Clean energy isn’t reaching those who need it most

EQUITY: Low-income households could benefit most from clean energy upgrades such as heat pumps and solar panels but often don’t have access to financing or government incentives. (New York Times)

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SOLAR: The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts 79 GW of new solar capacity will come online through the end of 2025, potentially making it the top source of power growth over the next two years. (Utility Dive)

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STORAGE: Federal analysts also predict energy storage on the grid will nearly double this year, from 17.3 GW now to 31.1 GW by December. (Canary Media)

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OIL & GAS:

• While environmental groups see a new federal rule as a major opportunity to cut methane emissions, officials in oil- and gas-producing states see burdensome regulations that won’t move the emissions needle. (States Newsroom)
• Advocates and investors question the sustainability claims of a growing Colorado oil and gas company that bills itself as the state’s “first carbon-neutral energy producer.” (Capital & Main)

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HYDROGEN: The Biden administration’s proposed hydrogen incentive rules place strict emissions limits on green hydrogen producers but lack standards for natural gas-sourced blue hydrogen. (Canary Media)

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COAL:

• An energy company’s plan to build a solar farm on a mountaintop removal mine site in Kentucky could become a model to repurpose environmentally disturbed sites in Appalachia for renewables. (Daily Yonder)
• Federal investigators will look into Appalachia’s “zombie mines,” where coal production has ceased but which companies say are “active” to avoid reclamation costs. (Inside Climate News)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The House joins the Senate in voting to overturn a Biden administration waiver that lets electric vehicle chargers made with foreign steel and iron still qualify for federal funding, though a veto is expected. (The Hill)
• Hertz will sell 20,000 of its electric rental cars, citing higher prices to repair damage to EVs, despite its goal to convert 25% of its fleet to electric by the end of 2024. (Reuters)
• Tesla promises raises for factory workers this year as the United Auto Workers try to organize unions at its assembly and battery factories in Texas, California and Nevada. (Associated Press)

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CLIMATE: Climate-fueled storms, flooding and rising sea levels are bound to drive coastal U.S. residents inland, but elderly people are likely to be left behind, a study finds. (Grist)

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POLITICS: The planned departure of several longtime U.S. House and Senate members who have played key roles in energy policy raises concerns about brain drain with the loss of their institutional knowledge on issues. (E&E News)

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COMMENTARY: A clean energy columnist calls on journalists to stop sensationalizing clean energy-related bird deaths, pointing to a study finding oil and gas drilling is more harmful to avians than wind turbines. (Los Angeles Times)

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