The Arizona Corporation Commission has unanimously voted development of the massive SunZia Transmission Wind Project can continue. The commission approved amendments to SunZia s Certificate of Environmental Compatibility, which completes the Arizona permitting process for the 3,000 megawatt wind project. Adam Stafford, managing senior staff attorney for Western Resource Advocates, said they commend the decision to move forward with the project. .
One out of six American families is behind on their utility bills, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. Part of the reason for higher utility costs is additional fuel surcharges, based on the energy customers use in kilowatt-hours. Joshua Bills, commercial energy specialist for the Mountain Association, said charges fluctuate in response to the price of fuel, noting utility companies use the surcharge to pass the buck onto ratepayers. .
A first-of-its-kind hybrid power plant with wind, solar and battery storage has opened in Oregon, and the plant could be a model as power grids across the country decarbonize. The Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility is a partnership between Portland General Electric and NextEra Energy Resources and is located in Lexington, about 30 miles south of the Columbia River in Central Oregon. Brett Sims, vice president of strategy, regulation and energy supply for Portland General Electric, said the facility will go a long way toward achieving Oregon s ambitious climate goals. .
The U-S is moving toward net-zero emissions energy goals under the Inflation Reduction Act, but an independent research group believes some regions already heavily dependent on fossil fuels, including Texas, appear to be ineligible for a new tax credit. Resources for the Future s Daniel Raimi says to mitigate the impacts of a clean-energy transition, the bill offers tax credits for projects sited in so-called "Energy Communities" those reliant on energy production for jobs or their economy. Right now, he says the definition applies to places in the Northwest that don t necessarily need the help - and excludes areas in some states that do. .
For the first time, the International Energy Agency projects that demand for fossil fuels will soon peak. It's nowhere close to the speed the world needs to stop climate change - but it's a big step.