PUC OK’s Eversource’s $2M EV infrastructure plan August 19, 2022 Earlier this week, Eversource had its $2.1 million “EV make-ready infrastructure program” approved by the Public Utilities Commission. The investment supports the state’s effort to create a fast charging corridor. Read more
National Grid’s first-of-its-kind renewable energy RFI validates a fossil-free energy strategy for the Northeast
National Grid’s first-of-its-kind renewable energy RFI validates a fossil-free energy strategy for the Northeast August 16, 2022 National Grid has located robust stocks of renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen potentially available for its customers in Massachusetts and New York through the Company’s first-of-its kind Northeast clean energy request for…
Climate bill: Could coal communities shift to nuclear?
Climate bill: Could coal communities shift to nuclear? August 13, 2022 A major economic bill headed to the president has “game-changing” incentives for the nuclear energy industry, experts say, and those tax credits are even more substantial if a facility is sited in a community where a coal plant is…
California lawmakers float legislation to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open
California lawmakers float legislation to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open AUG 15 2022 California lawmakers are circulating draft legislation that would keep the state’s last operating nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon, open beyond its planned 2025 closure date, although there are still significant logistical and political challenges ahead before that…
Climate bill cuts carbon emissions and inflation while boosting economy, studies say
Climate bill cuts carbon emissions and inflation while boosting economy, studies say Energize Weekly, August 10, 2022 The climate, healthcare and budget bill passed by the U.S. Senate Aug. 7 will help curb both greenhouse gas emissions and inflation while providing a modest boost to the economy, according to three…
3 issues to watch as heat strains the grid
3 issues to watch as heat strains the grid 08/01/2022 From the Pacific Northwest to coastal New England, millions of Americans have endured sweltering temperatures in recent weeks, driving record energy consumption and offering a snapshot of emerging risks facing the nation’s power system. While grid operators say the electricity…
Facing trade, tax and economic uncertainties, clean power installations fall in Q2
Facing trade, tax and economic uncertainties, clean power installations fall in Q2 Energize Weekly, August 3, 2022 Beleaguered by uncertainties over the future of tax subsidies and trade policy, new clean power installations plummeted 55 percent in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. Solar…
3 reasons US coal power is disappearing – and a Supreme Court ruling won’t save it
3 reasons US coal power is disappearing – and a Supreme Court ruling won’t save it July 26, 2022 The U.S. coal industry chalked up a couple of rare wins this summer. First the Supreme Court issued a ruling limiting the government’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power…
EPA rejects Holtec Pilgrim Plant wastewater discharging plan, see why they disagreed
EPA rejects Holtec Pilgrim Plant wastewater discharging plan, see why they disagreed July 20, 2022 The company overseeing the decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth has landed in a bit of hot water with the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA rejected what it described as Holtec Decommissioning…
DOE signals intent to make building energy codes more efficient with $225M investment
DOE signals intent to make building energy codes more efficient with $225M investment July 25, 2022 Through a Notice of Intent (NOI) covering $225 million for state and local governments, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) last week moved to expand the implementation of the latest building energy codes and…
Waterloo becomes fourth city in the country to adopt carbon-free plan
Waterloo becomes fourth city in the country to adopt carbon-free plan Jul 18, 2022 The city of Waterloo has vowed to run on carbon-free electricity by 2035, making it the fourth city in the U.S. to adopt the pledge. The City Council voted unanimously to adopt a carbon-free electricity goal…
U.S. Firms Enter into Partnership to Recycle Nuclear Fuel
U.S. Firms Enter into Partnership to Recycle Nuclear Fuel July 15, 2022 As the world moves away from the use of fossil fuels in favor of renewable energies in an effort to decrease carbon emissions, interest in the use of uranium as a nuclear fuel continues to grow. Uranium, which…
New EPA guidelines on PFAS “forever chemicals” put Frisco far over drinking water limits
New EPA guidelines on PFAS “forever chemicals” put Frisco far over drinking water limits Jul 12, 2022 Drinking water in Frisco is tainted with dangerous levels of the PFAS “forever chemicals” from suspected firefighting foam runoff into nearby creeks, according to new EPA guidance that radically lowered safety levels and…
Ameren, Peabody beef up solar power as fastest-growing power source in US
Ameren, Peabody beef up solar power as fastest-growing power source in US Jul 11, 2022 The region’s outlook for utility-scale solar power is getting brighter. Since February, St. Louis-based electric utility Ameren has kicked its solar expansion into another gear, including the announcement of two separate projects that are each…
U.S. Supreme Court ruling won’t change coal’s downward trend in the power sector
U.S. Supreme Court ruling won’t change coal’s downward trend in the power sector Energize Weekly, July 13, 2022 The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling limiting federal regulation of power plant greenhouse gas emissions will not do much to reverse the decline of coal-fired generation or greenhouse gas emissions, according to two…
Baltimore’s ‘Catastrophic Failures’ at Wastewater Treatment Have Triggered a State Takeover, a Federal Lawsuit and Citizen Outrage
Baltimore’s ‘Catastrophic Failures’ at Wastewater Treatment Have Triggered a State Takeover, a Federal Lawsuit and Citizen Outrage July 3, 2022 Untreated human sewage spews from the city’s two wastewater treatment facilities into rivers and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, where 2025 pollution targets have been jeopardized. Read more
DOE launches $500 million effort to turn mines into clean energy hubs
DOE launches $500 million effort to turn mines into clean energy hubs 7.1.2022 A $500 million program funded by the bipartisan infrastructure package aims to transform current and former mines into clean energy hubs. The Dept. of Energy (DOE) issued a Request For Information (RFI) to inform how the program…
Wisconsin coal plants to keep running amid reliability, supply chain concerns
Wisconsin coal plants to keep running amid reliability, supply chain concerns Jun 24, 2022 Three of Wisconsin’s largest coal-fired power plants will continue operating for at least another two years. Alliant Energy and the WEC Energy Group each announced plans Thursday to delay previously announced retirements of the Columbia Energy…
Where does your water come from? A look at Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe supplies
Where does your water come from? A look at Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe supplies Jun 27, 2022 Up to 70% of water usage for municipal users in Arizona is used outside for plants, grass, and swimming pools, according to the Arizona Department of Water Resources. Read more
Proposed, under construction, abandoned: 6 key US pipeline projects
Proposed, under construction, abandoned: 6 key US pipeline projects June 21, 2022 It’s a complicated time to build a new oil or gas pipeline in the U.S. While the fossil fuel industry continues to see healthy demand and profits amid skyrocketing gasoline prices and war in Ukraine, construction costs are…
DOE: Here’s where renewable costs are heading
DOE: Here’s where renewable costs are heading 06/14/2022 Recent challenges facing wind and solar likely won’t sink their longer-term progress in the United States, as industries figure out ways to keep the cost of renewable power on a downward slope, according to a new peer-reviewed analysis from Lawrence Berkeley National…
U.S. LNG exports soar as Europe scrambles to fill gap left by Russian cutback
U.S. LNG exports soar as Europe scrambles to fill gap left by Russian cutback Energize Weekly, June 15, 2022 Exports of U.S. liquified natural gas (LNG) to Europe soared in the first four months of 2022 and are poised to grow even more as the European Union (EU) scrambles to…
Demand for coal high, but obstacles slow opportunities
Demand for coal high, but obstacles slow opportunities June 4, 2022 Coal production is rebounding slowly in McDowell County as well as in the state, but with the current surge in worldwide as well as domestic demand, the potential market for coal is being hindered by many factors, from manpower…
Westinghouse, Bloom Energy to accelerate large-scale hydrogen production in nuclear industry; high-temperature integrated electrolysis
Westinghouse, Bloom Energy to accelerate large-scale hydrogen production in nuclear industry; high-temperature integrated electrolysis 07 June 2022 Westinghouse Electric Company and Bloom Energy Corporation have entered into a Letter of Intent to pursue clean hydrogen production in the commercial nuclear power market. The companies are teaming to identify and implement…
Activists hail Biden’s use of security powers to boost clean energy
Activists hail Biden’s use of security powers to boost clean energy June 7, 2022 Environmental groups have welcomed Joe Biden’s invoking of national security powers to rapidly expand the production of clean energy technology as a significant advance in the effort to curb dangerous climate breakdown. Read more
Duke Energy Wants to Quit Coal Early, But Regulators Say No
Duke Energy Wants to Quit Coal Early, But Regulators Say No May 26, 2022 Duke Energy Corp. planned to close its last six coal power plants in the Carolinas by 2030 to accelerate the company’s carbon-cutting goals. South Carolina regulators said no—ordering the US utility to keep the plants open…
NYSEG and RG&E Announce “Reliable Energy New York” Plans
NYSEG and RG&E Announce “Reliable Energy New York” Plans May 26, 2022 Today, New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E), subsidiaries of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), announced the companies have filed proposed changes to delivery rates with the New York State Public Service Commission…
G7 decide to “predominantly” decarbonise grid by 2035, but drop 2030 coal exit date
G7 decide to “predominantly” decarbonise grid by 2035, but drop 2030 coal exit date 29 May 2022 The environment, climate and energy ministers of the Group of Seven western industrialised states (G7) have agreed to largely decarbonise their electricity sectors within 13 years. Following their meeting in Berlin, the ministers…
West and Midwest U.S. face summer electricity shortfalls due to heat, drought, and fire
West and Midwest U.S. face summer electricity shortfalls due to heat, drought, and fire Energize Weekly, May 25, 2022 The West and Midwest U.S. risk severe electricity shortfalls this summer due to high temperatures, drought, severe storms and wildfire – all driven by a changing climate, according to the North…
MIT report says energy storage is crucial to stall climate change
MIT report says energy storage is crucial to stall climate change May 16, 2022 A major report from the MIT Energy Initiative finds the development and deployment of new ways to store renewable energy will be crucial to transitioning to clean energy and averting the worst effects of climate change.…
Duke Energy to resubmit plan to close Gallagher coal station basins
Duke Energy to resubmit plan to close Gallagher coal station basins May 12, 2022 Duke Energy had been working on plans to close its Gallagher Station years before it officially announced the decision in 2021. The station was a two-unit, coal-fired generating facility that opened in 1958, according to Duke…
California Power Officials Warn of Power Shortfalls This Summer Amid Increasing Strain from Climate Change
California Power Officials Warn of Power Shortfalls This Summer Amid Increasing Strain from Climate Change May 6, 2022 California power regulators are warning of power shortages and possible blackouts this summer as the state’s electrical grid faces increasing strain from drought and extreme heat. “We know reliability is going to…
Colorado remains uninterested as others turn to nuclear power
Colorado remains uninterested as others turn to nuclear power May 2, 2022 Powering homes by splitting atoms is not part of Gov. Jared Polis’ Greenhouse Gas Roadmap plan for 100% carbon-free energy by 2040, with Colorado appearing uninterested in following other states that are moving to nuclear to supplement wind…
We Energies seeks rate plan to fund clean energy investments, grid hardening
We Energies seeks rate plan to fund clean energy investments, grid hardening May 02, 2022 We Energies proposed a new rate plan to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) last week, potentially raising customers’ rates for electricity, natural gas and steam next year to pay for a large-scale clean…
Arkansas files lawsuit against EPA
Arkansas files lawsuit against EPA May 2, 2022 Environmental regulators in Arkansas filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, asking a federal court to grant relief from what they describe as “unlawful federal overreach.” The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment alleges in its complaint that EPA’s objections…
Pennsylvania to join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Pennsylvania to join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Apr 22, 2022 After more than 2 years in legal and legislative battles, Pennsylvania is poised to become the twelfth state to join the carbon-cutting effort known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. A Commonwealth Court failed to block the state’s publishing of…
Consumers Energy settles with stakeholders over Clean Energy Plan, pledges coal elimination by 2025
Consumers Energy settles with stakeholders over Clean Energy Plan, pledges coal elimination by 2025 April 22, 2022 After agreeing to a settlement with key stakeholders, Consumers Energy announced this week that, as part of its Clean Energy Plan, it will cease using coal as a fuel source for electric generation…
Biden administration unveils $6 billion program to keep nuclear power plants from closing
Biden administration unveils $6 billion program to keep nuclear power plants from closing Energize Weekly, April 27, 2022 The federal government has launched a $6 billion program to support the operation and prevent the closure of any of the nation’s nuclear reactors – seen by the Biden administration as a…
Droughts threaten one of the Southwest power grid’s biggest electricity generators
Droughts threaten one of the Southwest power grid’s biggest electricity generators APR 17, 2022 Thirty-nine years ago, due to record-breaking snowfall in the Upper Colorado River Basin, Lake Powell rose substantially, catching river managers off-guard. By late June, the reservoir was nearly overflowing, forcing operators—for the first time ever—to rely…
US EPA’s plan for interstate smog might force even more early coal retirements
US EPA’s plan for interstate smog might force even more early coal retirements 18 Apr, 2022 With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s climate authority over the nation’s power sector in legal limbo, the Biden administration unveiled a plan in March for addressing interstate smog pollution that is projected to drive…
National Grid announces plan to decarbonize by 2050
National Grid announces plan to decarbonize by 2050 April 18, 2022 Utility giant National Grid (NG.L) is planning to eliminate fossil fuels from its heating systems in New York state and Massachusetts by 2050, primarily by expanding the use of electric heat pumps and sourcing more renewable natural gas (RNG),…
Concerns continue over Dominion’s Possum Point plans
Concerns continue over Dominion’s Possum Point plans Apr 11, 2022 Prince William residents raised concerns over contamination, earthquake safety, truck traffic and more at a public information session on Dominion Energy’s plan to construct a new coal ash landfill at its Possum Point Power Station. Read more
Covid-19 boost in green spending still not enough, IEA says
Covid-19 boost in green spending still not enough, IEA says 04/12/2022 The world’s wealthiest countries are rapidly boosting spending on clean energy, but lower-income nations are struggling to do the same, with higher food and fuel prices bearing down on their already limited finances. The widening gap could challenge the…
Supply-chain issues hobble storage projects but installation still set a record in 2021
Supply-chain issues hobble storage projects but installation still set a record in 2021 Energize Weekly, April 13, 2022 Even in the face of supply-chain problems, energy storage installations set a record in the U.S., and the forecasts have domestic and global capacity growing twentyfold by 2030, according to industry analyses.…
EPA upholds Trump-era decision not to regulate known drinking water contaminant
EPA upholds Trump-era decision not to regulate known drinking water contaminant April 5, 2022 The Environmental Protection Agency says it will uphold a Trump-era environmental policy not to regulate a drinking water contaminant that has been linked to brain damage in infants. The agency says the Trump administration’s decision in…
UN report on climate crisis confirms the world already has solutions – but politics are getting in the way
UN report on climate crisis confirms the world already has solutions – but politics are getting in the way April 4, 2022 The world is careening toward levels of global warming that will have irreversible impacts, a new landmark report says, but we already have the solutions — the only…
Environmental campaign targets Bitcoin miners in an effort to curb greenhouse gases
Environmental campaign targets Bitcoin miners in an effort to curb greenhouse gases Energize Weekly, April 6, 2022 Environmental groups are taking aim at the power-hungry Bitcoin cryptocurrency seeking to get it to change the way it operates and thereby cut its greenhouse gas emissions. The “Change the Code, Not the…
Xcel wants to close power plant near Pueblo barely a decade after going into operation
Xcel wants to close power plant near Pueblo barely a decade after going into operation Mar 27, 2022 The Colorado Public Utilities Commission tabled a request by Xcel Energy to once again shorten the operating life of the Comanche power station’s Unit 3 near Pueblo, the last of three generating…
How green rooftops can help cool off hot cities
How green rooftops can help cool off hot cities March 22, 2022 Recent research suggests that green roofs — rooftops covered with greenery or other sun-reflecting materials — can reduce heat in cities. City features like asphalt and concrete absorb and retain a significant amount of heat, creating what is known as…
Coal plant owners seek to shut 3.2 GW in PJM in face of economic, regulatory and market pressures
Coal plant owners seek to shut 3.2 GW in PJM in face of economic, regulatory and market pressures March 22, 2022 Power plant owners started the process of potentially retiring 3,228 MW of coal-fired generation in the PJM Interconnection’s footprint this month, according to the grid operator’s generator deactivation list. Another 1,024…
