Net-metering rollbacks threaten solar progress

SOLAR: Multiple states are rolling back once-hefty incentives for selling rooftop solar power back to the grid, lowering net metering rates at a time when the Biden administration needs to incentivize solar deployment. (E&E News)

ALSO:

• As the first wave of solar panels reach the end of their lives and head to landfills, advocates push for better reuse and recycling of the metals and materials they contain. (Grist)
• A Wisconsin bill to enable third-party-owned community solar development is backed by Republicans, retailers, and farmers but appears stalled again this year as utilities, labor unions and Democrats withhold support. (Energy News Network, Wisconsin State Farmer)

CLIMATE:

• The ​“unstoppable” global transition to clean energy means fossil fuel demand is set to peak before 2030, the International Energy Agency predicts. (NPR)
• Washington considers linking its new carbon market with California’s, which would lower emission allowance prices. (E&E News)

POLITICS: The eight Republican House members aiming to become speaker have brought in more than $3 million in fossil fuel donations over their congressional careers. (E&E News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Tesla discloses that federal prosecutors are investigating the company and its self-driving systems, vehicle range and personnel matters. (CNBC)
• China’s move to restrict graphite exports could cause kinks in the U.S. electric vehicle supply chain, as companies move to build new EV and battery plants in Georgia and the Southeast. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• New York City passes a law requiring every city-owned vehicle to be zero-emission by 2038, and mandating that ride-share vehicles be electric or wheelchair accessible by 2030. (CBS News)

GRID:

• Experts warn Congress of data privacy, cybersecurity, and energy use concerns associated with using artificial intelligence to improve power grid performance. (Utility Dive)
• Hurricane-battered Louisiana moves to build federally funded ​“microgrids” in 375 communities with solar panels and battery arrays that can generate electricity whenever power is knocked out. (NOLA.com)
• A landowners group urges federal regulators to require the Grain Belt Express developer to reapply for permission to offer capacity on the transmission line at negotiated rates, which could delay financing and construction. (Utility Dive)

OFFSHORE WIND: New York’s refusal to grant more subsidies to offshore wind projects could derail the state’s ambitious renewable energy goals as some wind projects struggle financially. (E&E News)

CARBON CAPTURE: A Navajo Nation-owned energy company proposes installing carbon capture equipment on the Four Corners coal plant in New Mexico even though the facility’s majority owners plan to close it by 2031. (Albuquerque Journal)