Why bigger wind turbines haven’t taken off

WIND: Larger and more powerful offshore wind turbines could deliver three times as much power as traditional turbines, but installers and the federal government remain wary of construction costs and potential mechanical issues. (E&E News)

ALSO:

• China’s dominance over the world’s rare earth metals supply chain has wind turbine makers scouring for other sources. (Grist)
• A national laboratory’s study estimates properly integrating proposed offshore wind power into the Western grid could yield $6 billion in annual economic benefits. (Utility Dive)

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OIL & GAS: Communities of color disproportionately host polluting oil and gas facilities, but White people still overwhelmingly hold the industry’s well-paying jobs. (Floodlight)

SOLAR:

• Solar advocates say Michigan is a prime example of how restrictive zoning regulations by township boards poses a barrier to solar development on agriculture land. (Grist/​Interlochen Public Radio)
• Developers break ground on a 200 MW solar-plus-storage project aimed at replacing generation capacity lost from last year’s San Juan coal plant retirement in New Mexico. (NM Political Report)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The U.S. Treasury Department lays out how car dealers can grant electric vehicle buyers immediate tax credits for as much as $7,500. (E&E News)
• Experts say they don’t see evidence that electric vehicles will overwhelmingly displace autoworkers. (The Hill)
• Tesla accounts for 61% of electric vehicles ever sold in the U.S., and its price cuts this year have kept competitors from gaining much traction. (Bloomberg)
• Hyundai says it’s adopting North American Charging Standard ports to give its new vehicles access to Tesla Superchargers. (Associated Press)

GRID: San Antonio, Texas’ municipal utility rebuffs the state grid operators’ request to restart a decommissioned coal-fired plant ahead of winter. (Bloomberg)

BUILDINGS:

• New York City’s recent policy tweak allowing landlords more time to comply with the city’s carbon reduction strategy for buildings has left both real estate leaders and environmentalists unhappy. (Commercial Observer)
• An Xcel Energy pilot project will extend energy efficiency upgrades to more Minnesota mobile home parks, which are notoriously energy inefficient. (Sahan Journal)

Fresh Energy Benefit Breakfast
What will it take to deliver on the promise of an equitable, clean energy future? Join Fresh Energy in-person or virtually at their October 12 Benefit Breakfast fundraiser with keynote speaker Ramez Naam, climate tech investor and author. 

TRANSPORTATION: While airlines around the world have only replaced a small proportion of their fuel use with biofuels, U.S. airlines are falling even further behind their international counterparts. (Bloomberg)

UTILITIES: Environmentalists urge Northwest utilities to pull out of the American Gas Association, saying the lobbying group is ​“at the bleeding edge of anti-climate advocacy.”(Oregon Capital Chronicle)