Renewables prop up the Texas grid against record demand

GRID: A flood of new solar and battery capacity have kept Texas’ independent state power grid afloat as it sets a new record for peak demand, experts say, though some state lawmakers also credit a new conservation alert system. (Canary Media, KIII)

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STORAGE:

• Georgia Power plans to install 500 MW of battery energy storage at four locations around the state to help meet a projected spike in power demand. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• A sodium-ion battery manufacturer plans to build its first U.S. plant, with the $1.4 billion North Carolina factory expected to produce 14 GW of batteries when it reaches full capacity. (Utility Dive)

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SOLAR: A new report highlights Florida as a “solar powerhouse” in the Southeast, with more than 9,000 MW of capacity that’s expected to double by 2027. (WLRN)

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OIL & GAS:

• Virginia residents remain opposed to Dominion Energy’s plans to build a gas-fired power plant, even after it shifted the planned location to a retired coal plant from a nearby industrial park. (Virginia Mercury)
• Exxon Mobil intends to sell up to $1 billion in conventional oil and gas properties in the Permian Basin as it shifts its focus to higher-growth assets. (Reuters)
• As oil exports reach record levels, four U.S. senators and 18 Congress members call for a pause on the permitting of liquified natural gas export projects and want to revisit regulators’ decision to approve a terminal 30 miles off the Texas coast. (Houston Chronicle)

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COAL: Federal attorneys argue that West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s coal companies shouldn’t have agreed to a settlement for unpaid mine safety fines if they can’t afford to pay. (WV Metro News)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A federal appeals court overturns a lower court’s dismissal of a Tesla lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s ban on direct vehicle sales. (NOLA.com)
• A Louisiana parish receives $5.6 million in federal funding to install electric vehicle chargers, part of a larger $521 million package for more than 9,200 charging stations across 29 states. (NOLA.com)

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EFFICIENCY: Tennessee seeks more than $167 million in federal money for home energy rebates, but residents will likely have to wait until spring to begin applying. (Tennessee Lookout)

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CLIMATE:

• North Carolina is beset by rising seas and increasingly intense tropical storms, but a study finds only 3% of the swing state’s voters name climate change as the most pressing issue ahead of fall elections. (Wilmington StarNews)
• The rocky process of resettling 200,000 displaced people in Houston after Hurricane Katrina shows the challenges of climate displacement and reveals the political liability that often accompanies disasters. (Grist)
• Kentucky announces new policies to protect high school athletes from extreme heat by requiring schools to measure heat by the wet bulb globe temperature instead of the heat index. (Louisville Courier Journal)

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POLITICS: A young Democratic Florida Congress member uses his speech during the Democratic National Convention to spotlight the state’s exposure to climate change. (Florida Politics)

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