Year in review: The top stories of 2017

Southeast Energy News is taking a short holiday break, and we want to pause briefly to thank you, our readers, for another great year.

From its launch in 2015, this site has grown into a widely recognized resource for coverage of the clean energy transition that might otherwise go unnoticed in other media outlets.

***Last chance! Donations to Southeast Energy News through December 31 will be doubled as part of the NewsMatch program. Click here to contribute!***

Starting next year we will be rebranding as the Energy News Network to reflect our nationwide expansion. But fear not! Our Southeast reporting and daily email digest will continue unchanged and uninterrupted. You’ll hear more from us about this in January.

For now, without further delay, here are the top ten most-read Southeast Energy News stories from 2017. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next year!

1. Controversy brews over new North Carolina wood pellet facility: Our top story this year explores a controversial facility that would produce wood pellets for export to European biomass plants, but also produce pollution that would disproportionately harm nearby African-American communties.
2. Critics say Duke-backed North Carolina bill will ​‘crush renewables’: Legislation that critics dubbed ​“the Duke bill” would have changed the way utilities acquire energy from renewable projects; the bill remains in committee.
3. North Carolina delays decision on Atlantic Coast pipeline: The project’s fate in North Carolina remains undecided.
4. Q&A: A Virginia lawmaker challenges utility over customer charges: State Sen. Chap Petersen has been a vocal critic of the state’s largest utility.
5. Amid nuclear setbacks, Virginia utility pauses plans for new reactor: Overshadowed by nuclear controversies in Georgia and South Carolina, Dominion Energy quietly put plans for a new reactor in the state on hold.
6. Virginia utility under pressure from company seeking to offer 100% renewable electricity: Across the country, large corporate customers are demanding more clean energy options from utilities.
7. Why biomass remains a challenge, even in timber-rich Georgia: Critics have questioned the economics of this project.
8. Why Alabama still lags the rest of the Southeast on solar: A closer look at the unique obstacles to solar in a state that ranks near the bottom nationally for solar development.
9. Report: Duke Energy could save ratepayers money with more clean energy: A report produced by clean energy advocates projects billions in savings if Duke Energy pursues more solar instead of a nuclear plant.
10. Energy bill could see North Carolina join national fight over net metering: The bill eventually passed.

Southeast Energy News will return on January 2, 2018. Thanks for reading!