SOLAR: State regulators will allow Alabama Power to increase a monthly fee on solar generation by 8% to $5.41 per kilowatt-hour, which opponents say will slash customers’ potential savings in half. (Montgomery Advertiser, InsideClimate News)
ALSO:
• The second phase of a 497 MW solar farm in West Texas is now operational, making it the largest in the state. (reNews)
• Raleigh County, West Virginia, officials vote to move forward with a solar project that promises to bring 100 jobs during construction. (WVVA)
• Florida college students help develop technology to help make solar panels more efficient by tracking cloud movement overhead. (WKMG)
***SPONSORED LINK: National Clean Energy Week Policy Makers Symposium is September 21-25. Register to hear from members of Congress and leading clean energy innovators. Register today at https://nationalcleanenergyweek.org.***
UTILITIES: Duke Energy says it could cut greenhouse gas emissions more than 70% in the next 15 years in North and South Carolina, but it would cost customers up to $58 a month. (Bloomberg)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Dothan, Alabama, officials approve an agreement with Charge Point to install the city’s first public electric vehicle charging stations. (Dothan Eagle)
GRID: An intense heat wave blankets areas of Louisiana and Texas hit by Hurricane Laura, where more than 300,000 still lack power. (Washington Post)
RENEWABLES:
• Two Austin Community College campuses are now powered with 100% renewable energy, making it the first community college in Texas to do so. (KVUE)
• South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issues a state proclamation recognizing September 21-25 as Clean Energy Week in the state. (ABC News 4)
OIL & GAS: The Coast Guard is responding to a natural gas-producing platform off the coast of Corpus Christi, Texas, that has been leaking since Tuesday morning. (KRIS TV)
NUCLEAR: More than 800 workers Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle nuclear project have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
PIPELINES: Energy Transfer announces that it has completed its Lone Star Express Pipeline expansion project in Texas. (news release)
DEVELOPMENT: The Trump administration is seeking to fast track environmental reviews of dozens of major energy and infrastructure projects, including some on national forest land in the Southeast. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• Despite projections that it’s nearly complete, the Mountain Valley Pipeline still faces major hurdles, according to an environmental hydrologist. (Virginia Mercury)
• A reporter outlines how the South could save money by cleaning up its power grid — but its monopoly utilities are holding it back. (Vox)