Batteries poised for a big year

STORAGE: Analysts predict the federal climate package will drive a record-breaking year for battery installations, with Texas and California continuing to lead the industry’s growth. (S&P Global)

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TRANSPORTATION:

• Several automakers’ average fuel efficiency dropped from 2017 to 2022, largely because of the growing popularity of SUVs and pickup trucks. (Washington Post)
• Security concerns, high costs and charging limitations have kept the White House from electrifying the presidential limo. (E&E News)

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OIL & GAS:

• The U.S. Energy Department approves a $189 million loan to build a real-time laser monitoring network to track methane emissions from oil and gas facilities in Colorado, New Mexico and other states. (Reuters)
• Natural gas producers Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy are nearing a merger deal that would create a nearly $17 billion company. (Reuters)

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SOLAR: A federal program meant to expand low-income community solar may face challenges verifying income and building trust in communities that have largely been left out of the clean energy transition. (Energy News Network)

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BUILDINGS:

• Every residence in an 86-home Florida development comes with solar panels and a home battery, ensuring none of its homeowners pay electric bills and offering a model for sustainable building. (Washington Post)
• Developers break ground on what will be Michigan’s first multifamily certified passive housing project with highly energy-efficient features and nearly net-zero emissions. (Crain’s Grand Rapids Business)

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WIND: The offshore wind industry looks to rebound in 2024 after a year of canceled contracts and missed launch dates. (E&E News)

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GRID: The U.S. Department of Energy will release up to $70 million for public and private entities, universities and national laboratories to advance grid security and resilience research. (Utility Dive)

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CLIMATE:

• A ballot initiative threatens to wipe out Washington state’s new carbon cap-and-invest program that has raised more than $2.2 billion and is having tangible benefits. (Grist)
• Pittsburgh, a former capital of steelmaking and industry, has become a “poster child” of climate action and consciousness. (Inside Climate News)

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COAL ASH: The U.S. EPA’s assessment of coal ash as more carcinogenic than previously realized could shift North Carolina’s plans to clean up the substance in Chapel Hill and at least 70 other sites around the state. (NC Newsline)

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