UTILITIES: Ohio electric cooperatives seek a share of federal Inflation Reduction Act funding that would reduce their exposure to coal and cut costs for renewables and storage while reducing emissions. (Energy News Network)
TRANSPORTATION: Executives from multiple companies, including Xcel Energy and Delta, announce a partnership to create a sustainable aviation fuel hub at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. (WCCO)
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SOLAR:
• Michigan’s Upper Peninsula provides researchers an ideal location to study the effect of snow and harsh winters on solar tracking systems. (Upword)
• Researchers at Valparaiso University in Indiana are partnering with a tech firm on a concentrated solar project that aims to more efficiently produce solar power. (Times of Northwest Indiana)
• An Illinois county board approves plans for two community solar projects totaling nearly 7 MW, but will require the developer to survey whether any endangered snakes are on the site. (Chicago Tribune)
• A Singapore-based solar panel manufacturer announces plans to establish a U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in downtown Indianapolis. (WISH)
• The League of Women Voters is working to build support for commercial solar projects in an Indiana county considering new zoning restrictions. (Star Press)
RENEWABLES: An Illinois county continues work on wind and solar siting rules that can’t be stricter than state regulations based on a recent state law. (WEEK)
CLIMATE:
• Record-breaking wildfire seasons are contributing to poorer air quality in Minnesota and other states and erasing gains in median life spans. (Minnesota Reformer)
• Experts say the increasing severity of weather events, including seven tornados that touched down in Michigan last week, shows that the effects of climate change are becoming more noticeable. (MLive)
PIPELINES: Residents speaking at a public meeting support a western Illinois county’s plan to join lawsuits hoping to block carbon pipeline developments. (Journal-Pilot)
HYDROELECTRIC: Consumers Energy operates a fleet of 13 hydroelectric dams in Michigan at a $152 million annual loss, and relicensing them would cost $1.4 billion, according to a new study. (Fox 17)
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GRID: Xcel Energy plans to install more than 260,000 smart meters in Wisconsin over the next three years. (WKBT)
COMMENTARY:
• Minnesota consumer advocates say state regulators were right to only slightly increase Xcel Energy’s profitability, challenging utility claims and noting that its earnings have actually increased in Minnesota. (Star Tribune)
• An Ohio State University professor emeritus says a state bill requiring college professors to teach “both sides” of controversial issues like climate change would muzzle free speech on campuses. (Ohio Capital Journal)
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