Illinois Solar for All ramps up

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

SOLAR

• An Illinois program created in 2017 to expand access to solar projects in low-income and disadvantaged communities ramps up as demand consistently meets funding availability. (Canary Media)

• Indoor storage facility company Public Storage plans to host 60 rooftop community solar installations totaling 44 MW of capacity across northern Illinois. (Solar Power World)

• Local leaders say a solar-powered electronics charging area with EV charging stations is expanding clean energy access in the South Side Chicago community. (CBS Chicago)

• A Wichita, Kansas, suburb considers solar installations at three government buildings before a federal tax credit that cuts the investment payoff period by about half sunsets. (Wichita Eagle)

PIPELINES

• The Michigan Supreme Court halts a key construction permit for a planned Great Lakes tunnel for Line 5, saying state regulators failed to consider the project’s full environmental impacts. (Bridge)

DATA CENTERS

• Exelon’s anticipated load from ​“high probability” data centers fell 40% from the end of last year through the second quarter as ratepayer-protection agreements weeded out speculative projects. (Utility Dive)

COAL

• Environmental groups sue an Iowa state agency for allegedly granting illegal water discharge permits for a coal plant that should have included more stringent pollution limitations. (Iowa Capital Journal)

• Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) files a federal court motion in an attempt to block the planned 2028 closure of a 2.6-GW coal plant in southwestern Indiana. (WPTA)

GRID

• A cybersecurity expert worries about the implications of a coordinated cyberattack on the power grid after more than two dozen Minnesota water utilities were hit with a recent attack. (WCCO)

UTILITIES

• Michigan Senate Democrats’ proposed Ratepayer Bill of Rights legislation would prohibit utility spending on executive perks, limit returns on infrastructure spending, and require third-party audits on capital investments. (WDIV)

• Indiana electricity prices have increased 21% since 2022, reflecting a recent national rise in power costs as state officials heighten their focus on energy affordability. (Times of Northwest Indiana)

COMMENTARY

• Minnesota is allowing gas utilities to profit from recent infrastructure investments that prolong the use of fossil fuels and slow the transition to heat pumps and electric appliances, a Rewiring America official writes. (MinnPost)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Virginia lays groundwork to combine more solar with farming — Elizabeth Ouzts

• New York takes on the myth that solar is swallowing farmland — Kathryn Krawczyk