STORAGE: Energy storage will be a key focus at this year’s Midwest Solar Expo in Minnesota as the technology grows and integrates well with solar. (Midwest Energy News)
POLICY: Clean energy groups say there are still sticking points to a proposed energy omnibus bill in Minnesota as budget negotiations continue between the governor and the legislature. (Minnesota Public Radio)
***SPONSORED LINK: Smart Cities Technologies in Wisconsin is taking place on June 6 in Milwaukee. Organized by the Midwest Energy Research Consortium and the City of Milwaukee, this workshop will explore how cities like Milwaukee are adopting Smart Cities Technologies. Register before June 2. ***
PIPELINES:
• Records show the Dakota Access pipeline and a feeder line leaked more than 100 gallons of oil in North Dakota during the month of March. (Associated Press)
• Iowa farmers deal with changes to the landscape and soil quality due to pipeline construction as planting season starts. (KCCI-TV)
RENEWABLES: A growing number of utilities in the Midwest and across the country are offering green energy tariffs in response to corporate demand for renewable energy. (Greentech Media)
SOLAR:
• Three community colleges in Illinois are selected to participate in a community solar program that makes solar available to low-income residents and college students. (Peoria Journal Star)
• Missouri solar advocates remain positive about the failure of a bill to pass that would have charged solar customers additional monthly fees. (Missouri Times)
• Researchers are surveying a community in the western Upper Peninsula about local interest in solar generation and potential financing models. (ABC10)
• Planned renovations to an airport terminal in Cedar Rapids, Iowa call for adding solar panels and a geothermal system. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• A Wisconsin bakery is recognized by the state’s clean energy program for using solar panels to offset its energy use. (Racine Journal Times)
COAL: A North Dakota electric cooperative is testing new methods for reusing carbon emissions, now with a focus on “economic opportunity.” (Bismarck Tribune)
WIND: About 200 people turn out for a town hall meeting in Michigan mostly to criticize the “deceit and bullying” they associate with wind development in the state. (Huron Daily Tribune)
GRID: Northern Indiana farmers say a 100-mile power line has interfered with their farms after easements were secured through eminent domain. (Associated Press)
SUSTAINABILITY: The city of Detroit hires its first sustainability director whose duties will include a focus on clean energy and transportation issues. (Michigan Chronicle)
TRANSPORTATION: Ford Motor Co. is replacing its CEO with the current head of the company’s Smart Mobility program amid a shift to mobility services and electrification. (CNET)
OIL AND GAS: Michigan-based Consumers Energy announces it will spend $440 million this year on natural gas infrastructure upgrades. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY: An Ohio editorial board says a $5 monthly charge to keep FirstEnergy nuclear plants open is a “reasonable price” for an “indispensable insurance policy, or hedge, against climate change.” (Akron Beacon Journal)