Colorado towns look to microgrids to avoid snow-caused power outages

MICROGRIDS: A remote Colorado town looks to install a clean energy-powered microgrid to provide backup during avalanche- and snow-caused power outages. (Colorado Sun)

GRID: An unusually severe winter storm batters utility lines across much of the West, leaving well over 100,000 customers without power in Oregon, Nevada, and parts of Washington. (Oregonian, Las Vegas Review-Journal, KOIN)

NATURAL GAS: A major natural gas storage facility in Washington state goes offline, threatening heating and power for millions of Western state residents. (HuffPost)

ELECTRIFICATION: California ends electric line extension subsidies to new buildings that burn fossil fuels on-site in an effort to disincentivize the natural gas system’s expansion. (Utility Dive)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• Utah clean energy advocates push lawmakers to create a streamlined and equitable rooftop solar net metering program and allocate funds to clean trucks and energy efficiency. (Deseret News)
• A study finds implementing Los Angeles’ plan to acquire all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035 won’t significantly affect the local economy. (news release)
• New Mexico Democratic lawmakers again propose adding a ​“green amendment” to the state constitution after tweaking the measure to address fears it would harm clean energy development. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

WIND:

• A northern California port commits to using electricity instead of diesel to power a planned terminal that would serve the offshore wind industry. (JPR)
• A turbine collapses and catches fire at a northern Colorado wind power facility. (CBS Colorado)

SOLAR: An energy company proposes a 771 MW solar installation in southern Wyoming that would power large industrial corporations in the state. (Cowboy State Daily)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The Biden administration awards a Colorado county and university $13.8 million and an Idaho city $3.2 million to build out electric vehicle charging infrastructure. (Idaho Press, Loveland Reporter-Herald)
• A Utah university partners with a manufacturing firm to develop a battery-powered commuter train prototype to be tested on Salt Lake City-area tracks. (Salt Lake Tribune)

OIL & GAS: An Alaska pipeline is ruptured, leaking up to 275 barrels of natural gas condensate. (KTUU)

CLIMATE: A study finds 58% of Oregon residents most vulnerable to extreme heat lack sufficient cooling devices in their homes. (OPB)

CARBON CAPTURE: California’s petroleum companies look to survive the transition away from fossil fuels by establishing a carbon management industry that stores captured greenhouse gasses in depleted oil fields. (Los Angeles Times)

HYDROGEN: A company says a $9 million federal grant for three hydrogen stations in Colorado validates its vision to build a network of production and fueling ​“micro-hubs.” (Big Pivots)

UTILITIES: Colorado lawmakers call on a utility to step up its efforts to comply with a state law aimed at incrementally reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (Coloradoan)