POWER PLANTS: A new report says natural gas-fired power plants planned in four states in PJM could become uneconomic before their useful lives end due to changing market conditions. (E&E News, subscription required)

MICROGRIDS: A Massachusetts city pioneers a microgrid concept in which buildings are connected virtually instead of by using physical connections. (Microgrid Knowledge)

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EFFICIENCY: An energy efficiency advocacy scorecard rates New York City’s plans to decarbonize buildings and transportation the nation’s best. (Habitat)

BIOFUELS: Food waste from a Pennsylvania college and other sources will be converted to biofuels to power two farms, with excess energy sent to the power grid. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

PIPELINES:
• Local officials are still seeking details on a required emergency response plan for a recently completed Massachusetts compressor station. (Patriot Ledger)
• Pennsylvania residents near the site of a pipeline explosion two years ago worry about a recurrence as construction resumes. (The Times)

CLEAN ENERGY: Six months after starting discussions on how New Jersey procures clean energy, stakeholders are no closer to a resolution. (NJ Spotlight)

TRANSMISSION: Campaign filings show opponents and supporters of a transmission line to import Canadian hydropower through Maine continued to spend on the controversy after a top court struck down an anti-transmission referendum. (Bangor Daily News)

TECHNOLOGY: A struggling wave energy company turned itself around when it switched its focus from grid-connected power systems to stand-alone offshore applications. (ROI-NJ.com)

CLIMATE: Larger power outages have increased more than one-and-a-half times over the past decade in the Northeast, believed to be caused by extreme weather events related to climate change. (NY1)

COMMENTARY:
• A surfing organization in Delaware says the environmental risks to the Delaware River from a proposed liquified natural gas export terminal are too great to allow the project to proceed. (Delaware State News)
• A Connecticut climate activist says a wholesale shift to electrification for transportation and heating buildings is the primary way to reduce fossil fuel use. (CT Post)

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Bill Opalka

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.