Heat pumps may not meet tax credit standards

EFFICIENCY: Industry experts say most heat pump models on the market can’t meet efficiency standards required to access Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, jeopardizing their expansion. (Canary Media)

SOLAR:
• Researchers say solar panels and crops can coexist and benefit farmers, but they need more time and research to figure out which situations will maximize agrivoltaics’ potential. (Energy News Network)
• A growing number of agrivoltaic projects are in development across the Midwest as utilities and advocates promote working farmland alongside solar projects. (Star Tribune)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• America’s foreign allies decry the Inflation Reduction Act’s ​“Made in America” policies meant to build up domestic clean energy jobs, calling them ​“discriminatory.” (New York Times)
• Global investment in wind and solar is set to outpace oil and gas drilling this year for the first time, an analyst predicts. (E&E News)
• Texas stands to reap a huge windfall in federal tax credits for what is the largest wind and solar grid in the U.S., but its elected leaders still lean against renewables in favor of ​“cheap, plentiful” fossil fuels. (Capital & Main)

CLIMATE:
• More than 80% of the U.S. is now abnormally dry or drought conditions — the highest percentage since tracking began in 2000. (Washington Post)
• Researchers report a staggering drop in the planet’s wildlife population, with monitored populations of vertebrates dropping 69% from 1970 to 2018. (New York Times)
• Massive amounts of plastic in the ocean harm its ability to sequester as much as a third of humanity’s annual emissions. (Grist)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: A new federal study will examine two Texas cities to unpack how air pollution, increased flooding risk, and environmental justice tie together for communities of color and low-income residents. (Inside Climate News)

GRID: Utility officials and climate advocates say billions of dollars’ worth of new high-voltage power lines are needed for the Northwest to meet clean energy targets, but regional transmission plans are nonexistent or inadequate. (Sightline)

WIND: Significant funding and engineering efforts are being channeled toward making floating wind farms in the Gulf of Maine a reality amid fears from the fishing industry that the infrastructure will hurt their work and marine life. (Boston Globe)

CARBON CAPTURE: Louisiana residents continue to push back against potential carbon capture projects by imposing two moratoriums against the technology. (The Advocate)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Competition is heating up as states offer hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives to lure major electric vehicle manufacturing projects. (Bloomberg, subscription)
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom splits from his party and traditional environmental allies by opposing a ballot measure that would tax the wealthy to fund electric vehicle incentives. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: Energy industry leaders fear Inflation Reduction Act incentives alone won’t be enough to get the U.S. to net-zero emissions by 2050, two academics write. (The Conversation)