Report: Clean energy to dominate new capacity investments
CLEAN ENERGY: A Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis predicts 85 percent of investments in new energy capacity through 2050 will go to zero-emissions technologies. (Bloomberg)
POLICY: A new group with Republican backers announces plans for a national carbon tax and dividend with support from major fossil fuel companies. (New York Times)
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GRID: A contentious proposal to expand California’s power grid to include several other Western states narrowly makes it past a key legislative hurdle, though lawmakers remain divided over the idea of creating a regional power grid. (Washington Post)
STORAGE:
• Texas’ largest solar farm will soon be paired with the state’s largest battery, capable of storing enough electricity to provide 10 megawatts of power for more than four hours. (Houston Chronicle)
• New Hampshire regulators must decide whether a utility should be allowed to own customer-sited battery storage systems, which could set a precedent for other U.S. utilities. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR:
• Chinese manufacturer JinkoSolar expects to be producing solar panels at its new factory in Jacksonville, Florida, by the end of the year. (Reuters)
• Recent changes to two Minnesota utility incentive programs could spur up to 200 MW of new projects and attract out-of-state developers, advocates say. (Energy News Network)
WIND:
• A U.S. House committee will debate a bill to encourage offshore wind development in federal waters. (Reuters)
• The head of Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s energy office refuses to identify the members of a state Wind Energy Commission, which is tasked with reviewing the impact of wind farms on state tourism. (Portland Press Herald)
