed to, leading to inefficiencies and costs for ratepayers, according to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. (Utility Dive)
• An Indiana bill to slow coal plant retirements would make it the third state over the past year to pass legislation contrary to energy market forces. (InsideClimate News)
GRID:
• House Democrats challenge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission over its recent ruling affecting the PJM Interconnection capacity market. (E&E News)
• A backlog of rehearing requests for FERC’s recent PJM minimum price rule could leave opponents in a legal “purgatory.” (Utility Dive)
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OIL & GAS: The Bureau of Land Management is mocked and criticized for a tweet promoting “petroleum-based” camping and outdoor products. (The Hill)
COMMENTARY:
• An activist reflects on being labeled a “domestic terrorist” by the U.S. government for shutting off a tar sands pipeline in 2016. (The Guardian)
• Social tipping points are the only hope for climate change, and a new paper explores how to trigger them, David Roberts writes. (Vox)
• A designer of net-zero homes says new residential construction is the most efficient way to reduce energy consumption in the housing sector. (Bloomberg)