CLEAN ENERGY: A Connecticut green bank is among a growing list of lenders offering retroactive energy efficiency loans as a way to help business owners free up capital during the pandemic. (Energy News Network)

OFFSHORE WIND: Maine Gov. Janet Mills proposes a 16-square-mile offshore wind farm for 12 floating wind turbines under development at the University of Maine. (Maine Public)

GRID: New York’s grid operator and state regulators oppose a proposal by gas generators to raise the price floor for renewables in its capacity market, similar to what was ordered in PJM’s territory. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR:
• New York officials approve a 90.5 MW solar farm in central New York that would be built on 90 acres of leased farmland. (Albany Times Union)
• Developers say a solar project slated for late 2022 in New York’s North Country will create 200 local jobs during construction. (NNY360)
• Enbridge says construction has started on a Pennsylvania solar project that will help power operations for a natural gas pipeline. (Reuters)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A lame-duck session of the Pennsylvania House passes an annual fee for owners of hybrid and electric vehicles. (Associated Press)
• Massachusetts voters this month approved a referendum that requires automakers to give owners and repair shops access to wireless data that could make repairs to Teslas easier and quicker. (Grist)

TRANSMISSION:
• A new report says New York needs transmission upgrades in several areas to meet its climate goals and deliver clean energy to consumers. (Argus Media)
• Opponents of a power line through Maine say they now have one-third of the required signatures to put a referendum on the ballot that would require legislative approval for the project. (Salem News)

COMMENTARY:
• A transportation planner says Boston’s new diesel-electric hybrid buses are expensive “greenwashing” because the diesel chargers will need to run through disadvantaged neighborhoods while electricity will power the bus through a tunnel. (CommonWealth Magazine)
• An electric vehicle advocate and proponent of offshore wind say the growth of renewable energy means that EVs are likely to become cheaper to operate and more popular over the coming decade. (NJ.com)
• A Maryland state senator from the Eastern Shore says a plan to bring natural gas to the area is a win for a region that has lost economic development opportunities to other parts of the state. (Delmarvanow)

Avatar photo

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.