Good morning and happy Friday,

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Tuesday was Election Day, with several races seen as having impacts for the energy transition. Governor Andy Beshear’s reelection in Kentucky is widely seen as positive for clean energy, although Governor Tate Reeve’s reelection in Mississippi is not.

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In Texas, voters passed Prop 7 approving creation of the Texas Energy Fund, which among other things will “make $7.2 billion in low-interest loans available for the construction of gas-fueled power plants,” but In Virginia, the Democrats’ sweep “all but guarantees Governor Glenn Youngkin’s efforts to gut key environmental and climate laws are dead,” and in Maine, the status quo will persist after “voters rejected a proposal that would have replaced for-profit electric utilities with a public nonprofit.”

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And as noted in the Oct. 6 Dispatch, Chinese battery maker Gotion has ruffled a lot of feathers in Green Charter Township, Michigan – so much so that a recall election “threw out five local Republican officials who had backed tax breaks for a multibillion-dollar battery parts plant tied to [the] company.”

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Read on for more.

The Western Governors’ Association held its winter meeting in Jackson Hole, WY this week around the theme “Decarbonizing the West.” Against this backdrop, the Interior Department announced the advancement of 15 onshore renewable energy projects across the West. Here’s the scuttlebutt:

• Among the 15 projects, two are large solar + storage facilities that are now fully operational, and several other solar projects are moving through the permitting process, as is a potential geothermal project.
• Two important transmission milestones were also announced: one is a 500kV gen-tie line near Phoenix, AZ, that was approved for construction; the other is the 500kV Cross-Tie transmission project, for which the BLM will issue a Draft Environmental Impact Statement next week.
• The DOI announcement came on the second anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, “a historic and ongoing investment” that “has pumped over $4 billion into the Mountain West in just two years.”

Power to the people. In support of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of permitting 25 gigawatts of renewables on public lands by 2025, the Bureau of Land Management has issued permits for 46 clean energy projects totaling more than 11 GW that are expected to produce enough clean electricity to power more than 3.5 million homes – and another 66 projects are wending their way through the permitting process.

Michigan is on track to be the twelfth state with commitments to 100% clean or renewable energy. The state House and Senate passed the Clean Energy and Jobs Act, sending the package of clean energy and climate bills to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for signature. Here’s what’s in store for The Mitten State:

• Key bills in the package include HB 5120 and 5121, which give the Michigan Public Service Commission authority to approve utility-scale wind, solar, and storage facilities – a power that has traditionally been held by townships.
• SB 271, 273, and 502 are also significant because they establish a new standard requiring 100% clean electricity by 2040, boost renewable energy requirements for utilities, create an energy storage mandate, raise the cap/size limits on distributed generation, and strengthen energy efficiency requirements.
• Once signed, the legislation will go into effect next February and the MPSC will then have a year to implement the new policies, which “will bring billions of dollars of investments and thousands of new jobs to the state – from project development and installation to manufacturing,” according to SEIA.

Slippery slope? While clean energy and climate advocates are celebrating passage of the legislation as a major victory, not everyone is enthusiastic, and many resent the loss of local control over decision making regarding energy projects. One state representative who opposed the legislation called the bill package a “slippery slope” and asked, "What state takeover is going to come down the pike next?"

• Move Over: Solar steps up in Kansas
• Doubling Down: Major UN report blasts oil gas and coal ahead of COP28
• Fight Like Hell: N.J. wants to keep $300M from offshore wind developer Ørsted
• Feelin’ Gassy:Texas voters approve $10B energy fund, with most going to build gas-fired power plants

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• Montrose, MI Township voters approve ordinance regulating solar farms
• Commissioners approve solar farm reinvestment zone despite opposition in Bell County, TX
• Scott Township, PE gives initial approval for Cottontail Solar 7's solar farm

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Batteries are taking off in the U.S. – in more ways than one. While it’s certainly noteworthy that year-to-date installations of large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) already exceed total BESS installations in 2022, there’s something even more exciting in the air. Literally.

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Behold the CX300, the first battery-powered, all-electric airplane. Its manufacturer, Vermont-based Beta, hopes to soon introduce a second version, the A250, which will offer vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, similar to a helicopter.

The planes can carry up to 1,250 pounds, which equates to up to five people and a pilot, although they’re also well-suited to moving cargo. While the CX300 “has flown as far as 386 miles on a single charge” (who drew the short straw for that test?), and recently completed a six-day trip from Vermont to Florida, the company expects most customers will use the planes for “trips of 100 to 150 miles.”

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As with EVs, the availability of charging infrastructure is a key issue, and Beta is working on that as well. That said, advocates of electric aircraft say the technology can be used to transport organs for transplant, move people to offshore installations, or run search and rescue missions, and “could open up new opportunities, like better connecting rural areas that have little or no direct air service.” Sounds great to us!