SOLAR: Utility opposition to community solar has been successful in part because many policymakers are unfamiliar with the concept, a recent Ohio study suggests. (Energy News Network)
ALSO:
• Northwestern Indiana officials consider incorporating consultants’ recommendations into their approval of a proposed 200 MW solar project. (Chicago Tribune)
• Groups and individuals file hundreds of comments with federal regulators opposing a proposal that would upend net metering and remove state-level control. (E&E News, subscription)
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WIND:
• Purdue University researchers and clean energy startups are developing cheaper and more environmentally friendly anchors for floating offshore wind turbines. (Energy News Network)
• Developers plan to build a single wind turbine to help power a biodiesel plant in southeastern Minnesota. (Albert Lea Tribune)
EMISSIONS: Wisconsin utilities are on track to cut carbon emissions 40% from 2005 levels by 2026, though little progress is projected after coal plants close this year, according to a draft report by state regulators. (Wisconsin State Journal)
UTILITIES:
• Indiana utility Vectren announces a long-term plan to cut its coal portfolio from 78% to 12% by 2025 and add more than 1,000 MW of wind and solar, which would save more than $300 million. (E&E News, subscription)
• Minnesota Power increases its renewable portfolio to 50% after adding Canadian hydropower, but the utility’s industry-heavy customer base makes a rapid transition complicated. (Utility Dive)
• Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announces that $90 million in federal CARES Act funding will help low-income residents with utility and other bills. (Southern Illinoisan)
CLEAN ENERGY: Michigan lost another 1,000 clean energy jobs in May due to the pandemic, placing it fourth in total clean energy job losses since mid-March, according to an analysis of federal data. (MiBiz)
COAL: The municipal utility in Springfield, Illinois, is on track to decommission its two oldest coal-fired generators by the end of the year. (NPR Illinois)
OIL & GAS:
• A pipeline leak causes more than 34,000 gallons of brine to spill in western North Dakota. (Associated Press)
• A group of economists and engineers tells the governors of Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania the region is unlikely to see the predicted job creation from building ethane cracker plants. (Observer-Reporter)
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CARBON CAPTURE: Using carbon capture at coal and natural gas plants will likely require additional public subsidies, according to a recent Columbia University report. (DeSmog)
COMMENTARY: A representative from Michigan’s forest products industry says natural gas has helped maintain electric reliability and reduce emissions after coal plant closures. (Bridge Magazine)