SOLAR: New Jersey regulators will stop the state’s practice of using ratepayer funds to provide solar incentives at the end of this month, leaving installers with more uncertainty as a new system is not yet in place.(NJ Spotlight)

ALSO:
• A community solar company in New York joins a national trend during COVID-19 of switching to virtual meetings and social media instead of relying on “kitchen table’ sales. (Greentech Media)
• Solar demand in New York could plummet as much as 30% this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. (E&E News, subscription required)
• A passive home powered by solar is able to provide comfort even in a harsh Maine winter. (Inhabitat)

***SPONSORED LINK: Due to the coronavirus, the International Partnering Forum (IPF) has been divided into two parts. IPF Virtual, April 21-22, will deliver the most time-sensitive information on the U.S. offshore wind market. This virtual event is open to all IPF registered attendees. The in-person forum will take place at IPF Together, August 18-21 in Providence, Rhode Island. Attendees must register for IPF Together in August to gain access to IPF Virtual in April.***

OFFSHORE WIND:
• A coalition of advocates and industry representatives work to provide fishing interests a seat at the table in discussions of offshore wind development in New England. (Energy News Network)
• Researchers at Northeastern University are designing a light floating wind turbine that can be towed out to sea and fixed to deep ocean floors. (News@Northeastern)

UTILITIES: A union official says utility workers should be classified as first responders due to the essential services they provide during crises like the coronavirus pandemic. (Platts)

TRANSMISSION: Maine’s secretary of state invalidates more than 2,000 signatures on petitions supporting an anti-transmission line referendum but organizers still have enough to place it on the ballot. (Portland Press Herald)

EFFICIENCY: Energy efficiency installations grind to a halt in Boston, New York City and up to 20 states as fallout from the coronavirus pandemic spreads. (Utility Dive)

OIL & GAS: A multi-day hearing this month on a liquified natural gas terminal on the Delaware River is postponed. (Kallanish Energy)

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STORAGE: An energy storage advocate says Massachusetts’ clean peak standard will cause a boom in battery storage nationally. (PV Magazine) 

COMMENTARY: Energy professionals urge New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to postpone this month’s closure of one of the Indian Point nuclear reactors due to uncertainty caused by COVID-19 and collapsing energy markets. (Gotham Gazette)

Bill is a freelance journalist based outside Albany, New York. As a former New England correspondent for RTO Insider, he has written about energy for newspapers, magazines and other publications for more than 20 years. He has an extensive career in trade publications and newspapers, mostly focused on the utility sector, covering such issues as restructuring, renewable energy and consumer affairs. Bill covers Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire and also compiles the Northeast Energy News daily email digest.