solar energy

A federally funded program that would have provided $156 million to low-income Tennessee families for solar panel installation has been terminated after several months on hold, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation announced Friday.

Tennessee is expected to be second for the lowest amount of solar installed by 2027 compared to six other Southeastern states, according to a new report by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Clean technology manufacturing is exploding in Tennessee. Planned investments in the construction of electric vehicle, energy storage and solar panel materials were worth three times more than any other sector combined in the past year.

Electric SUV manufacturer Rivian, The Nature Conservancy will buy power to offset their carbon emissions

Car manufacturer Toyota will purchase power from an eastern Kentucky solar project – an announcement proponents say is a milestone in efforts to transition away from the state’s declining coal industry, and towards renewable energy.

Representatives from several businesses and utility groups ceremoniously flipped the switch on Tuesday to celebrate the completion and activation of the Skyhawk Solar project, a 100 megawatt energy project in northwestern Tennessee that will power a pair of Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama.

Kentucky has more than 14,000 abandoned oil and gas wells left behind by companies that long ago went bankrupt or no longer exist. A new bill could make sure the same thing doesn’t happen with old solar facilities.

Solar proponents have expressed support for the project, while some environmental advocates are concerned about the potential for it to worsen groundwater pollution from the coal ash field.

Utility-scale solar is booming in Kentucky, but the regulations that govern these merchant operators were designed for a different era. Now, a state senator is trying to update those rules to balance the interests of communities and an emerging industry.

Merchant solar companies looking to harness the power of the sun are increasingly turning to Kentucky. Over the last two years, utility regulators have...