Fast chargers get ready to pass gas stations

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The U.S. added 704 public fast charging stations in the second quarter, a pace that a new report estimates would see fast chargers outnumber gas stations in eight years — though charger deployment is set to accelerate even further. (Bloomberg)

ALSO: EVs are taken into dealerships at a rate three times higher than gas-powered cars, according to a new J.D. Power study, though issues with infotainment systems and other non-driving-related functions are the most common reason for repairs. (Automotive Dive)

EMISSIONS: Low-carbon iron- and steelmaking facilities are making up an increasing portion of new industrial development around the world. (Canary Media)

GRID:

• Major utilities push the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to withdraw a ​“show cause” order that would get rid of transmission owners’ rights to pay for and profit off interconnection projects. (Utility Dive)
• A former PJM executive releases a study calling for data centers to be co-located with nuclear plants, as utilities push back against plans for an Amazon data center near Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna Nuclear Station. (Power Engineering)

SOLAR:

• Houston home solar-battery owners were able to keep themselves powered through Hurricane Beryl and its aftermath, demonstrating the potential of distributed energy as CenterPoint Energy took days to restore power across the city. (Canary Media)
• Minnesota regulators are poised to approve a 250 MW solar project for Xcel Energy, the last of three large solar projects totaling $1.1 billion that will replace a massive coal plant. (Star Tribune)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Construction begins on New York’s largest offshore wind farm, as the state opens its fifth round of solicitations for new projects. (WSHU, Renewables Now)
• Progress on the New York wind project and a new offshore wind feasibility study in New Jersey contrast the operations pause at Massachusetts’ Vineyard Wind and highlight the industry’s uneven progress. (Associated Press)

CLEAN ENERGY: Officials reopen a highly advanced machine at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois that will help provide new insights into various fields of research, including battery storage and clean energy. (WLS)

MINING: Advocates push back against a raft of federal subsidies for proposed lithium extraction projects in Western states, saying they could deplete already sparse water supplies in arid areas. (Floodlight)

OIL & GAS:

• Emissions from a Texas refinery complex increased by more than 150% between 2015 and 2022, demonstrating how pollution continues to spike at some facilities despite the U.S. EPA’s landmark update to oil refinery regulations nearly a decade ago. (E&E News)
• A judge suspends federal oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Cook Inlet after finding the Interior Department failed to adequately consider drilling’s impacts to endangered beluga whales. (Alaska Public Media)

HYDROGEN: The Biden administration allocates $30 million to California to help plan and design a regional hydrogen production and distribution hub. (Associated Press)

CLIMATE: A North Carolina town that’s the oldest community in the U.S.​founded by formerly enslaved people receives millions of federal dollars to relocate to higher ground, but only after years losing residents and businesses due to flooding damage. (Grist)

COMMENTARY: Federal and state officials should take steps to ensure low-income renters whose utility bills are included in their rent have access to community solar projects, a solar installer writes. (Solar Power World)