Solar battery with red and black connection cables.

Virginia governor blocks bipartisan solar and battery bills, citing cost to utility customers

Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed two bipartisan clean energy bills in Virginia that would have expanded small-scale solar and battery storage, despite support from utilities and environmental groups.

Charles Paullin reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

The vetoed legislation would have significantly increased solar credits and energy storage targets for Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power, enabling more residential and commercial solar installations and long-duration battery projects.
Youngkin argued the measures would impose costs on fossil fuel-dependent utility customers and said the market should drive adoption of newer technologies, calling battery storage too expensive.
Environmental advocates and some lawmakers criticized the vetoes as part of a broader effort to weaken the Virginia Clean Economy Act, passed in 2020 to transition utilities to carbon-free energy by mid-century.

Key quote:

“I think the amendments just show who he truly is: not an ‘all-of-the-above’ guy. He just doesn’t like clean energy.”

— Josephus Allmond, staff attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center

Why this matters:

Solar and battery storage are important components of efforts to decarbonize the power grid, reduce air pollution, and limit climate change. Small-scale solar gives homeowners and businesses the chance to generate their own electricity, reducing dependence on fossil fuel-powered utilities and softening demand during peak hours. Energy storage, especially long-duration systems, allows renewable energy to be used even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. That flexibility is essential as states like Virginia plan to meet ambitious zero-carbon mandates. In Virginia, these vetoes signal a potential retreat from the state’s 2020 climate law just as the grid faces rising stress from growth in energy-hungry data centers and climate-fueled weather extremes.

insideclimatenews.org

Credit: Antonio Garcia/Unsplash

California mining company turns to solar heat but can’t quit coal just yet

In California’s Mojave Desert, a mining plant is turning to solar thermal energy to replace one of its coal-fired generators, but a second unit may run for years due to the intense heat and 24-hour power it needs.

Ivan Penn reports for The New York Times.

In short:

Searles Valley Minerals, a mining company in Trona, Calif., is replacing one of its two coal plants with a solar thermal system but says the other may need to stay online for the foreseeable future due to operational demands.
The company will use a concentrating solar power system from start-up GlassPoint, which uses mirrors to generate high heat, a solution that works well in hot, sunny areas but requires a large land footprint and remains rare in the U.S.
Despite California’s push to phase out coal and President Trump’s efforts to revive it, economic and geographic constraints continue to complicate full industrial transitions away from fossil fuels.

Key quote:

“We just think coal is going to be a problem. We’re going to have a hard time sourcing it. We need to be ready to pivot.”

— Dennis Cruise, president of Searles Valley Minerals

Why this matters:

Industrial heat — the kind used in mining, chemical production, and heavy manufacturing — accounts for about half of global energy use, yet it’s rarely mentioned in public climate debates. Unlike home heating or car travel, generating this level of heat without fossil fuels is still tough. Most renewable energy technologies don’t deliver the extreme, continuous heat these facilities need. That leaves industries like the one in Trona stuck with coal, even as it becomes harder to source and politically unpopular. As the U.S. attempts to decarbonize, industrial energy needs present one of the biggest hurdles.

Read the Full Article on

www.nytimes.com

Virginia governor blocks bipartisan solar and battery bills, citing cost to utility customers

Steelmaker retreats from clean energy plans as hydrogen costs and politics shift

California mining company turns to solar heat but can’t quit coal just yet

New gas plant approved in Newark despite community objections over health and pollution

New research links stalled jet stream to rising summer weather extremes

Brazil moves to auction vast oil blocks despite climate and Indigenous concerns

South African coal town struggles to see benefits of clean energy shift

World climate talks resume without U.S. as global negotiators assess new path forward

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.