COAL: A recent study ranks Xcel Energy third in the U.S. for costs associated with dispatching uneconomic coal plants in 2018, though the utility disputes the findings. (Star Tribune)

ALSO:
• The demolition of a retired coal plant in Chicago is planned to resume this week after an earlier attempt to demolish a smokestack blanketed the Little Village community in dust. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• Alliant Energy’s plan to close a coal plant in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 2022 is part of a broader shift to renewable energy by the company and state. (Wisconsin Examiner)
• Coal production in the Illinois Basin is expected to decline by up to 30% to meet this year’s demand. (S&P Global)

***SPONSORED LINK: Applications are now open for the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, a yearlong program for high-performing, high-potential military veterans in advanced energy, presented by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org/fellowship.***

NUCLEAR: A pilot project at the Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio will test the feasibility of using the power to produce hydrogen on site, which could benefit the plant and the region’s growing fuel cell industry. (Energy News Network)

EMISSIONS:
• The owners of a Kansas oil refinery agree to pay a $4 million fine for violating federal clean air regulations and will upgrade the plant to reduce emissions. (Associated Press)
• Vehicle emissions testing resumes today in Illinois after delays due to the pandemic. (Associated Press)
• Two southwestern Indiana environmental groups receive a $191,000 grant to monitor air quality in the region as part of a settlement involving AEP and the U.S. EPA. (Evansville Courier & Press)

SOLAR:
• A University of Michigan graduate oversaw the design of the solar panels used on the SpaceX shuttle that launched this weekend. (Midland Daily News)
• Local planners in northwestern Michigan want more details about a planned 9 MW solar project. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
• A hearing in a lawsuit brought against an Indiana solar project is delayed until July. (Anderson Herald Bulletin)

***SPONSORED LINK: Do you know someone who works hard to facilitate the transition to a clean energy economy? Nominate yourself or someone you know for Energy News Network’s 40 Under 40 today.*** 

GRID: Time is running short for states like Illinois that are considering leaving the PJM capacity market. (E&E News, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• An Ohio editorial board says the state’s Power Siting Board should rethink its decision for the Icebreaker offshore wind project in Lake Erie that includes restrictions that could kill the project. (Cleveland.com)
• Wind energy “provides a huge private stimulus opportunity for rural recovery” following the pandemic, an Illinois clean energy advocate says. (Bloomington Pantagraph)
• The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and other universities are drafting carbon neutrality plans that rely too heavily on carbon offsets, writes UIUC graduate Jigar Shah and a current engineering student. (Utility Dive)
• Clean energy advocates say Ohio has an opportunity to become a market leader in the battery materials supply chain. (Natural Resources Defense Council)