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Virginia lags other Southeast states in clean energy manufacturing wins

By Mason Adams

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CLEAN ENERGY: Virginia clean energy advocates fret about the relative lack of big manufacturing projects since the passage of the 2022 federal climate package, with the state seeing only four of 305 major projects spurred by the law. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: A rural North Carolina county sees a construction boom from computer chip and electric vehicle factories spurred by federal climate legislation, but it’s unclear whether the growth will actually boost President Joe Biden in the swing state. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:

  • The cost of connecting certain projects to Dominion Energy’s grid has curtailed solar development across Virginia after an initial 600% increase in midsize projects due to a state clean energy law. (Washington Post)
  • A Virginia town considers a proposal to build a 12 MW solar farm despite the lack of solar guidelines in its zoning ordinance. (Farmville Herald)

STORAGE: Texas’ battery storage sector has surged as officials increasingly rely on such facilities to stabilize the state’s power grid, but a growing number of communities oppose new projects over fire concerns. (Houston Chronicle)

COAL ASH:

  • The U.S. EPA formally rejects Alabama’s coal ash plan because it allows utilities to leave the toxic substance in unlined ponds that could contaminate groundwater, but state regulators say they’ll appeal the decision. (Inside Climate News)
  • Georgia environmentalists hope the EPA’s rejection of Alabama’s coal-ash plan will lead to changes in Georgia Power’s coal-ash storage. (Georgia Recorder)

GRID:

COAL: The U.S. EPA’s new power plant rules targeting greenhouse emissions could lead to the closure of a coal-fired Texas power plant that’s one of the leading emitters of mercury pollution, sulfur dioxide gas and smog. (Marshall News Messenger)

HYDROGEN: Backers of a proposed Appalachian facility to produce natural gas-derived ​“blue” hydrogen while capturing and storing carbon emissions argue with critics who point to its reliance on natural gas and potential for leaks. (Inside Climate News)

POWER PLANTS: Duke Energy’s reliance on new natural gas plants to bulk up its electricity generation while closing its coal plants and reducing emissions to meet benchmarks set by North Carolina lawmakers becomes a flashpoint in the clean energy transition. (Fayetteville Observer)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Two small towns in southwestern Virginia install electric vehicle chargers. (Bristol Herald-Courier)

HYDRO: Duke Energy boosts the capacity of a South Carolina pumped-storage hydropower facility, and plans to build an additional powerhouse to further double its capacity to meet growing demand. (WSOC)

UTILITIES: A survey finds one-third of Texans have paid their power bills late over the past year, and extreme weather exacerbates their challenges in keeping up. (Texas Tribune)

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