Connecticut agrivoltaic project divides residents

SOLAR: A developer wants to bring a 3 MW solar facility to Glastonbury, Connecticut, and use sheep to manage vegetation, a proposal raising concern from some residents but encouragement from others. (Hartford Courant)

ALSO: Scale Microgrids will purchase a 500 MW portfolio of distributed solar and storage projects across the country, including in New York. (news release)

POLICY: In her annual State of the State speech, Massachusetts’ governor proposes additional support for Boston’s transit agency and renewed investment in its climate and clean tech economies, despite questions about the state’s financial security. (Eagle Tribune)

REGULATION:

• In Washington, D.C., local officials and other stakeholders implore the district’s utility commission to block Pepco’s requested rate hike, saying it’s too expensive and doesn’t achieve the city’s distributed energy and grid modernization goals. (Utility Dive)
• Massachusetts officials renew calls to ban competitive electric supply contracts for residents, saying residents enrolled with such companies are charging massively more than the standard rate. (NBC Boston)
• Some Pennsylvania lawmakers want to expand utility ratepayer protections to include a shut-off moratorium for the summer months. (Spotlight PA)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Portsmouth, Rhode Island, will let SouthCoast Wind bury a power cable under town roads in exchange for $23.2 million in fees and taxes over roughly three decades. (Rhode Island Current)
• New Jersey’s Rutgers University wants government and private funds to help build a wind energy research center within its new climate and energy institute. (Patch)

BUILDINGS: Federal officials grant Maine’s Acadia National Park $1 million to install rooftop solar and a dozen electric vehicle charging stations at a new headquarters in Bar Harbor. (Maine Public Radio)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• New York City saw roughly 20% more fires caused by busted lithium-ion batteries last year than in 2022, despite new legal safeguards and an effort to get cheap, poorly designed batteries off the streets. (Gothamist)
• Tesla decides to no longer pursue its first western Massachusetts dealership in Chicopee, citing the length and cost of the permitting process. (Mass Live)
• Several Vermont police departments plan to make electric vehicle purchases for their fleets using a combination of tax credits and state grants. (WCAX)