Florida sees 44% spike in solar installations

SOLAR: Florida officials report the state saw 44% more residential solar systems installed in 2021 than the year before. (WFLA)

ALSO:
• A Virginia high school installs more than 2,000 solar panels that will provide about 35% of its electricity needs. (WRIC)
• The University of South Florida St. Petersburg will use a Duke Energy community solar program to cover 70% of its energy demand. (St. Pete Catalyst)

OIL & GAS:
• A burst interstate pipeline leaks more than 200,000 gallons of crude oil in a small Tennessee town, while an Oklahoma city closes a park after nearly 250,000 gallons of a petroleum-based drilling fluid spill from a nearby plant. (WPLN, KSWO)
• The rising cost of natural gas leads many Texans to see a 50% or greater increase in their power bills, even as the war in Ukraine has resulted in the state exporting more natural gas than ever. (Texas Tribune)

COAL:
• Georgia Power announces it will excavate coal ash from a pond and landfill at a power plant to be turned into concrete for bridges, roads, and buildings. (Daily Energy Insider)
• Experts say a U.S. Supreme Court ruling limiting the EPA’s ability to regulate power plant emissions likely won’t affect Georgia Power’s plans to close its coal-fired plants by next decade. (The Current)

TRANSITION:
• Appalachian researchers worry non-binding wording in last year’s federal infrastructure bill might leave behind displaced coal workers in the rush to spend $11.3 billion in mine cleanup money. (E&E News)
• Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities seek proposals for renewable power projects as they aim to retire around a dozen aging and outdated coal and natural gas generating units over the next 15 years. (WKYU)
• University professors aim to help Louisiana build on its oil and gas expertise to become a decarbonization leader instead of a fossil fuel sanctuary. (Lafayette Daily Advertiser)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A Texas city studies the prospect of making its 880-vehicle fleet electric over the next decade, but cost, battery recalls and availability pose potential obstacles. (KWTX)
• A logistics company collects data to shift its Southeast fleet to electric vehicles. (Tank Transport Trader)
• Kentucky considers how best to use $69 million in federal funding to build electric vehicle chargers and other infrastructure. (WDKY)

UTILITIES: Entergy files a rate proposal with Texas regulators to invest $2.5 billion for service and infrastructure improvements that includes the addition of a natural gas and hydrogen-fueled power plant. (Beaumont Enterprise)

TRANSPORTATION: A Southwest Virginia underground mining equipment maker says it might move unless state officials move forward with building a highway connecting coal-producing regions with other expressways. (Cardinal News)

BIOFUELS: Three biomass or renewable diesel developments take shape in Louisiana after the state approved a climate action plan and companies aim to reduce their exposure to climate-related risks. (Engineering News-Record)

COMMENTARY: A law professor and energy expert discusses how the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to limit the EPA will more broadly affect federal regulators. (ProPublica)