Next-gen geothermal could be perfect match for wind, solar

GEOTHERMAL: Geothermal power could help plug solar and wind power’s intermittency gaps, but experts say first scientists and developers need to unlock next-generation technologies that make it easier and cheaper to harness the earth’s heat. (Canary Media)

ALSO: Texas is emerging as a hotspot for geothermal energy exploration, with scores of former oil industry workers and executives seeking to use their knowledge of geology, drilling, and extraction to tap into a new energy source. (Texas Tribune)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• Democratic governors across the country are getting competitive with their clean energy plans in hopes of securing federal funding, as well as earning climate bragging rights that could boost their political futures. (Politico)
• The U.S. Treasury Department defines what qualifies as an energy community that can receive bonus incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act. (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE:

• Philadelphia-area Bucks County, Pennsylvania, sues top fossil fuel producers, alleging they’ve known for decades that their products were driving climate change. (NBC Philadelphia)
• Microsoft, Pfizer and more of the country’s biggest companies are quietly opposing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as it fights federal climate action and environmental disclosure rules. (E&E News)
• Human-caused climate change is likely to worsen inflation as it drives economy-wide price increases, economists find. (Axios)
• A Wyoming city and a tribal nation submit climate action plans to the U.S. EPA, making them eligible for federal clean energy funds even though Gov. Mark Gordon refused to participate in the program on a statewide level. (WyoFile)

OIL & GAS:

• Permian Basin drillers are more likely to vent and flare methane as a mild winter and pipeline maintenance projects in the region leave them with a glut of cheap gas, industry watchdogs say. (Inside Climate News)
• A Virginia couple who have fought the Mountain Valley Pipeline for a decade talk about the grief, fear, and anger of having to live next to the project for the last six years. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The U.S. EPA’s softening of tailpipe emissions rules marks a win for Toyota, which has shied away from producing fully electric vehicles while becoming a leader in hybrids. (New York Times)
• Car salespeople who specialize in electric vehicles in GOP- and Democratic-leaning areas of Minnesota attempt to overcome political and cultural polarization by touting the economic and comfort benefits of EVs. (Inside Climate News)

STORAGE: The U.S. added 4,235 MW of new energy storage capacity in the last quarter of 2023, more than doubling additions in the previous quarter. (Utility Dive)

OFFSHORE WIND: New London, Connecticut, residents welcome federal incentives for offshore wind facilities, saying the first wave of wind workers are already boosting local businesses. (WTNH)

GRID: Grid operators want federal regulators to reject the North American Electric Reliability Corp.’s proposed cold weather reliability standards for power plants, saying they will only lead to more costly reliability issues in the future. (Utility Dive)