Solar surge: Entergy Louisiana has signed a 20-year agreement with LA3 West Baton Rouge, a subsidiary of Eagle Solar Group, to buy the output of a solar power plant to be built in West Baton Rouge Parish, according to the company. The power plant, scheduled to be operational near Port Allen by 2020, is the largest solar facility currently planned for Louisiana at 500 acres. The power purchase agreement is still subject to approval by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, but Entergy customers are expected to save an estimated $29 million over the life of the contract. The solar project will power 9,500 homes, or offset nearly 19,000 car emissions in one year, while generating 350 jobs during its construction.
Spendthrifts: Americans boosted their spending by 0.6% in April, the biggest increase since a 0.7% rise last November, which the Commerce Department said Thursday is a sign the GDP could be going up. The 2.3% GDP growth in the January-March quarter was a slowdown from growth rates around 3% in the previous three quarters. Incomes also rose by 0.3% in April while after-tax incomes rose an even stronger 0.4%, the best showing since January. See the full story.
Contrarian views: About 51% of registered voters said the U.S. economy is either very or somewhat strong, while 42% said it’s not too strong or not strong at all, according to a new poll from Morning Consult/Politico. Half of millennials—ages 22 to 37, many of whom were born in the 1980s—said the economy isn’t performing well, compared to 41% who said it is. By contrast, 59% of baby boomers—ages 54 to 72—are optimistic, while 37% said the economy isn’t strong. Voters from Generation X—ages 38 to 53—were almost evenly split, with 47% having a positive view of the economy and 46% saying it isn’t strong. See the survey results.
