Bad Actors | 16,000 | Climate Change Deceit | Scrap the EE Plan
Happy Friday folks.
We’re bringing you another double edition this week. We are blessed here with busy times so client work comes first and this project lately has had to take a back seat.
But we’re making time today so let’s get to the news.
It was a bad couple of weeks for some alleged bad utility execs:
- New York scrutiny: National Grid faces bribery investigation; revenues docked for Con Edison, NYSEG, RG&E, Utility Dive
- Trial dates set for utility cooperatives indicted in Kentucky Derby trips case, The Day
With headlines like that, it’s no wonder bills such as this get proposed: New York Bill Would Require Electric Utilities To Disclose Executive Salaries, Report Expenses, WSHU
Some big rooftop solar is coming to Massachusetts. From MassLive, “Medline Industries, Inc., plans to install the largest rooftop solar array in Massachusetts on its distribution center in Uxbridge. Medline’s 800,000 square foot Uxbridge Distribution Center will house nearly 16,000 solar panels on its extensive roof, generating renewable energy with environmental benefits equivalent to planting 93,000 trees or powering more than 800 homes annually according to estimates provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
MA Attorney General Maura Healey won a big one and will get a day (or months) in court, Exxon must face Massachusetts lawsuit alleging climate change deceit, Reuters.
And I’m sharing this last story for the headline and to give me a chance to ask a question, Mass. Efficiency Program Draft Plan Should Be Scrapped, Senator Says, Net Zero Insider. So here is a question – we have a lot of really old housing stock here in Massachusetts. When creating more space in an old home – such as an attic renovation – why on earth is closed cell foam insulation – which is highly energy efficient – not part of the MassSave program? I welcome those in the know to respond.
Thank you for reading. Enjoy the many articles below and have a wonderful weekend.
Climate Change
New Jersey Utility Accelerates Net Zero Carbon Plan by 20 Years, Bloomberg Green
Communities in Massachusetts Fight for Right to Be Green, Net Zero Insider (subscriber content)
Mass. Cities Begin Acting on New State Climate Laws, Net Zero Insider
Has the Carbontech Revolution Begun?, New York Times
Bipartisan lawmakers back clean electricity standard, but fall short of Biden goal, The Hill
Shell Gets Greener, Even as Climate Advocates Say, ‘Go Faster,’ New York Times
Renewables/TCI/RGGI
Harnessing the tides: The future of renewable energy could begin in Cape Cod Canal, Cape Cod Times
It looks like CT’s Transportation Climate Initiative bill is dead. Now what?, CT Mirror
Regional initiative to cut road emissions wins RI Senate approval, Providence Journal
Legislators hope to make northern Maine a hub of renewable power exports, Bangor Daily News
Building New Renewables Is Cheaper Than Burning Fossil Fuels, Bloomberg Green
Majority of wind and solar power installed in 2020 cheaper than new coal-fired production: Irena, Recharge News
Renewables are seeing declines in cost and market value: What gives?, PV Magazine
Amazon and Other Tech Giants Race to Buy Up Renewable Energy Wall St. Journal
Atlantic salmon advocates angry about fish they say were injured during Waterville dam repair, Press Herald
Wind
Wind turbine efforts advance, Salem, state to partner on making port staging area, Salem News
Sen. Shaheen Backs Plan To Split Offshore Wind Lease Revenue Among Coastal States, NHPR
Coastal regulators look to standardize wind farm compensation deals to avoid disputes, Providence Business News
New group spotlights New York offshore supply chain, Renews.biz
Feds to start environmental review for wind farm off South Shore, News Day
Video Simulation Shows What Empire Wind Project, Off Long Island And N.J., Will Look Like From Shore, CBS New York
Can Massive Cargo Ships Use Wind to Go Green?, New York Times
Bill meant to speed development of offshore windmills heads to governor’s desk, NJ.com
Offshore Wind in NJ: Meeting the state’s clean energy and economic goals, NJ Spotlight
NJ Shore Towns Want Say Over Offshore Wind Projects, Push Back on Legislative Proposal, NBC Philadelphia
Solar
Medline in Uxbridge to install the largest rooftop solar array in Massachusetts, MassLive
NJ Solar Push Squeezes Farms, Net Zero Insider (subscriber content)
Can America’s Solar Power Industry Compete with China’s? One Firm Tries, Wall St. Journal
Falmouth town meeting to consider zoning changes for solar farm on golf course, Cape Cod Times
With Bee the Change, Weybridge Couple Fills Solar Fields With Insect-Friendly Habitat, 7 Days
Waldo Renewable Electric installs 47.52-kW rooftop solar project for Connecticut’s Running Brook Farms, Solar Power World
Efficiency/Storage
‘Reports of energy efficiency’s death are greatly exaggerated.’ The cost keeps falling as the resource grows, Utility Dive
Mass. Efficiency Program Draft Plan Should Be Scrapped, Senator Says, Net Zero Insider
Nation’s 1st “Net Zero” Hotel Takes Form, New Haven Independent
Maine becomes 9th US state to adopt energy storage deployment target, Energy Storage News
EVs
Electric Vehicles Seen Reaching Sales Supremacy by 2033, Faster Than Expected, Bloomberg Green
Newton has a ways to go in reaching electric vehicle goals, Boston Globe
Nuclear
Company: Yankee nuclear plant demolition remains in budget, WCAX
Gas/Oil/Fossil/Pipelines
Peabody commission hears concerns about planned power plant, Salem News
Power plant session draws protesters, Salem News
Connecticut Neighborhood Pushes Back Against Planned Fuel Cell Power Plant, WNPR
Intense divide over Tennessee Gas Pipeline expansion evident at county meeting, NJ Herald
Market/Grid/Policy/Prices, etc.
Interconnection issues jeopardize New England’s clean energy goals, PV Magazine
White House agrees to bipartisan infrastructure deal with $73B in power grid spending, Utility Dive
New York scrutiny: National Grid faces bribery investigation; revenues docked for Con Edison, NYSEG, RG&E, Utility Dive
US grid needs overhaul to keep up with renewable revolution, says GE exec, Sen. Heinrich, Utility Dive
The National Guard Just Simulated A Cyberattack That Brought Down Utilities Nationwide, The Drive
House passes broad bipartisan measure to help states fund energy cybersecurity efforts, Utility Dive
National labs identify priorities in modernizing U.S. electricity markets, PV Magazine
Trial dates set for utility cooperatives indicted in Kentucky Derby trips case, The Day
New York Bill Would Require Electric Utilities To Disclose Executive Salaries, Report Expenses, WSHU
Ethics commission again behind closed doors in CMP transmission line case, Press Herald
Drone inspection of power lines will be out of sight but not out of mind, Concord Monitor
Opinion
Stop sweetheart deals with state utilities, CommonWealth Magazine
Energy efficiency is a low-hanging fruit to combat climate change. So why can’t everyone get access to it?, Boston Globe
Social justice is a key issue in Mass. energy efficiency programs, Boston Globe
Lawmakers shouldn’t overlook gas tax increase to pay for infrastructure, transportation, Bangor Daily News
Opinion/Searson: RI should lead the way on renewable energy, Providence Journal
Week of 6/18/21
Climate Change
Earth is now trapping an ‘unprecedented’ amount of heat, NASA says, Washington Post
Renewables/TCI/RGGI
The US East Coast is set to become a green energy job powerhouse, Quartz (subscriber content)
A power play? Steam plant owner aims to decarbonize downtown with huge building project, Boston Globe
Confidence Among Renewable Energy Investors at an All-Time High: Report, Environment and Energy Leader
Schneider Electric, Citizens Energy Form Alliance for Microgrid, Renewable Projects
Wind
Shore towns want say over wind projects, push back on bill, AP
Solar
Why America Doesn’t Really Make Solar Panels Anymore, The Atlantic
The Dark Side of Solar Power, Harvard Business Review
Massachusetts group tests new model for solar on affordable housing projects, ENN
Efficiency/Storage
It’s not easy being green in Massachusetts, but here’s how., Boston Globe
Boston City Councilor Wants Big Buildings To Become Carbon Neutral, WBUR
Nexamp looks beyond solar, to storage and utility scale, Boston Inno
EVs
G-7 Drops Aim to Shift New Car Sales Away from Oil By 2030, Bloomberg Green
G.M. will increase investment in electric vehicles by 30 percent and build more battery plants., NY Times
Volkswagen Readies ‘Massive’ Rejig to U.S. Plans on Biden’s EV Shift, Bloomberg Green
America’s Electric Vehicle Future, WBUR
Nuclear
U.S. nuclear regulator approves fuel for next-generation reactors, Reuters
Gas/Oil/Fossil/Pipelines
Oil Price Hits Pandemic High as Investors Bet on Green Energy, Wall St. Journal
Market/Grid/Policy/Prices, etc.
Maine Senate Approves Utility Takeover Bill, Gov. Mills Signals Veto Is Imminent, Maine Public
Eversource and UI appeal Connecticut regulators’ financial hit for Tropical Storm Isaias response, Hartford Courant
Utilities to DOE: More information, not new regulations, needed to secure the grid, Utility Dive
Mass. Residents Think Regulators Can Improve Public Engagement, RTO Insider (subscriber content)
To address transmission issues, FERC and NARUC agree to tackle barriers through a new task force, PV Magazine
Opinion
Hybrid storage and renewable projects are popular. Are they the best for the market,? Utility Dive
Mass. should set 100% clean energy mandate, CommonWealth Magazine
Transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is necessary, inevitable (Guest viewpoint), MassLive
Training underway to meet offshore wind industry demand for jobs, Barnstable Patriot
Northeast Energy News 