Connecticut public solar program offers model

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

SOLAR

• The Connecticut Green Bank’s innovative public solar program could act as a model for other states looking to continue supporting solar development as federal tax credits expire. (Canary Media)

• The owners of more than 100 solar developments in Maine sue to block implementation of a law that imposes new fees on some projects already in operation and lowers compensation for others. (Maine Public)

• The defeat of a widely opposed solar project in Maryland raises questions about the future of solar in an area where developers are eager to build but residents are increasingly resistant. (Baltimore Sun)

OFFSHORE WIND

• The Trump administration chooses ​“not to continue to defend the indefensible” and fails to appeal a court ruling that overruled a federally ordered work stoppage and allowed construction to resume on the Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island. (CT Mirror)

• State senators in Maryland question why the state is using public resources to fight for the US Wind project in ongoing federal litigation. (CoastTV)

CLEAN ENERGY

• A new five-year energy plan from the administration of outgoing New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy maintains the goal of generating all of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2035, but reduces the emphasis on offshore wind. (New Jersey Monitor)

• Maryland state officials will award up to $7 million in grants for innovative renewable energy projects. (Baltimore Sun)

DATA CENTERS

• A proposed data center in Maine would use renewable energy and an emissions-free cooling technology, but questions remain about the scale of its environmental footprint and its impact on nearby tribal land and wildlife areas. (Inside Climate News)

AFFORDABILITY

• New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherill has vowed to freeze utility rates, but it may be a difficult promise to keep as the state’s largest utility plans to spend billions to build new power plants. (E&E News)

• Rhode Island utility regulators approve a plan to save consumers approximately $32 per month on their electric bills from January to March, but sizable rate increases for both gas and electric are on the horizon the following year. (Rhode Island Current)

GRID

• An unexpected loss of generation from a natural gas power plant required grid operator ISO New England to take action to ensure grid reliability earlier this week. (RTO Insider)

INDUSTRY

• President Donald Trump exempts Pennsylvania’s U.S. Steel and 10 other facilities that turn coal into coke for use in steelmaking from Clean Air Act regulations for two years. (The Hill)

COMMENTARY

• Ridership in the bike share program in Boston and surrounding communities more than doubled between 2020 and 2024, thanks in large part to e-bikes, demonstrating the potential of such systems to lower carbon emissions by reducing car trips, a transportation advocate says. (CommonWealth Beacon)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Small but mighty grid batteries take root in Virginia amid energy crunch — Elizabeth Ouzts

• T1 Energy is betting big on all-American solar, even under Trump — Julian Spector

• Aluminum giants hit major milestone with low-carbon production — Maria Gallucci