IEA warns clean energy not advancing quickly enough

NOTE TO READERS: U.S. Energy News will be taking a break for Independence Day. We will return on Tuesday, July 7.

CLIMATE: The International Energy Agency warns that clean energy development still needs to be accelerated to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. (CNN)

ALSO:
• Rather than using natural gas as a ​“bridge,” many utilities are bypassing gas generation entirely and moving straight to renewables. (PV Magazine)
• Critics say Amazon is trying to distract from its growing emissions footprint by focusing on ​“carbon intensity.” (Grist)
• Baltimore urges the U.S. Supreme Court to reject an industry petition challenging its 2018 climate lawsuit against major oil companies. (Bloomberg Law, subscription required)

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TRANSPORTATION: The House approves a $1.5 trillion green infrastructure plan, with Sen. Mitch McConnell saying ​“naturally this nonsense is not going anywhere in the Senate.” (The Hill)

EQUITY:
• Advocates say clean energy and efficiency programs for low-income households can help address the energy burden disproportionately faced by African Americans while providing multiple benefits for utilities and customers. (Energy News Network)
• A new report says the world’s largest renewable energy producers fared poorly on human rights indicators across their operations and supply chains. (Renewables Now)

GRID: PJM forms a policy solutions group to work with states that advocate greater renewable energy, offshore wind and other resources that have threatened to leave the grid operator. (E&E News, subscription required)

UTILITIES: PG&E finally emerges from bankruptcy, one day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom authorizes a bill that would initiate a government takeover if the utility doesn’t meet certain deadlines. (New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Massachusetts expands electric vehicle incentives to include fleet vehicles in a move advocates say will greatly enhance their carbon reductions impact. (Energy News Network)
• Home builders partner with an energy cooperative in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to build the city’s first ​“electric vehicle ready” community where new houses are equipped with an EV charger. (WQOW)

WIND:
• Three Massachusetts Congress members propose a federal office to coordinate technology and supply chain planning to assist the offshore wind industry. (SouthCoastToday)
• Tension over wind development in North Dakota’s coal country surfaces during a public hearing over a county’s moratorium on wind development in place until 2022. (Bismarck Tribune)

SOLAR: Customer-owned renewable energy in Florida nearly doubled in 2019 since utilities are required to offer expedited interconnection agreements, according to a report by state regulators. (Utility Dive)

COAL: Many questions have yet to be answered one year on from Blackjewel’s bankruptcy, despite more than 2,000 court filings. (Wyoming Public Media)

OIL & GAS: While a new report from the Trump administration suggests the Ohio Valley’s growing petrochemical industry could be an unprecedented source of economic opportunity, a clean energy group’s recent analysis paints a much less rosy picture. (Ohio Valley Resource)

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TECHNOLOGY: A report written for the Department of Defense finds energy storage improves reliability and cuts costs for microgrids. (Microgrid Knowledge)

COMMENTARY:
• The head of the Indiana Conservative Alliance for Energy says making the case for clean energy is ​“rapidly becoming a no-brainer” as more utilities announce a transition from coal. (Evansville Press & Courier)
• A Florida advocate says conservatives should follow the example of President Reagan’s response to ozone depletion when dealing with climate change. (Orlando Sentinel)