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A dead end for third party-owned solar in Wisconsin

By Andy Balaskovitz

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SOLAR: Clean energy advocates’ effort to get a court ruling in favor of third party-owned solar projects in Wisconsin hits a dead end after a case challenging the policy is declared moot. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: An Iowa school district considers a solar installation that developers say could deliver roughly $2.3 million in energy savings over the 30-year life of the project. (Daily Gate City)

RENEWABLES: Wisconsin Republicans reintroduce legislation that would give more local siting control over wind and solar projects, which critics say would allow a vocal minority to effectively kill projects and create development uncertainty. (Wisconsin Watch)

EFFICIENCY: Ohio energy efficiency contractors are wary about new rebate funding amid a widespread worker shortage and a history of similar programs being ramped up and abruptly ended. (Inside Climate News)

NUCLEAR:

  • Minnesota GOP lawmakers introduce legislation to lift the state’s 31-year-old moratorium on new nuclear plants, arguing that new plants are necessary to meet growing power demand. (Star Tribune)
  • The owner of a shuttered Iowa nuclear plant files a request with federal regulators to potentially reopen the plant by the end of 2028 to meet growing demand from data centers. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

PIPELINES: South Dakota House lawmakers advance legislation that would prohibit the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines. (South Dakota Searchlight)

OHIO: A conservative advocacy group says ending subsidies for clean energy is among its top policy priorities as the Ohio General Assembly prepares to start a new term. (Ohio Capital Journal)

POLITICS: Federal prosecutors say a wiretapped recording of ComEd’s former CEO shows how the utility benefited from favorable legislation in exchange for offering jobs to a former state House speaker’s associates. (Chicago Tribune)

COAL:

  • A Missouri couple files a lawsuit claiming coal ash storage from a nearby power plant has exposed the community to toxic contamination for decades. (KCTV)
  • North Dakota’s coal industry is likely to benefit from President Trump’s declaration of a national ​“energy emergency,” industry groups say. (KFYR)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Michigan clean energy advocates worry President Trump’s executive orders will derail progress on electric vehicle manufacturing and cause U.S. automakers to lose ground to Chinese companies. (MLive, subscription)

CLEAN ENERGY: The Spirit Lake Tribe in North Dakota receives a $7.3 million federal grant for various clean energy projects, including solar installations and energy efficiency rebates. (KXNET)

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