SOLAR: A suburban Omaha county passes new zoning regulations that could complicate or possibly undo a utility’s plans for a major solar project and gas plant to serve the city. (Energy News Network)
ALSO:
• A western Michigan city’s new solar project will offset nearly half of the electricity consumed in its public buildings while saving nearly $100,000 a year. (MLive)
• A church in Lansing, Michigan, activates a solar installation that officials say will meet all of its power needs. (Lansing City Pulse)
***SPONSORED LINK: Applications are now open for the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, a yearlong program for high-performing, high-potential military veterans in advanced energy, presented by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org/fellowship.***
PIPELINES: Attorneys for Enbridge and the Michigan attorney general argue in court over whether a 2018 law paving the way for a pipeline tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac was constitutional. (Bridge Magazine)
RENEWABLES:
• DTE Energy raises concerns about Ann Arbor’s 2030 carbon neutrality plan, specifically related to market purchases of renewable energy and the use of building codes to phase out natural gas. (MLive)
• As renewable energy becomes cheaper than new fossil fuel generation, clean energy groups want to greatly expand market share over the next decade. (Utility Dive)
CARBON CAPTURE: A state commission issues a $500,000 grant to the University of North Dakota to continue research on carbon capture and storage at ethanol plants. (Bismarck Tribune)
COAL:
• Iowa State University plans to spend up to $14 million to replace two remaining coal-fired boilers with natural gas, ending the campus’ use of coal. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• A North Dakota state senator says the state may yet play a role in keeping the Coal Creek Station open after its owner announced plans to close it in 2022. (Prairie Public News)
POLICY: U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit is among lawmakers calling for future stimulus funds to not be used to support fossil fuel companies. (Michigan Advance)
***SPONSORED LINK: Do you know someone who works hard to facilitate the transition to a clean energy economy? Nominate yourself or someone you know for Energy News Network’s 40 Under 40 today.***
UTILITIES: Revenue declines related to the pandemic are not as bad as a Minnesota municipal utility initially expected. (West Central Tribune)
COMMENTARY:
• Michigan regulators will soon decide whether DTE Electric customers pay increased costs related to the utility’s contract with an affiliate involving the NEXUS gas pipeline, a watchdog group reports. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• An environmental group says despite Duke Energy’s pledges, the utility has consistently challenged low-income customers with fixed-cost increases and barriers to energy efficiency and solar. (Environmental Working Group)