After record 2023, solar growth could slow

SOLAR: New U.S. solar installations are expected to reach a record 33 GW by the end of this year, but growth is expected to slow in 2024, according to a new industry report. (Reuters)

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ALSO: Minnesota solar advocates say a recent change in how Xcel Energy manages its substations is unnecessarily limiting solar development. (Energy News Network)

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CLEAN ENERGY:

• European countries consider their own domestic incentives for clean energy manufacturing to prevent companies from relocating to the United States. (New York Times)
• Government and nonprofit leaders say Treasury Department rules make it too difficult for them to tap into new federal clean energy incentives. (E&E News)

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CLIMATE:

• Recent polls find a large majority of Americans, including half of Republicans, support the Biden administration’s climate goals, but 40% are still unaware of the Inflation Reduction Act. (CNN; E&E News, subscription)
• Climate change is a major topic at the annual White House Tribal Nations Summit, as the Biden administration announces new agreements to work with tribes on land and water management. (ICT News, Associated Press)

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CARBON CAPTURE: Environmental groups raise concerns about a proposal to store captured carbon dioxide beneath U.S. Forest Service lands. (Floodlight)

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OIL & GAS: A new report finds “excess profits” in the oil industry and other sectors exacerbated inflation in 2022. (CNBC)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• More than 1,000 employees at a Tennessee Volkswagen plant that makes electric and gas-powered vehicles have already signed cards to authorize a vote on whether to be represented by the United Auto Workers. (Associated Press)
• While a handful of repair shops are able to service aging vehicle batteries rather than replace them, technicians say the practice is still limited by safety concerns and vehicle design practices. (Grist)

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MATERIALS:

• Reno-Sparks Indian Colony leaders say they won’t appeal a judge’s rejection of their claim that the Thacker Pass lithium mine violates federal policy and will instead work to reform the General Mining Law of 1872. (Nevada Current)
• University of North Dakota researchers say they have found a feasible and economic way to extract critical metals from lignite coal. (MPR)

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ELECTRIFICATION:

• As new Massachusetts policy aims to push the state away from natural gas heating, at least 11 other states could take similar action. (Inside Climate News)
• A planning process known as “watt dieting” could enable many homeowners to switch to fully electric appliances without a costly panel upgrade. (Canary Media)

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COAL: Georgia Power presses to keep two coal-fired power plants open a decade longer than planned, despite one’s ranking in a recent study as the second most deadly polluter among U.S. coal plants. (Georgia Public Broadcasting)

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