Climate Clips: Here Comes the US’s Largest Self-Sustaining Renewable Bus Depot

Clean energy trailblazer Montgomery County, Maryland, has announced it’s building what will be the largest self-sustaining, renewable-powered bus depot in the US. See the full story at Electrek.

More DMV News

Through Executive Order, Gov. Moore Pushes Md. State Agencies to Reduce Greenhouse Emissions
Maryland Matters
Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed an executive order pushing state agencies to promote sustainability through data collection, audits and internal projects that work to reduce the effects of climate change in Maryland.

Three Virginia Electric Co-ops Ask to Make Community Solar Programs Permanent
Virginia Mercury
As Virginia moves to decarbonize its electric grid by midcentury, some of its electric utilities that don’t get as much attention as Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company are seeking to make their community solar programs permanent.

Alexandria City Council Unanimously Endorses Energy Plan For Former Power Plant in Old Town North
ALXNow
On Saturday, City Council unanimously endorsed the plant owner’s Coordinated Sustainability Strategy, which outlines a plan to electrify the future mixed-use development slated to be built there.

Virginia Community Solar Boosters Hope State Follows Path of D.C., Maryland
Energy News Network
Despite setbacks, community solar advocates in Virginia remain upbeat that recent policy breakthroughs in neighboring Maryland and the District of Columbia will benefit their case in the next legislative session.

National and International News

IRS Details Which Renewable Energy Components Must Be Made in the US to Qualify for IRA Tax Credits
Utility Dive
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service on Friday issued a notice of intent that offers a first glimpse at how the IRS will determine which renewable energy projects qualify for the 10% domestic content tax credit rider created by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Why the U.S. Is So Bad At Building Clean Energy, in 3 Charts
Washington Post
The United States has big plans to move away from fossil fuels. By 2050, the Biden administration has promised, the country will have a carbon footprint of zero — thanks to thousands of wind and solar farms, new nuclear and geothermal power plants, electric vehicles and all-electric homes and buildings.

Global Temperatures Could Soon Briefly Breach Climate Threshold, Scientists Warn
Washington Post
The World Meteorological Organization virtually guarantees that one of the next five years will be the warmest on record, announcing Wednesday that a developing El Niño pattern will overlap with worsening human-caused climate change to push Earth’s temperatures into uncharted territory.

How US School Buses are Going Electric, in Four Charts
Canary Media
The single biggest transportation fleet in the U.S. is made up of one iconic vehicle: the school bus. It’s also run almost entirely on carbon-emitting, air-polluting diesel fuel.

EPA Proposes Rules That Could Require Utilities to Clean Up ‘Legacy’ Coal Ash Ponds, Landfills
Utility Dive
The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed requiring owners of inactive coal ash ponds, landfills and other fill sites at shuttered power plants to monitor for groundwater contamination and clean it up if it occurs. The requirements are essentially the same as operating power plants face.