Virtual power plant boosts Texas grid

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GRID

• A Texas pilot program uses residential solar panels and batteries, smart thermostats, electric vehicle batteries and other community resources to form a ​“virtual power plant” that contributes energy to the state grid. (Texas Tribune)

• Texas braces for a cold snap, wildfire potential and heavy rain, but state officials say the standalone power grid should be fine. (San Antonio Express-News)

• West Virginia had the highest rate of power outages in the U.S. last weekend, with tens of thousands losing power due to flooding. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

• Virginia lawmakers have introduced several dozen bills to address data center development, but only a handful remain alive despite projections the energy-hungry sector could triple power demand by 2040. (Washington Post, WHRO)

• A developer proposes a six-building data center campus near Atlanta that would use up to 78 MW of power. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, subscription)

CLIMATE

• Hurricane Helene’s devastation in western North Carolina has left many residents less upset about climate change, and instead more wary of science and fact-based narratives and feeling abandoned by the federal government. (Guardian)

• After recent storms that left at least 13 people dead, a Tennessee climatologist says southern Appalachia is at a higher risk of severe flooding due to its topography. (Associated Press, WJHL)

OVERSIGHT

Federal officials give West Virginia the authority to regulate carbon capture projects, as it joins Louisiana, North Dakota and Wyoming as states with regulatory primacy over the industry. (Reuters)

WIND

The Trump administration’s block of offshore wind projects is causing uncertainty in North Carolina’s fledgling industry, but two onshore wind farms and Dominion Energy’s 2.6 GW offshore farm near Virginia are moving ahead without delay. (Coastal Review)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Experts say the U.S. oil industry’s current record-breaking production and maturation of the fracking industry could undermine Trump’s promise to further increase production to reduce prices. (E&E News)

• Federal officials approve a deepwater oil loading terminal near Texas to load up to 1 million barrels per day onto tankers for export. (Inside Climate News)

• Virginia lawmakers consider using millions of dollars of taxpayer money to support construction of natural gas-fired power plants on either side of the state. (Inside Climate News)

• A 5.0 magnitude earthquake strikes west Texas in a region where scientists say fracking has contributed to an increase in seismic activity. (Texas Tribune)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

The shift to electric vehicles in central Florida is moving faster than in the rest of the state and the U.S., with 15% growth in EV registrations from 2023 to 2024. (Orlando Sentinel)

UTILITIES

• American Electric Power projects 8.6% annual growth in power demand across its 11-state service area, driven largely by data centers in Virginia and elsewhere. (Utility Dive)

• Duke Energy expands two programs and adds a third in North Carolina to assist customers in reducing bills by adding energy efficient appliances and conservation measures. (Raleigh News & Observer)

COMMENTARY

• Texas’ power grid is better prepared for this week’s Arctic cold snap than it was for the 2021 winter storm, largely because of renewables that state lawmakers are now trying to undermine, writes an editorial board. (Dallas Morning News)

• The Trump administration’s freeze on infrastructure and clean energy spending threatens Louisiana’s diversification from oil and gas production into renewables and electric vehicle production, writes an editorial board. (NOLA.com)