A ​‘breakthrough’ for unionizing solar

SOLAR: The United Steelworkers form a neutrality agreement with solar company Convalt Energy as it plans to build two U.S. factories, marking a ​“significant breakthrough” into unionizing the domestic solar industry, the White House’s climate adviser says. (Axios)

OIL & GAS: 

• The U.S. oil and gas industry’s boom under President Biden illustrates how difficult it is for a president to stop or even slow oil production because of legal, political and market factors. (Washington Post)
• Shell’s nonprofit arm gave more than $500,000 to conservative causes between 2013 and 2022, including some that aim to fight climate action, tax records show. (The Guardian)

BUILDINGS:

• High-income U.S. households have so far grabbed $2.2 billion of home efficiency and decarbonization tax credits aimed at reducing energy bills, while the poorest households have received just $32 million. (E&E News)
• A 147-unit Habitat for Humanity project in St. Paul, Minnesota, expected to be one of the largest net-zero developments in the Midwest, is being built without natural gas hookups. (Energy News Network)

BATTERIES:

• A startup plans to install the world’s largest iron-air battery facility at a former paper mill in Lincoln, Maine, that will deliver 85 MW of power to the grid for up to 100 hours. (Canary Media)
• North Carolina awards a sodium-ion battery maker a $21.7 million grant plus additional incentives for workforce training and site improvements to secure its commitment to build a $1.4 billion factory. (Raleigh News & Observer, WRAL)

WIND:

• Wind turbines for the first time produced more electricity than coal over two consecutive months, according to the Energy Information Administration. (New York Times)
• As the burgeoning offshore wind industry faces economic and political headwinds, Dominion Energy is buying more leases and sinking investment into building the supply chain around its massive project near Virginia. (Politico, E&E News)

CLIMATE: The Biden administration unveils a multi-agency strategy to research and respond to extreme heat through 2030. (The Hill)

UTILITIES: Democratic lawmakers in Ohio criticize the state’s recent $20 million settlement with FirstEnergy over the HB6 corruption scandal as a ​“paltry sum,” noting the company has so far faced minimal accountability. (State House News Service)

COMMENTARY: An advocate says one way to accelerate the buildout of transmission lines is to improve incentives for rural communities, such as adding broadband internet in the process. (Utility Dive)