** The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will give $700 million in aid to biofuels producers as part of a package to assist industries recovering from the financial devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said on Tuesday. ** An encampment in northern Minnesota disbands after eight days of protesting the Line 3 replacement and expansion. ** Saudi Arabia is …
Category: Solar Energy in Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s solar expansion improves
Oklahoma’s national ranking for installed solar capacity saw a slight improvement in the first part of 2021 according to a quarterly report this week from the Solar Energy Industries Association. Oklahoma ranked 36th nationally for its solar installations, up from 40 in the first quarter of 2020 and markedly better than the 47th ranking …
Evergy’s solar plans raise doubts and questions
Evergy, the largest electric company in Kansas recently unveiled plans to make big investments in solar energy over the next three years but the debate is growing. Environmentalists complain it’s not fast enough to suit them while others fear Evergy’s plans will make electricity more costly and less reliable reported the Associated Press. Click …
Energy news in brief
** U.S. gasoline stockpiles have jumped to the highest in three-months, while a measure of demand fell to a three-month low, according to a government report published Wednesday. ** The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasted West Texas Intermediate crude prices for the rest of the year will be at an average of $61.85 a barrel, up …
Energy news in brief
** More natural gas pipelines have entered into service in recent months to carry gas from the Permian basin to Mexico, boosting U.S. gas exports to America’s neighbor to the south and reducing the wide discount at which gas traded at the Waha Hub in Texas. ** Lordstown Motors Corp. shares dropped 20% after the electric-vehicle company …
Fort Sill energy center decision delayed to next week
Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners delayed a possible decision this week on a proposed $118 million energy center that Public Service Company of Oklahoma wants to build at Fort Sill. Commissioners Todd Hiett and Dana Murphy expressed doubts Wednesday during a meeting whether the center would survive Oklahoma Supreme Court legal review. “I respectfully disagree …
Energy news in brief
** The world’s coal producers are currently planning as many as 432 new mine projects with 2.28 billion tonnes of annual output capacity, research published on Thursday showed, putting targets for slowing global climate change at risk. ** Foxconn plans to announce within the next month whether it will assemble hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles at a new …
More EV charging stations for northern New Mexico
The northern New Mexico Kit Carson Electric Cooperative announced it is installing nine more electric vehicle charging stations in and around Taos, the region called the Enchanted Circle. The cooperative’s board of trustees approved the additional EV chargers with the belief that the future of transportation is shifting toward a carbon-free environment that relies …
Battery storage systems create challenges for Arkansas solar installers
Solar installers in Arkansas experience signs of good news and bad news. The good news is a growth in demand for their battery storage systems. But the bad news is they also face shortages of materials according to a report by the Arkansas Business. Click here for Arkansas Business story.
Liberty wants to increase utility rates in Kansas and Missouri
Kansas and Missouri customers of Liberty Utilities could be hit with a rate hike while it’s unclear if the company’s customers in Oklahoma and Arkansas will see an increase in their bills. Liberty filed requests with the Missouri Public Service Commission to increase rates for customers in Missouri and Kansas. The Joplin Globe reported …