U.S. seeing record year for solar, with utilities leading the way

SOLAR: The U.S. is on track for a record year for solar installation, with utilities leading the way. (Bloomberg)

ALSO:
• A coal-dependent Texas utility announces plans to develop 116 MW of solar. (Texas Tribune)
• A $1.2 million Colorado program will help bring community solar to low-income areas. (PV Magazine)
• Former mega-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who did time for corruption and now considers himself a reformer, is supporting a proposed ballot measure advancing solar energy in Florida. (Palm Beach Post)
• State officials say Massachusetts will exceed its goal for solar power if lawmakers lift a cap on net metering. (Springfield Republican)
• A New York county considers a 28 acre solar project that would be the largest in the state outside Long Island. (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)

CLIMATE:
• A study pegs the cost of major economies’ carbon emissions since 1990 at $10 trillion. (InsideClimate News)
• A federal report says climate change could put Native Americans’ energy resources at risk, particularly in the West and Southwest. (Climate Central)
• A report says cities worldwide can save trillions of dollars and avoid 8 gigatons of CO2 emissions each year by investing in more efficient buildings, transportation and waste management. (Washington Post)
• The mayor of a Pennsylvania city says residents are seeing as much as a 4-to-1 payback from efforts to cut carbon emissions. (Allentown Morning Call)

POLICY:
• California lawmakers have until Friday to pass landmark climate legislation; legislators from low-income and minority districts are backing the proposals. (Reuters, Los Angeles Times)
• FERC chairman Norman Bay says he doesn’t understand perceptions that the agency is enigmatic and difficult to predict. (EnergyWire)

WIND:
• Opponents seek to invalidate permits for a proposed Utah wind farm. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• A video captures the controversy over a Maine wind project. (Yale E360)

TECHNOLOGY: Could fuel cells help lower carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants? (Greentech Media)

OIL AND GAS:
• Recent polling shows wide support in North Dakota for more regulations on natural gas flaring. (Midwest Energy News)
• Meanwhile, cleanup of a 2013 pipeline spill in North Dakota is moving slowly because of a lack of natural gas needed to power equipment. (Associated Press)

OFFSHORE DRILLING: Rising sea levels make access to Louisiana’s Highway 1 increasingly difficult for companies serving oil and gas production companies in the Gulf of Mexico. (EnergyWire)

NUCLEAR:
• Nevada hires a former deputy attorney general to help the state fight the Yucca Mountain waste project. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Due to budget constraints, federal regulators have ended a study to determine the risks of cancer near nuclear power plants. (The Hill)

HYDRO: Owners of small hydro facilities in Michigan say major investor-owned utilities plan to cut power purchases in half over the coming years as contracts expire. (Crain’s Detroit Business)

GRID: As costs continue to decline, 2015 is on pace to the best year ever for battery storage and the market is ​“on a growth trajectory.” (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC CARS: Low gasoline prices slow sales for electric and hybrid vehicles as consumers opt for trucks and SUVs. (ClimateWire)

COMMENTARY: A new documentary captures the impact of the coal industry on Appalachian families. (Huffington Post)