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Solar moratorium sinks 150 MW Tennessee project

By Mason Adams

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SOLAR: A solar moratorium and fierce opposition by residents lead a Tennessee county board to deny a 150 MW solar farm with plans to send power to a data center and the Tennessee Valley Authority; developers say they may sue to reverse the decision. (Memphis Commercial Appeal)

ALSO:

  • A Florida beach hotel adds a 330-panel solar array to account for roughly half of its energy use. (Pensacola News Journal)
  • A Tennessee county board rezones land for a 12 MW solar project. (Herald & Tribune)
  • A company that wants to build a 3 MW solar farm in Virginia works to address residents’ concerns before the project goes to a vote by a county board. (Farmville Herald)

EMISSIONS: Researchers say Louisiana’s $3 billion coastal restoration project to build 21 square miles of land with mud from the Mississippi River could earn about $530 million through carbon offsets sold to businesses. (NOLA)

OIL & GAS:

STORAGE: Battery company LG Chem secures a $19 billion contract with General Motors as it builds a $3.2 billion factory in Tennessee. (WKRN)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

GRID: A municipal Virginia utility completes construction of a new substation to power two industrial parks, with plans for more grid upgrades. (Danville Register & Bee)

POLLUTION: A class action lawsuit alleges Duke Energy used motor and transformer oil laden with PCBs as ​“mosquito control” at a South Carolina lake. (Chronicle-Independent)

NUCLEAR: Kentucky lawmakers advance a bill to prepare the state for an anticipated surge in nuclear power production. (Associated Press)

CRYPTOCURRENCY: A judge rules in favor of Texas cryptocurrency companies’ challenge to efforts by the U.S. Department of Energy to collect data on the sector’s energy consumption. (International Business Times)

BIOMASS: A wood pellet producer with numerous factories in the Southeast approaches a crucial deadline for a bond payment that could lead to a bankruptcy filing. (Wilmington StarNews)

CLIMATE:

  • Climate change is expected to increase wildfire frequency and the number of days with unhealthy air quality across most of Texas. (Axios)
  • Congress orders the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a five-year study of the Mississippi River that includes flood control, reducing hurricane storm damage, and other factors affected by climate change. (WVUE)

POLITICS: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves calls for the state to become ​“masters of all energy,” from oil and gas development to solar power. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: After suffering a significant legislative loss last year, Dominion Energy is scaling up its campaign contributions to Virginia lawmakers and has given more than $11 million so far in the 2023-2024 cycle, writes an energy columnist. (Virginia Mercury)

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