“In many cases, electricity ends up being one of the biggest monthly expenses for schools, local governments, and houses of worship,” said Autumn Long, the director of the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund at Appalachian Voices. “So every dollar they don’t have to spend on their electricity [by shifting to renewable energy], they can redirect towards the services that they provide.”
CLEAN ENERGY
Must Be Equitable
Inflation Reduction Act helps coal communities make a clean energy transition. IRA-funded tax credits and direct payments to non-profits are poised to help rural economies overcome long-standing obstacles to a clean energy transition. Non-profits are now eligible for federal aid that can cover up to 60 percent of the costs of new solar installations for some organizations, and other industry tax credits are expected to also help lower install costs. By making clean energy technologies more accessible and boosting support for clean energy industries, advocates say the bill will play a major role in helping coalfield communities shift to a clean energy economy. (The Daily Yonder)
Proposed lithium mine sparks questions over environmental impact. Mining company Piedmont Lithium is exploring options to develop a new lithium mine in North Carolina to meet growing demand for the key battery mineral. But as its plans come into focus, local residents and advocates have become wary of the potential environmental impact of the proposed open pit mine. While some residents have already sold their land rights to Piedmont, others have refused, contending that the mining operations risk contaminating the area with pollution. While the permitting process is ongoing, Piedmont is also developing a backup plan to build a lithium processing plant in Tennessee, which would use ore from Canada and Ghana. (NPR)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Affordable
Inflation Reduction Act is driving down utility bills. Utilities say the IRA is a major boon for their clean energy transition efforts, and some have signaled they expect to pass savings along to their customers. The legislation’s slew of tax credits for clean energy technologies is expected to defray the costs of transition that would otherwise fall on ratepayers. Duke Energy is expecting to provide a $56 million refund to Florida customers thanks to the IRA’s tax credits and incentives. (Bloomberg $)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is A Good Investment
Manufacturers are pumping billions into the U.S. battery industry. With the U.S. electric vehicle market picking up steam and new federal incentives for domestic battery production, companies are rapidly pouring new investment into the domestic battery supply chain. From lithium refineries to battery manufacturing plants and more, roughly 338 gigawatt-hours of new U.S. battery manufacturing capacity has been announced in 2022, according to analysts at S&P Global Commodity Insights. Since the IRA was passed, companies have committed $13.5 billion to improving U.S. battery supply chains compared to just $7.5 billion three months prior to the bill’s signing. Analysts now project over $91 billion in battery investments will come over the next decade. (Financial Times $)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Replacing Fossil Fuels
Utility looks to convert coal ash sites into solar farms. The Tennessee Valley Authority board voted unanimously to invest $216 million on a pilot project that would build a 100 megawatt solar farm on top of a coal ash landfill in Kentucky and tap into the site’s existing transmission infrastructure. TVA expects that if the project is successful, it could add another 1,000 megawatts of solar power capacity to its system — nearly doubling its current solar resources. The move to convert brownfields to solar farms comes as the TVA has stepped up its clean energy ambitions, recently soliciting proposals for 5,000 megawatts of new clean energy and a plan to add 10,000 megawatts of solar power by 2035. (The Tennessean)
EVs are going mainstream. While the first wave of electric vehicle buyers were mostly affluent tech enthusiasts, the EV market is seeing more mainstream appeal with sales ticking up across tax brackets thanks to the fuel and maintenance savings they offer. EVs are now the fastest-growing segment of the auto market: sales this year have jumped 70 percent compared to 2021, while sales of gas-powered cars and trucks dropped 15 percent. EVs made up 5.6 percent of new U.S. car sales during the first three quarters of 2022, up from just 2.9 percent during the same period last year. Despite concerns about charging, demand is outstripping supply as automakers can’t churn out new EVs fast enough for drivers who want to make the switch. (New York Times $)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Challenging
U.S. blocks solar shipments over Chinese slave labor concerns. More than 1,000 shipments of solar energy components have been seized and held by U.S. officials since June after the Biden administration banned imports from China’s Xinjiang region over allegations of slave labor. The seized shipments represent nearly 1 gigawatt of solar power capacity, and the three primary manufacturers behind the detained shipments represent roughly a third of U.S. solar panel supplies. The companies have now halted shipments to the U.S., leaving solar industry advocates concerned that the new policy could bottleneck and delay the country’s energy transition. Solar installations have fallen 23 percent in the third quarter and nearly 23 gigawatts of solar projects have been delayed because of supply constraints. (Reuters)
MULTIMEDIA
Video: Is the future of solid-state batteries 3D-printed?
