Utilities got worse on emissions goals, Sierra Club says

UTILITIES: A new Sierra Club evaluation finds for the fourth year in a row that major U.S. utilities are off track to meet the Biden administration’s emissions reduction goals, and many are in a worse position than last year due to rising demand. (Canary Media)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• Renewables are set to meet nearly half of global electricity demand by 2030, but will fall short of a United Nations goal of tripling clean energy capacity, the International Energy Agency finds. (Reuters)
• Global carbon emissions from the energy sector are set to peak this year as solar and battery storage costs fall, a consulting firm predicts. (Reuters)

NUCLEAR: A U.S. Department of Energy report suggests a new serialized approach for designing and building nuclear reactors that would lower upfront costs and meet rising power demand. (Utility Dive)

GRID:

• The U.S. deployed more than 3 GW of new energy storage in the second quarter of the year, nearly twice as much as the year before. (Utility Dive)
• AEP, First Energy and Dominion Energy propose several multi-state transmission projects to help resolve reliability issues in PJM’s territory. (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE:

• Amid a swarm of misinformation and conspiracy theories following Hurricane Helene, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials say the agency is ​“well-positioned” to respond to Hurricane Milton. (Grist, Florida Sun-Sentinel)
• A new analysis finds climate change amplified Hurricane Helene, which represents the kind of storm that will become more common. (New York Times, Inside Climate News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Sen. JD Vance calls $500 million the Biden administration pledged to convert a Michigan auto plant to make electric vehicles ​“table scraps,” and repeats claims that the EV transition will cost auto manufacturing jobs. (Washington Post)
• General Motors executives announce plans for a new Detroit-area battery cell development center while predicting electric vehicle-related losses have peaked this year. (Detroit Free Press)
• Uber’s green ride-hailing option will go fully electric in 40 cities, removing hybrid vehicles from its lineup. (The Verge)

OIL & GAS: Natural gas accounted for nearly half of the nation’s energy generation over the summer while coal fell to just 16%, leaving even West Virginia utilities considering a shift to gas. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

ELECTRIFICATION: California launches an $80 million program aimed at electrifying low and moderate-income households with rebates for heat pumps, appliances and efficiency upgrades. (Sacramento Bee)