Alabama

Solar

Alabama Power can keep charging steep rooftop solar fee, judge rules

The standby charge, among the highest in the nation, is “chilling” solar in the sunny state, critics say. Alabama Power says the fee is needed to maintain the grid.

By Dennis Pillion .

1 April 2026

Golden statue poised on a roof, shot from above, with a brown high-rise with an "Alabama Power" sign and a US flag next door — A statue of Electra sits atop Alabama Power’s headquarters in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. (Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News)

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As utilities seek to relocate coal ash, will Black communities bear the burden?

The EPA’s crackdown on coal ash means more coal plants may excavate coal ash to out-of-state landfills. This could be good for the environment, while making communities like Uniontown, Alabama, feel like dumping grounds.

By Gina Castro . 15 September 2022
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Rising waters, sinking feeling: From the Great Lakes to the Ohio River, climate change puts coal ash impoundments at risk

More frequent flooding multiplies the risk that coal ash will contaminate rivers, lakes and groundwater. Experts say the time to act is now.

By Joshua Irvine . 26 August 2022
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Commentary: Help Birmingham craft a Green New Deal for a prosperous, sustainable future

A Green New Deal for Birmingham offers opportunities to grow Birmingham in sustainable ways, write guest commentators Michael Hansen and Kirsten Bryant.

By Michael Hansen . 16 November 2021
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Commentary: Biden’s TVA appointments offer crucial chance for climate justice

Biden's nominations to the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority could help fulfill his climate promise by making TVA a model for how public power can lead the clean energy transition, writes guest commentator Gaby Sarri-Tobar.

By Gaby Sarri-Tobar . 4 May 2021
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Alabama Power customers question 'punitive' rooftop solar charges

The utility, in defending the $5-per-kilowatt charge, says "there is a cost" to supplying backup power to solar customers.

By EnergyWire . 25 November 2019
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How officials from 4 states view Trump's new carbon rule

E&E News spoke with officials from four states across the political spectrum to learn more about what to expect on the Affordable Clean Energy rule in the months ahead.

By EnergyWire . 1 July 2019
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Workshops aim to train architects, engineers on solar basics

While training opportunities abound for installers, a series of workshops in three southern cities aims to bring architects and other design professionals up to speed on solar.

By Douglas J. Guth . 12 December 2017
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Southeast group shows how to push for clean energy in tough political climate

As environmental groups look to the courts to defend clean energy policy under a presidential administration hostile to regulations and climate commitments, a Southeast advocacy group may provide a template.

By Jim Pierobon . 24 April 2017
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Why Alabama still lags the rest of the Southeast on solar

While other Southeastern states are surging ahead with solar energy, advocates say a unique combination of policy obstacles, burdensome fees, and one reluctant utility company has Alabama lagging behind.

By Lyndsey Gilpin . 6 April 2017
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Southeast states fight to avoid becoming coal ash dumping ground

When the EPA strengthened regulations on coal ash disposal in 2015, few legislators foresaw that power companies might choose to send their wet ash across state lines into communities that don’t want the hazardous waste.

By Gillian Neimark . 2 March 2017