After record 2023, solar growth could slow

SOLAR: New U.S. solar installations are expected to reach a record 33 GW by the end of this year, but growth is expected to slow in 2024, according to a new industry report. (Reuters)

ALSO: Minnesota solar advocates say a recent change in how Xcel Energy manages its substations is unnecessarily limiting solar development. (Energy News Network) 

CLEAN ENERGY:

• European countries consider their own domestic incentives for clean energy manufacturing to prevent companies from relocating to the United States. (New York Times)
• Government and nonprofit leaders say Treasury Department rules make it too difficult for them to tap into new federal clean energy incentives. (E&E News)

CLIMATE:

• Recent polls find a large majority of Americans, including half of Republicans, support the Biden administration’s climate goals, but 40% are still unaware of the Inflation Reduction Act. (CNN; E&E News, subscription)
• Climate change is a major topic at the annual White House Tribal Nations Summit, as the Biden administration announces new agreements to work with tribes on land and water management. (ICT News, Associated Press)

CARBON CAPTURE: Environmental groups raise concerns about a proposal to store captured carbon dioxide beneath U.S. Forest Service lands. (Floodlight)

OIL & GAS: A new report finds ​“excess profits” in the oil industry and other sectors exacerbated inflation in 2022. (CNBC)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• More than 1,000 employees at a Tennessee Volkswagen plant that makes electric and gas-powered vehicles have already signed cards to authorize a vote on whether to be represented by the United Auto Workers. (Associated Press)
• While a handful of repair shops are able to service aging vehicle batteries rather than replace them, technicians say the practice is still limited by safety concerns and vehicle design practices. (Grist)

MATERIALS:

• Reno-Sparks Indian Colony leaders say they won’t appeal a judge’s rejection of their claim that the Thacker Pass lithium mine violates federal policy and will instead work to reform the General Mining Law of 1872. (Nevada Current)
• University of North Dakota researchers say they have found a feasible and economic way to extract critical metals from lignite coal. (MPR)

ELECTRIFICATION:

• As new Massachusetts policy aims to push the state away from natural gas heating, at least 11 other states could take similar action. (Inside Climate News)
• A planning process known as ​“watt dieting” could enable many homeowners to switch to fully electric appliances without a costly panel upgrade. (Canary Media)

COAL: Georgia Power presses to keep two coal-fired power plants open a decade longer than planned, despite one’s ranking in a recent study as the second most deadly polluter among U.S. coal plants. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)