Good morning and happy Friday,

Helene caused untold devastation to the southeastern U.S. that could cost up to $34B, according to Moody’s, and the cost in human lives has surpassed that of Hurricane Katrina. Damage to the electrical grid went beyond downed power lines, and in the hardest-hit areas, rural cooperatives could need weeks to restore power. 

In Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate, energy and the climate crisis got a little more airtime than in the Harris-Trump debate. Governor Walz spoke passionately about how climate change is impacting farmers and resurrected “all of the above” as a slogan for the Democrat’s energy policy. 

Senator Vance was open to the idea that carbon emissions could warm the planet – “Let’s just say that’s true” – and then proceeded to explain how a Trump-Vance administration would fix the problem: by promoting domestic manufacturing. We can’t wait to tell him about the IRA!

And in Illinois, the Renewing Sovereignty Project is helping formerly incarcerated people land solar industry jobs.

Read on for more.

A new study finds that solar farms don’t hurt property values – and may even boost them. The research looked at the impact of 70 utility-scale solar projects on home prices in the Midwest, and found they had a slight positive effect, “increasing values 0.5% to 2%.” Here are some key deets: 

• The lead researcher, Loyola University professor Gilbert Michaud, says that while the actual dollar value of the home price increases may be small, they “clearly” show that solar projects benefit rural economies, and by extension, help property values.
• Michaud likened the “small positive impact” on home values to that seen from the addition of “cultural amenities, like arts centers,” and also noted that solar projects typically benefit schools, another big driver of home prices.
• The researchers found that “the most beneficial impact on property values was from solar farms between 5 and 20 MW,” which they suggest may be explained by the relative ease with which projects this size can be buffered by vegetation.

Self-fulfilling prophecy. Michaud offered several observations on the forces shaping home prices, noting that the belief that prices might fall can be enough to depress them – “But none of this is real, it’s just based on speculation and emotion.” The goal of the research was to replace subjective impressions with “hard data,” and the reality is that “large-scale solar projects might actually be an amenity in their community” – with resulting benefits for property values.

Even those of us who like to get into the weeds on energy policy will likely agree: permitting reform isn’t particularly sexy. But Kamala Harris is elevating the technocratic subject as a pillar of her presidential campaign, sparking joy among energy wonks. Here are a few things to know:

• The economic policy blueprint released by Harris’ campaign pledges to “(cut) red tape so that clean energy projects are completed quickly and efficiently in a manner that protects our environment and public health.
• E&E notes that “Harris’ turnabout on permitting echoes some other greens” who are more amenable to the topic now that the IRA is driving clean energy investment – and “the permitting process has emerged as a bottleneck to the energy transition.”
• Behind the scenes on Capitol Hill, congressional leaders, and environmental advocates continue to work on compromises related to S. 4753, the permitting reform legislation introduced by Senators Manchin and Barrasso this summer, resulting in conversations that are “tense” or “honest” depending on who you ask.

Blueprint for change? The policy framework also says a Harris-Walz administration will “unlock upgrades, efficiencies, and faster construction of a lower-cost and more resilient electrical grid to speed up deployment of cutting-edge technologies that are critical to producing and distributing more energy, providing resilience to climate disasters and bringing down costs.” In a speech last week, Harris said, “The simple truth is, in America, it takes too long, and it costs too much to build.”

• Skin In the Game: US stumps up $1.5bn for tough-to-build green power lines 
• High Stakes: DOE delivers major grid study as election pressure rises and DOE transmission planning study identifies ‘high opportunity’ interregional interfaces
• Affirmative Determination: Commerce to tariff solar imports from Southeast Asia, some by as much as 300% 
• Substantial Value: Study quantifies benefits of adding batteries to solar or wind projects in congested regions 
• Blast Radius: The most at-risk projects of the energy transition
• Inquiring Minds: Why isn’t the IRA more of a political winner for Democrats? 
• “Staggering”: Wake losses pose grave threat to offshore wind sector, warn experts 
• A Pathway Forward?: Initiative proposes regional organization to oversee Western power markets
• Big Spenders: China has pumped >$100 billion into overseas cleantech since 2023 
• Big Apples: ‘Three New York Cities’ worth of power: AI Is stressing the grid and Granholm: Data centers should provide own power
• Pony Up: Bill would make solar companies plan for eventual cleanup
• H2 Étude: Hydrogen tax credit rules will be done by the end of the year and The big unsettled policy question about clean hydrogen: How to use it 
• Thrifty Fixes: New CA smart grid law will help solar and fix the grid by...simply replacing wires
• Perovskites!: These record-breaking new solar panels produce 60 percent more electricity
• Nosy: Heritage Foundation staffers flood federal agencies with thousands of information requests 
• Maybe Next Time: BOEM postpones first Oregon offshore wind auction due to lack of interest 
• Sun or Clouds?: Arizona's solar future tied to Corporation Commission election 

• AZ: City protests solar farm, says it will ‘cannibalize’ future growth
• CA: San Marcos leaders discuss whether to oppose Seguro battery project
• IL: Moratorium on wind turbine development applications extended
• IN: 'It'll look like we're in Star Wars': Southern Indiana landowners speak out about proposed solar farm
• KY: Construction begins on 160-MW Unbridled Solar Project
• KY: Lexington’s Urban County Planning Commission rejects proposal that would allow development of large-scale solar on agricultural zones
• MD: Sen. Carozza speaks out against offshore wind project
• MI: Solar farm gets final OK after years of pushback, legal battles
• MI: Detroit files dozens of eminent domain lawsuits for solar neighborhoods project
• MN: Hugo plans to rework city solar ordinance again
• NJ: Biden approves construction & operations plan for mammoth 3 GW Atlantic Shores offshore wind array
• NJ: 2.4 GW Leading Light offshore wind project delayed amid supply issues
• NJ: Monmouth County residents fight offshore wind connection as feds approve wind farm
• NY: Four wind developers submit proposals for offshore wind farms off Long Island
• OH: Indian Lake residents pushing back on solar farm project and promises
• PA: Proposed solar farm in Newton Twp. denied
• RI: Regulators resume review of South Coast Wind’s underwater transmission proposal
• TX: Federal judge recommends temporary standstill of Bandera solar farm project
• VA: Hanover County votes to deny 1,500-acre solar development
• WI: Utilities propose nearly $2B in renewable energy projects

When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, cement and concrete (which, by the way, are not the same thing) are in the “hard to abate” bucket. This is mostly due to the carbon emissions associated with cement production, which requires a lot of heat, and also releases CO2 as a byproduct. 

The 90 million metric tons of cement manufactured in the U.S. each year create GHG emissions equivalent to 16 million vehicles, and it’s estimated that globally, concrete is responsible for about 8% of human-caused GHG emissions.

As with the search for “green steel,” there are a multitude of efforts underway to reduce the energy and environmental impacts of cement and concrete production. A recent article from Canary Media highlights four companies that are worth watching.

CarbonBuilt is “working to replace the industry-standard portland cement with its alternative cement ​‘binder,’” which not only doesn’t release CO2 but can permanently trap carbon. A competing startup, Sublime Systems, “makes cement by running an electrical current through a bath of chemicals and calcium silicate rocks,” thereby avoiding the need for “fossil-fueled, high-temperature kilns.”

A third startup, Carbon Limit, is working to develop concrete products that can absorb and store CO2; it’s also creating materials that “reflect sunlight and limit heat absorption” to help lessen the energy demands of buildings. The fourth company, Cocoon, “aims to serve not one but two heavy industrial sectors: cement and steel” with technology that can reduce the GHG emissions associated with both.

We applaud these “constructive” efforts – they offer a lot to “build” on, particularly since the clean energy transition needs a lot of cement and concrete!