Articles

Heat pumps

Chart: Which states have the most heat pumps?

More than 17 million U.S. homes have central heat pumps. Most of them are in states you might not expect.

By Maria Virginia Olano . 12 August 2022
ENN

After legal win, Lake Erie offshore wind project backers look to reboot progress

Ohio’s highest court finally approved the permit for LEEDCo’s Icebreaker project, but delays now require major regrouping.

By Kathiann M. Kowalski . 12 August 2022
Fun stuff

The AI-generated solar-panel paintings you wish were real

DALL-E and other AI tools make a mind meld of cleantech and great art.

By Mike Munsell . 12 August 2022
ENN

Expansion of electric vehicle grid hits roadblocks in rural Washington

A new statewide plan would use federal dollars to build chargers every 50 miles, upgrading rural utilities and combating range anxiety.

By Lizz Giordano . 11 August 2022
ENN

More Midwest banks see opportunity to finance solar, energy efficiency projects

A digital subsidiary of an Iowa community bank is among the latest to start competing with national lenders to finance solar installations. Advocates hope the trend creates more options, trust and comfort for borrowers.

By Frank Jossi . 11 August 2022
Batteries

This utility keeps customers cool during heat waves while saving them money

Vermont’s Green Mountain Power helped thousands of customers get home batteries. Now it taps them at peak times to prevent high costs and grid outages.

By Julian Spector . 11 August 2022
ENN

A $440 utility deposit almost kept her from finding a home

Oklahoma regulators allow utilities to charge hefty deposits for people with poor credit or a history of late payments. Some say such policies punish the poor.

By Kayla Branch . 10 August 2022
Guest essay

America's heat-pump market has a sugar-crash problem

Incentive programs for heat pumps offer big consumer rebates that cause demand to spike, then they run out of money and cause demand to plummet. Here’s a fix.

By Nate Kinsey . 9 August 2022
ENN

Eye on Utilities: Finger pointing and a tug-of-war

Filing raises new questions about when FirstEnergy executives knew about $4.3 million payment.

By Kathiann M. Kowalski . 9 August 2022
ENN

Study provides deeper insights on the health impacts of utility shutoffs

“Energy insecurity is a health issue,” concludes one researcher after interviews with nearly two dozen Connecticut residents.

By Lisa Prevost . 9 August 2022