Midwest Energy News Archives | Energy News Network

Startup aims to solve solar’s multi-family housing dilemma

Andy Balaskovitz — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 12:57:25 +0000

SOLAR: A startup says its technology can help solve a key challenge preventing solar at multi-family projects by sending energy from a single system with one inverter to individual housing units. (Energy News Network)

PIPELINES:

Environmental groups say more than 154,000 comments have been submitted opposing Enbridge’s Line 5 reroute plan in northern Wisconsin as federal regulators review the project. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Iowa regulators approve a construction permit for Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed pipeline, though the project still needs approvals in South Dakota and North Dakota and faces strong opposition from residents along the route. (Iowa Capital Dispatch; KCCI)

EFFICIENCY:

The Ohio Senate may consider a bipartisan energy efficiency bill this fall that narrowly cleared the House, though Koch-backed opposition may stall the legislation once more. (Statehouse News Bureau)
Kansas City officials expect to save millions of dollars and cut carbon emissions after investing $25 million in LED streetlights, though advocates say retiring a local coal plant would bring far more climate benefits. (KCUR)

UTILITIES: Four former ComEd executives and lobbyists convicted of conspiring to bribe the former Illinois House Speaker ask a federal judge to dismiss all charges against them. (CBS Chicago)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Indianapolis expects to receive $15 million in federal grant funding to install electric vehicle chargers in underserved neighborhoods. (Indianapolis Star)

OIL & GAS: Illinois regulators are in the final months of hearings over a massive Peoples Gas pipeline replacement program in Chicago that has taken years longer and cost billions more to complete than originally expected. (Chicago Tribune, subscription)

WIND: A wind energy developer and 12 landowners sue a Nebraska county, claiming new zoning regulations with excessive setback distances were aimed at blocking a project. (KCAU)

GRID:

A transmission developer’s proposed 7- to 8-mile transmission line in eastern Wisconsin that it says is needed to support growing power demand faces strong opposition from residents in its path. (Sheboygan Press)
A DTE Energy official acknowledges that the Detroit-based utility must improve grid reliability as the company faces a new round of customer backlash from storm-related outages. (Detroit Free Press)

CLEAN ENERGY: President Biden plans to visit southwestern Wisconsin next week to, in part, promote the clean energy and manufacturing benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act. (Associated Press)

BIOFUELS: A subsidiary of Southwest Airlines breaks ground on a Kansas pilot project that aims to use new technology for producing ethanol that could be converted into sustainable aviation fuel. (High Plains Journal)

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Startup aims to solve solar’s multi-family housing dilemma is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.

Electric choice has cost Illinois ratepayers nearly $2 billion, report finds

Andy Balaskovitz — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 12:58:57 +0000

UTILITIES: Illinois ratepayers have paid an extra $1.8 billion since 2015 by choosing alternative energy suppliers over traditional utilities like ComEd and Ameren, according to a consumer advocate’s analysis. (Daily Herald)

ALSO: A utility serving about 13,500 customers in South Dakota will add a roughly $4 fee on customer bills to pay for a new natural gas plant, and building and repowering wind projects. (South Dakota Searchlight)

CLIMATE: Gen Z voters in Ohio and other states say climate change ranks among their top priorities in this year’s presidential and down-ballot elections. (Ohio Capital Journal)

CLEAN ENERGY: An Illinois public school district could invest in dozens of projects to save money and reach a 100% carbon-free electricity target, according to an Ameren Illinois study. (WCBU)

SOLAR:

Opponents of a proposed 800 MW Ohio solar project may turn to the state Supreme Court to block the project after regulators denied repeated challenges. (WCMH)
Residents say they’ve received little information from the developer of a proposed 100 MW solar project in a small southeastern Nebraska town. (KMTV)
Developers break ground on a 6.2 MW community solar project in Rockford, Illinois, that includes housing and employment nonprofits as partners. (Solar Industry)

HYDROELECTRIC: Southern Minnesota county officials vote to remove a former hydroelectric dam that was badly damaged during major flooding in June, following years of debate about whether to fix or replace it. (Star Tribune)

PIPELINES:

Western Iowa landowners raise public safety and environmental concerns with a developer’s proposal to expand a carbon pipeline by 330 miles. (KMALand)
The Summit carbon pipeline developer faces similar concerns from farmers in Minnesota, where the company is pursuing a relatively small 28-mile stretch but plans to later apply for an expansion. (Star Tribune)

GRID: Rural Michigan residents raise concerns about how they’d be affected by the development of multiple high-voltage transmission projects planned over the coming years. (MLive, subscription)

NUCLEAR: “Everybody is looking at us,” says an operations manager for Holtec, the company that’s in the process of becoming the first to reopen a decommissioned nuclear plant in Michigan. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)

BIOFUELS: Minnesota business and biofuel groups applaud Congress members for promoting sustainable aviation fuel and the benefits it could provide in-state producers. (KIMT)

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Electric choice has cost Illinois ratepayers nearly $2 billion, report finds is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.

‘Grassroots’ Ohio anti-solar group admits fossil fuel ties

Andy Balaskovitz — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 13:04:53 +0000

SOLAR: The leader of a “grassroots” anti-solar energy group admits to Ohio regulators that a well-connected natural gas executive is among its largest financial supporters. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:

An Ohio city considers annexing land and creating new zoning regulations to accommodate a proposed 40 MW solar project. (Peak of Ohio)
A Wisconsin school district secured about $100,000 in state and federal rebates that will reduce the payback period for an onsite solar project to 12 years. (Up North News)

PIPELINES:

A carbon pipeline developer may have violated state rules by prematurely acquiring land easements for its project from another developer, an Iowa county argues in regulatory filings. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
A 14th Iowa county passes a resolution formally objecting to the use of eminent domain for a carbon pipeline. (Globe Gazette)

HYDROELECTRIC: Michigan’s top energy regulator says the Upper Peninsula may have a leg up in the state’s clean energy transition based on the amount of hydroelectric generation there. (Interlochen Public Radio)

CLIMATE:

Nebraska’s new state climatologist says she is prepared for public pushback on the topic and will work to explain how climate change affects all residents. (Nebraska Public Media)
Planners in a northwestern Minnesota city grapple with containing excessive flooding during extreme rain events that are becoming more common because of climate change. (MPR News)

UTILITIES:

Evergy is asking Missouri regulators for a nearly 14% electric rate increase to recoup investments on two natural gas plants and a range of grid infrastructure projects. (Missouri Independent)
Ohio regulators propose a nearly $1.5 million fine against Duke Energy for making more than 100,000 customer billing mistakes since 2022. (WCPO)

GRID:

Southwest Power Pool officials issued and then canceled an emergency alert Monday for 14 states as power demand threatened to exceed available resources. (KAKE)
The grid operator also seeks federal approval to delay its interconnection queue study process and to stop accepting new projects amid a growing number of connection and withdrawal requests. (Utility Dive)

WIND: Ameren Missouri is working to determine the cause of a wind turbine’s collapse over the weekend. (KRCG)

NUCLEAR: An environmental justice group applauds a new permit for a southeastern Michigan nuclear plant that includes new safeguards meant to avoid overheating local waters. (Metro Times)

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‘Grassroots’ Ohio anti-solar group admits fossil fuel ties is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.

Tribes’ fight to stop a pipeline in the ‘Everglades of the North’

Andy Balaskovitz — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 12:56:29 +0000

PIPELINES: Tribal leaders in northern Wisconsin continue their fight to shut down the Line 5 pipeline in the “Everglades of the North,” where they fear a spill would decimate areas for wild rice and fishing. (Inside Climate News)

ALSO: The Ohio Supreme Court clears the way for a settlement over the valuation of a gas pipeline that will distribute $5.6 million to local schools and governments. (Canton Repository)

RENEWABLES: Michigan is now a high-priority state for a large renewable energy developer following a new state law that incentivizes local communities to craft supportive zoning rules. (Utility Dive)

CLEAN ENERGY:

More than 100 clean energy projects proposed across Minnesota could be eligible for Inflation Reduction Act tax credits by creating thousands of union wage-level jobs. (Minnesota Reformer)
A national advocacy group founded in 2016 aims to make the conservative case that clean energy will win in free market competition and support private property rights. (USA Today)
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s administration recently turned down more than $70 million in federal funding for energy efficiency and weatherization rebates. (South Dakota Searchlight)

SOLAR:

Michigan regulators approve a utility’s power purchase agreement to offtake 62.5 MW of power from a solar project on former Upper Peninsula mining land. (WZMQ)
Alliant Energy’s recent addition of 1,000 MW of solar in Wisconsin and Iowa contributed to recent record-high solar generation in grid operator MISO’s territory. (news release)

WIND: South Dakota ranks second in the country for wind energy generation as a percentage of the state’s overall portfolio, state officials report. (KELO)

POLITICS: Democrats in a U.S. Senate race in Michigan seek a competitive advantage by highlighting the GOP candidate’s past opposition to bans on oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes. (E&E News, subscription)

COMMENTARY:

Reviewing utility rate increase requests in Michigan is a dizzying process as experts debate how much more customers should be charged for utility operations, a columnist writes. (Detroit Free Press)
Solar can be a key energy source for Indigenous communities in northern Minnesota that grapple with energy poverty and high price fluctuations during winter months, a representative from a Native-led installer writes. (MinnPost)

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Tribes’ fight to stop a pipeline in the ‘Everglades of the North’ is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.

Xcel embraces virtual power plants in Minnesota

Andy Balaskovitz — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 12:58:59 +0000

GRID: Xcel Energy in Minnesota says virtual power plants that aggregate generation and storage from distributed sources would provide a host of clean energy and financial benefits, though advocates raise concerns about the utility’s interest in owning the resources. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:

Advocates say Virginia, where data centers have exploded and created a reliance on diesel generators and coal plants, provides a lesson to Michigan as it considers incentives for the industry. (Planet Detroit)
Midwest grid operators MISO and Southwest Power Pool seek federal approval for changes to their joint operating agreement that would advance $1.7 billion in transmission projects and enable up to 30 GW of new generation. (Utility Dive)

COAL:

Ohio regulators vote to allow three utilities to collect $105 million in ratepayer subsidies for the costs of operating two unprofitable coal plants in 2020 that were part of the HB 6 bailout scandal. (Columbus Dispatch)
A watchdog group raises concerns about whether ratepayers will be left to pay for environmental pollution caused by an Ohio coal plant that’s owned by a private equity firm and outspoken supporter of former President Trump and Sen. JD Vance. (Ohio Capital Journal)

PIPELINES: The South Dakota Supreme Court rules in favor of landowners who challenged a carbon pipeline developer’s assertion that it could conduct surveys on their property without their consent. (Argus Leader)

UTILITIES: Xcel Energy modifies a proposal to automatically enroll customers in time of use rates, instead allowing voluntary participation in a program that would charge higher rates during peak demand. (MPR)

HYDROELECTRIC: As Michigan utility Consumers Energy considers selling 13 unprofitable and aging hydroelectric dams, environmental groups worry about public safety if new owners can’t afford their costly upkeep. (Bridge Michigan)

SOLAR: Minnesota is on the cusp of a major solar energy build out, with more than a dozen large projects planned in mostly rural areas of the state. (Star Tribune, subscription)

EMISSIONS: The Republican attorneys general for Ohio and Kansas ask the U.S. Supreme Court to freeze a federal rule requiring coal plans to capture and store 90% of carbon emissions or shut down within eight years. (Cleveland.com)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

A company opens a $400 million central Ohio plant for recycling lithium-ion batteries, the first of its kind to open with support from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure law. (Canary Media)
Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan were among the most active states this year to enact legislation related to vehicle electrification incentives and ratemaking. (PV Magazine)
Experts say solid state batteries have the potential to transform the auto sector by giving electric vehicles hundreds of miles more of range per charge. (Inside Climate News)

EFFICIENCY: Ohio is among 13 states to receive new federal grant funding for low-income weatherization projects, landing $4.3 million to support low-income Appalachian residents. (Utility Dive)

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Xcel embraces virtual power plants in Minnesota is an article from Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service covering the clean energy transition. If you would like to support us please make a donation.