UTILITIES: Minnesota consumer advocates say Xcel Energy’s proposed time-of-use pricing is too aggressive, with a pilot program proving to be expensive for customers without achieving a goal of reducing peak demand. (Star Tribune)
HYDROGEN: Powering a proposed green steel making plant in Ohio with clean hydrogen would require doubling the amount of wind and solar in the state, analysts say. (Canary Media)
ELECTRIFICATION: Critics say DTE Energy’s plan to expand natural gas service in northern Michigan ignores the climate benefits of moving customers from propane to electrification. (Grist/Interlochen Public Radio)
CARBON CAPTURE:
- Seven Iowa counties in a brief to state regulators argue that a carbon pipeline permit should be denied because it wouldn’t benefit the public. (KCAU)
- Illinois lawmakers are on a tight timeline to pass new carbon capture and storage regulations before a scheduled adjournment at the end of this week. (States Newsroom)
EFFICIENCY: Ohio regulators last week rejected most of an energy efficiency proposal by FirstEnergy, but said in their ruling that a 2019 law doesn’t necessarily prohibit such programs. (Energy News Network)
OIL & GAS: Ohio officials have initiated plans to test well water for potential contamination after finding toxic fracking waste from four injection wells may have spread underground. (Athens Post)
WIND:
- A tornado toppled several 250-foot wind turbines in Iowa Tuesday despite their being built to withstand hurricane-force winds. (Associated Press)
- Alliant Energy plans to add 150 MW to a Minnesota wind farm that would bring the project’s total capacity to 351 MW. (Renewables Now)
CLIMATE: The Minnesota State Investment Board passes a resolution to consider the long-term risks of climate change to pension investments as part of the state’s investment strategy. (Star Tribune)
SOLAR: An Iowa college connects to a 4 MW solar project that will meet about one-third of the campus’ total power needs. (Southeast Iowa Union)
CLEAN ENERGY: Michigan has now spent more than $1 billion on land acquisition and preparation to attract advanced manufacturing projects involving clean energy, electric vehicles and other industries. (Bridge)
COMMENTARY:
- The ongoing operation of Line 5 poses a catastrophic risk to the Great Lakes, while shutting it down would have minimal economic impacts, a Michigan fisheries and wildlife expert says. (Bridge)
- Ohio is systematically blocking clean energy progress as leaders cling to fossil fuel industries, a retired research chemist writes. (Ohio Capital Journal)
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