What’s old is new | Millstone deal struck | It’s electric!
Happy Friday afternoon.
Some cool news this week from the folks at MIT who looked back in time – over 3 millennia – to find a potential solution to energy storage challenges. According to the article on Curbed.com, MIT researchers have reinvented firebricks, a Bronze-Age technology created by the Hittites in the 17th century BC. Firebricks were designed to retain heat for long periods of time. The MIT team’s Firebrick Resistance-heated Energy Storage (FIRES) system stores thermal energy (heat) in firebricks and later converts the energy back into electricity at about 1/40th the price of putting it into batteries. As the article notes, it could be a game changer for renewables.
According to the CT Mirror, the Connecticut General Assembly and the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy have agreed in principle on bipartisan legislation authorizing state energy officials to take measures to stabilize the profitability of New England’s largest power plant, the Millstone nuclear station in Waterford. The Hartford Courant reported Friday afternoon that the Senate approved the measure which now awaits House action. The new proposal does not include a fee paid by Millstone’s parent company Dominion Energy.
In honor of the upcoming AltWheels event we have section on EV news. According to an article in the MetroWest Daily News, electric vehicle ownership is rising in Massachusetts. They cite data from the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection that shows the number of electric vehicles in the state has grown from 782 as of July 31, 2013, to 3,770 as of March 31, 2017. The number of plug-in hybrids, which can also utilize gasoline, has increased from 1,034 to 5,701 during that time frame. There is still a long way to go, but it’s a huge leap in numbers from the days yours truly spent promoting DOER’s EV program in the mid-late 90s.
On the same topic, The Huffington Post asks, Should Utilities Build Charging Stations For Electric Cars? Some arguments for and against are that, “Building more charging stations could help alleviate ‘range anxiety,’ the fear of running out of charge with no station in sight, and therefore stimulate sales of the clean-air-friendly cars. But in some states, officials say that letting the utility industry build more stations would force all electricity consumers to pay for a service that only a few, relatively affluent, people will use.” Hmmm. The article does contain a lot more detail on the pros and cons. It’s worth a read.
Have a great weekend.
Natural Gas/Pipeline
Feds overrule New York’s natural gas pipeline permit denial, Fox Business
10 arrested in pipeline protest at Tennessee Gas Co. headquarters in Sandisfield, Berkshire Eagle
Local officials seeking to stop gas leaks, MetroWest Daily News
Reliance on natural gas expected to grow, CommonWealth Magazine
Tennessee Gas Pipeline opponents plan flotilla on Lower Spectacle Pond, Berkshire Eagle
Pipeline maintenance cuts path through quiet neighborhood in Lynnfield, ItemLive
Climate Change
Climate change did not “cause” Harvey or Irma, but it’s a huge part of the story, Vox.com
Renewables
MIT turns to millennia-old tech for renewable energy storage, Curbed.com
Agency: Turbines could spin during bird migrations, Cape Cod Times
Family donates solar power systems to 8 nonprofits, Going Green
Cost of U.S. Solar Drops 75 percent in Six Years, Ahead of Federal Goal, YaleEnvironment360
CT greenlights major renewable projects, Hartford Business Journal
Massachusetts business coalition seeks steeper renewable energy standard, Electric Light and Power
The New 1,600 Megawatt Solar Program For Massachusetts Really Is SMART, Clean Technica
Eversource Building Solar Power Sites In Western Mass., WAMC
Solar project planned for Fitchburg site with history of energy production, Worcester Telegram
Cohasset’s new solar array officially open, Patriot Ledger
Farms that grow crops and solar power together, Greenfield Recorder
Maine cities, towns hope to pump up demand for air-sourced heat, The Forecaster
Stars Aligning for Clean Energy in the State…and NH Sustainable Energy Association is Helping Make it Happen, Keene Sentinel
Energy Efficiency
Mortgage Loans Still a Missing Link to Energy Efficiency Growth, Energy Collective
The Suburb of the Future, Almost Here, New York Times
Nuclear
Senate Approves Millstone Aid, Bill Awaits House Action, Hartford Courant
Deal struck on stabilizing profits of Millstone nuclear station, CT Mirror
Pilgrim addresses deteriorating protective panels, Energy Central
Activist posts billboard warning about Seabrook nuclear plant, Ipswich Chronicle
Planners look to future of VY site, Brattleboro Reformer
EVs
Electric vehicle ownership rising in the state, MetroWest Daily News
Should Utilities Build Charging Stations For Electric Cars?, Huffington Post
R.I., 6 other states face decision on plug-in cars, Providence Journal
Electric car dream collides with reality on profits, Boston Business Journal (subscriber article)
Markets/Grid/Policy/Prices/Etc.
ISO-NE Visits Vermont to Discuss Tx Planning, RTO Insider
Power Plant Lawsuit Worries Town Of Sandwich, The Sandwich Enterprise
CMP, Gas Companies & Solar Proponents Battle Over Energy Policy, The Free Press
Utilities see benefits in energy storage, even without mandates, Utility Dive
No Fish Story. Tiny Island Lands Big Catch with Microgrid, Microgrid Knowledge
Northern Pass Spokesman Says ‘End in Sight,’ As SEC Pushes Back Decision, NHPR
U.S. Court Allows Suit Alleging ExxonMobil’s Everett Tank Farm Is A Hazard To Proceed, WGBH
CMP & Others Bidding for New Transmission Lines Across Maine, The Free Press
As Brayton Point hits the market, golf course, industrial park among pitches, Herald News
Pass rep questioned on whether project will affect scenic resources, Union Leader
Wellesley no longer at odds over Clean Energy Standard regulations, Wicked Local Wellesley
Baker Stepping Up Emissions Strategy With Focus On Transportation, Banker & Tradesman (subscriber article)
Opinion
New England’s power grid operator is biased, CommonWealth Magazine
Energy efficiency benefits NH businesses, NHBR
Kathy Sullivan: Northern Pass is not ready for prime time, Union Leader
Eversource’s solar proposal needs to go, CommonWealth Magazine
A Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Moment for Natural Gas in NH, IndepthNH
Karen Glitman: Efficiency Vermont’s listening tour, VT Digger
Northeast Energy News 