Solar sees new barriers in Southeast

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Southeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

SOLAR

• Rural lawmakers and counties defeat a Virginia bill that sought to reform solar permitting and prohibit ​“unreasonable” local restrictions that developers say are becoming more common. (Inside Climate News)

• South Carolina lawmakers advance legislation that would require many small and mid-sized solar projects to get state approval under a system meant for large-scale projects. (The State)

• An El Paso, Texas, utility completes a second array to power a popular community solar program, which has a waitlist despite sometimes costing more than the utility’s normal electricity rate. (El Paso Times)

• A Kentucky school district expects to save $15,000 per year after installing solar panels on a high school and technology center. (WCHS)

WIND

• Oklahoma House lawmakers pass legislation to require half-mile setbacks for wind turbines as opponents of the bill say it will take away important revenue from schools and property owners. (Journal Record)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Hyundai celebrates the opening of its new $7.6 billion electric vehicle factory in Georgia and announces plans to increase its production capacity by two-thirds to 500,000 vehicles per year. (Associated Press)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

• Louisiana regulators postpone a vote over whether to suspend the state’s energy efficiency program, which advocates defended for helping to lower energy bills. (WBRZ)

OIL & GAS

• A gas industry executive tells West Virginia lawmakers they should expect more pipeline projects as data centers expand and coal plants retire. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

• Florida legislative committees advance a bill designed to protect environmentally sensitive areas from oil and gas drilling. (WFTV)

• Texas reports that 2024 was a record year for its oil and gas industry, with oil production exceeding 2 million barrels for the first time ever. (KOSA)

GRID

• El Paso Electric’s participation in the Western Energy Imbalance Market is generating significant revenue and resulting in refunds for customers. (El Paso Matters)

• West Virginia lawmakers consider legislation designed to encourage construction of data centers with self-powered microgrids. (MetroNews)

• Tens of thousands of energy industry leaders gather in Dallas for an annual conference focused on power grid technology. (NBC 5)

COAL

• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vetoes legislation that would have narrowed state regulators’ authority to protect rivers, streams, and groundwater from coal industry pollution. (Lexington Herald-Leader)

UTILITIES

• A Charlotte nonprofit says it’s returning a $10,000 Duke Energy Foundation gift in response to the utility’s efforts to roll back federal climate and coal ash regulations. (WFAE)

• South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster seeks to replace nearly half of the board that oversees state-owned utility Santee Cooper. (Post and Courier)

• Tennessee’s Republican U.S. senators call on the Trump administration to fire leadership of the Tennessee Valley Authority, accusing the public utility of moving too cautiously on small modular nuclear reactors. (E&E News)