Tennessee solar developer sidesteps tariffs

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Southeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

SOLAR

• Tennessee-based developer Silicon Ranch raises $500 million from Danish fund AIP Management despite the Trump administration’s clean energy opposition, and now looks to showcase moves that have largely tariff-proofed its operations. (Canary Media)

• A Virginia homeowner becomes the first to receive a free solar panel installation as part of a collaboration between Dominion and a county government. (WRIC)

• A Virginia county board grants an 18-month extension for a company to complete a 3 MW solar project. (News-Gazette)

NUCLEAR

• The Tennessee Valley Authority relies on its CEO to advance a small nuclear reactor project in Tennessee after Trump fired two board members, leaving it without a quorum to make decisions or deals. (Knoxville News Sentinel, Grist)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Coal industry officials and environmentalists react to West Virginia’s 2025 legislative session, during which lawmakers doubled down on coal while largely rejecting other energy alternatives. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

• Florida lawmakers advance a bill to add restrictions to oil drilling projects near Apalachicola Bay and two other sites. (WLRN)

STORAGE

• Energy analysts say battery storage can boost wind and solar and help stabilize Texas’ standalone power grid, but there’s still question whether fossil fuel-supporting state lawmakers will accept it. (Dallas Morning News)

• Two companies collaborate to build a 371 MW battery storage facility in Texas. (Power Technology)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Texas EV maker Tesla reports a 71% year-over-year profit drop in the first quarter of the year, as CEO Elon Musk says he’ll trim his White House involvement starting next month. (Associated Press, Associated Press)

• A nonprofit group plans to install several electric vehicle chargers in a Louisiana city. (The Advocate)

OVERSIGHT

• A Georgia regulator who’s been described as the ​“Solar Architect of Georgia” for his work with a net metering pilot and community solar program files for re-election. (Savannah Tribune)

FEDERAL CUTS

• The Trump administration blocks a federal grant for clean energy training programs and shelters for use during flooding and power outages in historically Black neighborhoods in Houston. (Houston Chronicle)

CLIMATE

• The Southeast Regional Climate Center resumes operations after briefly closing last week before a new contract restored its federal funding. (Cardinal News)

• Texas public schools struggle to pay rising costs as insurers have raised rates 44% since 2020 due to storm damage exacerbated by climate change. (Houston Chronicle)

• Students at five Virginia universities rally to press campus leaders to do more to address climate change by reducing carbon emissions. (Inside Climate News)

COMMENTARY

• A Tennessee reporter discusses covering the Tennessee Valley Authority as the utility tries to meet growing demand while transitioning away from coal to nuclear, natural gas, and renewables. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

• More Florida residents should invest in rooftop solar systems to lower their bills and help the U.S. achieve energy independence, writes a climate advocate. (Florida Today)

• Virginia’s Republican Congress members should fight to preserve clean energy tax credits because most of the investment into 127 clean energy projects announced across the state is going to GOP districts, writes an analyst at an energy think tank. (Daily Press)