COAL: The owner of the Pittsburgh area’s last coal-fired power plant postpones its retirement until the spring but doesn’t explain the reason for the delay. (TribLive)
ALSO: Some New Hampshire activists take to the river and stage a kayak protest in front of the last coal-fired power plant in New England. (Concord Monitor)
TRANSPORTATION: Massachusetts can only act on the Transportation & Climate Initiative if at least three states clear legal hurdles to join the pact, leaving the state in limbo. (Boston.com)
EFFICIENCY:
• A new report from a nonprofit think tank recommends that Appalachian states like Pennsylvania focus on energy efficiency over fracked gas for better economic and community outcomes. (Energy News Network)
• Massachusetts nonprofits, cities and health professionals work to provide air conditioners to vulnerable communities amid a growing number of high-heat days per summer. (WBUR)
• Administrators at some New York City skyscrapers update their heating and cooling units to try to improve energy efficiency in a city where the vast majority of emissions come from buildings. (CBS New York)
SOLAR: A Maryland county in suburban Washington, D.C. intends to adopt a free federal digital tool to process solar panel applications in one day. (Maryland Matters)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A central Vermont dairy farm is now home to the state’s largest anaerobic digester, which will turn cow poop and food waste into renewable natural gas for use at a nearby college. (NBC 5)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A southern Maine town holds a launch party for a new electric vehicle charging station close to its touristic shops and restaurants. (news release)
UTILITIES:
• National Grid proposes a 16% winter rate increase for its Rhode Island customers. (Providence Business Journal)
• National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. wants to give residential customers a one-time bill credit and a temporary delivery rate reduction. (Erie Times-News)
GEOTHERMAL: A central New York town receives a state grant for up to $100,000 to conduct a scoping study to determine whether it can install a geothermal heat pump to power several buildings. (Daily Star)
HYDROGEN:
• Avangrid’s CEO says the utility responded to a U.S. Department of Energy solicitation and proposed building a 20 MW electrolyzer and hydrogen storage complex in Connecticut and a hydrogen production and distribution facility in Rochester, New York. (Utility Dive)
• Hyzon Motors plans to manufacture a cheaper, more lightweight onboard hydrogen storage system for commercial vehicles in Rochester, New York, and a Dutch facility. (H2 View)
COMMENTARY: Two propane advocates argue Massachusetts school children shouldn’t have to breathe diesel exhaust on the school bus, and that a combination of propane-fueled and electric school buses would improve air quality while being economical. (Energy News Network)