Solar cell company cancels Colorado factory plans

SOLAR: A Swiss firm cancels plans to establish a solar cell manufacturing plant in Colorado, saying market distortions have rendered the project financially unviable. (Reuters)

ALSO: Residents of a sparsely populated Nevada county push back on a 6,200 MW solar complex proposed for more than 100,000 acres of federal land. (Nevada Independent)

WIND: Oregon researchers aim to reduce wind facility-related bird fatalities by painting turbine blades black. (OPB)

ELECTRIFICATION: A Denver agency finishes removing natural gas hookups from and retrofitting a 17-unit public multifamily housing complex with all-electric appliances and central cooling. (CPR)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Washington state launches an effort to install electric vehicle chargers in rural areas and other charging deserts. (Spokesman-Review)

PUBLIC LANDS: The federal Bureau of Land Management revamps its southwestern Wyoming resource plan and loosens proposed restrictions on energy development following protests from local officials and residents. (WyoFile)

UTILITIES:

• New Mexico lawmakers propose limiting utilities’ liability for wildfires sparked by their equipment if they take actions to mitigate hazards. (Source NM)
• California utilities line up to support the California grid operator’s proposal to streamline its renewable and battery storage interconnection process. (Utility Dive)
• A California city completes a community recreation center funded by a deadly 2010 Pacific Gas & Electric pipeline explosion settlement. (ABC 7)

COAL:

• The operators of the Colstrip coal plant in Montana urge the U.S. Supreme Court to block implementation of new U.S. EPA emissions standards, saying the cost of complying with the rule would force the facility’s closure. (Montana Free Press)
• New Mexico advocates hail the demolition of the shuttered San Juan coal plant’s smokestacks as a symbol of the energy transition while the facility’s former workers mourn lost jobs. (NM Political Report, Tri-City Record)

OIL & GAS: 

• The U.S. Energy Department awards Colorado $12.6 million to plug and remediate aging, low-producing oil and gas wells in an effort to reduce methane emissions. (Colorado Newsline)
• Wyoming regulators turn down $35 million in federal funds for plugging and reclaiming about 1,000 orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells, saying the situation is under control. (Cowboy State Daily)
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes withdrawing enforcement funding for a law requiring companies to monitor and repair existing oil and gas wells near homes and schools. (E&E News, subscription)

NUCLEAR: California advocates continue to urge policymakers and regulators to block the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant from continuing to operate beyond its 2025 retirement date, saying it is too expensive and dangerous. (Los Angeles Times)