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Good morning and happy Friday,
This week, as Catholics celebrated the sight of white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel, a pope of a different sort – Warren Buffett – announced his departure. Buffett is known for supporting renewables and transmission, but his hand-picked successor, Greg Abel – who got his start in clean energy – will nevertheless have to defend coal and a complicated climate legacy.
Meanwhile, the president’s attacks on clean energy are undermining the administration’s goal of winning the global AI race. While the White House has asserted that soaring energy demand from data centers can be met with fossil fuels, experts say it will be nearly impossible without renewables, not least because of huge delays for natural gas equipment and costs that have tripled.
In a similar vein, a recent study from Aurora Energy Research finds that Texas legislation designed to restrict renewables could increase power prices by 14% in 2035, causing reliability issues and load-shedding events due to a years-long gas turbine backlog.
And in other news, NREL announced that at least 114 staffers on both the research and operations sides of the lab were laid off. We’re sorry to hear this news and want to offer our appreciation for their contributions to the energy transition.
Read on for more.
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Power at a Crossroads
Indiana’s state motto is “The Crossroads of America,” and a recent study from Purdue University examines what’s driving clean energy regulations in the Hoosier State. Meanwhile, a separate article looks at how resistance at the county level – often driven by “fear and Facebook” – is “plaguing” efforts to expand renewables. Here are the CliffsNotes:
The top-line finding from the Purdue study was that “Neighbors’ attitudes and information from peers have a stronger influence in Indiana’s communities than expert-based information when determining renewable energy regulations and development.”
Specifically, 60% of study participants said the concerns of neighbors carried the most weight when it came to setting requirements, and that other issues, such as climate change or energy availability, weren’t a main driver; “other common factors included concerns about property values, aesthetics, and noise.”
- Although pv magazine characterizes Indiana’s receptiveness to solar as “somewhere in the middle” of solar-friendly Illinois and solar-hostile Ohio, it’s worth noting that 72 of the state’s 92 counties have some form of restriction on renewable energy; loss of farmland is a major worry.
⚡️ The Takeaway
Love thy neighbor. The Purdue study found that local regulations are being developed in response to growing interest in renewable energy development, but that “with little state guidance, local leaders are relying on the experience of colleagues, peers, and planning organizations to develop standards;” further, “communities need more information from trusted sources to guide siting further and minimize conflicts for communities that support renewable energy development.” The good news is that “stronger social ties and community participation impact the likelihood of hosting solar projects” – in other words, strategies for robust communication and engagement can make all the difference.
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Wind vs. White House
On Monday, a coalition of Democratic attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C filed a lawsuit challenging an executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office that halted leasing and permitting of wind energy projects in federal waters and on federal lands; the White House dismissed the litigation as “lawfare.” Here’s what’s spinning:
Filed in federal court in Boston, the lawsuit seeks a court order declaring the indefinite pause on all federal wind-energy approvals unlawful and preventing key agencies from implementing Trump’s directive.
The plaintiffs argue the president’s action jeopardizes “development of a power source critical to the states’ economic vitality, energy mix, public health and climate goals,” and that he lacks the authority to unilaterally shut down the permitting process.
- New Jersey’s Attorney General Matthew Platkin called the EO “flagrantly illegal” and part of a larger pattern of unconstitutional actions taken by the administration. Among other things, the lawsuit says the EO “itself lacks reasoned explanation.”
⚡️ The Takeaway
An existential threat. New York AG Leticia James was among the plaintiffs and noted the irony of the EO given that President Trump has declared a national “energy emergency.” In addition to putting “major investments that have already been made at risk,” the EO poses “an existential threat to the burgeoning industry,” threatens “the loss of thousands of good-paying jobs and billions in investments” and delays “our transition away from the fossil fuels that harm our health and our planet.”
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Fingers Crossed: BLM signals it may approve Biden-era desert solar projects
Dissent in the Ranks: 38 House Republicans call for full repeal of climate law tax credits
Driver’s Seat: Ways and Means works on budget reconciliation & IRA tax credits
Rural Solar Rights: ASU study finds local opposition threatens clean energy transition
Cold Comfort: 5 takeaways from Chris Wright’s Hill visit
Double Counting: Constellation’s CEO opts out of load growth mania
Tricky Questions: In the world’s data center hotbed, how close is too close, and who should pay?
Pony Up: Texas may put restraints on new big businesses hoping to tap into the energy grid
Waste Not: Texas House passes bill to require recycling of retired solar, wind projects
From Spindletop to Solar Top: A watershed moment for Texas solar
Whitepaper: Strategies for de-risking early-stage renewable energy projects
Report: US solar, battery manufacturing to expand through 2027 despite uncertainty
Time is Running Out: Tariffs reshape project economics for U.S. energy storage
Dramatic: U.S. tariffs, Europe slowdown reshape global solar panels trade
Whoa: An analysis of utility-scale solar corruption in California
Express Fee: Permitting reform is back – and buried in the president’s tax bill
Absorb or Sidestep: U.S. utilities brace for tariffs, but say the impact is manageable
Choo-choo!: All aboard the Grain Belt Express! $1.7B awarded to EPC contractors
Chugging Along: Construction on the country's largest offshore wind project is more than half complete and Tariffs could add $500M to offshore wind
project cost, says Dominion CEO
Down but Not Out: 'Strength on strength': U.S. offshore wind gathers for reset
Progress: BLM approves solar project on federal lands
Brown is Beautiful?: EPA reorganization signals end to climate, air pollution work; LIHEAP is axed, and Energy Star is scuttled.
Mitigating Conflict: A powerful new transmission coalition arises in the Northeast
Opinion: For energy dominance, we need the IRA
- Nixed: Virginia governor vetoes energy storage legislation
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That’s Some Killer Weed
Last week we told you that Ukraine had signed a historic agreement with the U.S. granting America 50% of the profits generated from extracting Ukraine’s vast rare earth mineral deposits, and indeed that deal has just been ratified by Ukraine’s parliament.
As we wait to see the results – it may take years to ramp up production – it’s worth knowing that “weed” may also offer an answer…seaweed, that is.
If that sounds like reefer madness, let’s be blunt: the clean energy transition has a chronic need for critical minerals, and phytomining – extracting minerals and metals from plants – holds a lot of promise in this regard.
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Since absorbing minerals from soil is a basic function of plants, “opportunities for phytomining abound, at least in theory.” What’s really needed, however, are “hyperaccumulators,” which are “plant species that have a superior ability to concentrate critical minerals,” and seaweed – or a genetically modified version of seaweed – could do that.
As CleanTechnica notes, “there’s no free lunch.” Scaling this idea presents some “daunting challenges,” including multiple potential conflicts with existing use of oceans; but, the DOE has researched its feasibility and found that “The ocean is a vast reserve of mineralogical wealth including rare earth elements (REEs) and platinum group metal (PGMs).” Sounds dope to us.
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Building American power requires a powerful team.
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