Massachusetts’ grid upgrade funding leaves some solar projects waiting

GRID: Massachusetts utility officials consider several proposals to spread out the cost of substation upgrades, but no solar projects larger than 15 kW can move forward in one part of the state until they decide. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: PJM Interconnection’s market monitor and a Maryland consumer advocate don’t want federal energy regulators to approve a $263 million compensation settlement for a coal-fired generator due to a reliability contract. (RTO Insider, subscription)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Federal officials propose eight separate leases in the Gulf of Maine for offshore wind auctions that could result in 15 GW of new capacity. (ReNew Biz, New Hampshire Bulletin)
• A panel of Northeast government officials and offshore wind industry representatives convenes at a recent conference to discuss how to improve the sector’s future. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• New Jersey kicks off its fourth offshore wind project proposal solicitation, even though the industry has been pummeled with problems and residential opposition persists. (Associated Press, Asbury Park Press)

• The developer of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal says construction, which will turn the site into an offshore wind hub, should wrap up by the end of 2026. (Brooklyn Paper)
• The Vineyard Offshore development firm plans to construct a new wind farm operations and maintenance facility in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a facility they say would create 50 jobs. (ABC 6)

SOLAR:

• Philadelphia’s municipal buildings are now operating on 30% renewable power following the completion of the 70 MW Adams Solar Project. (news release)
• An energy developer attempts to assuage the concerns of Harrison, Connecticut, residents over plans to clear-cut 15 acres of wooded wetlands to install a solar array. (News 12 Connecticut)
• An energy developer strikes a deal to sell the power from a 1.4 MW portfolio of solar facilities it will design, own and operate to the University of Maryland’s Baltimore campus. (news release)
• A New England discount retailer intends to quintuple the number of solar panels installed at over a dozen locations across Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island by 2025. (PBN)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Tesla is reportedly laying off all of its 500 supercharger employees at its Buffalo, New York, factory. (The Information, Buffalo News)
• In New Jersey, observers of electric vehicle trends say that although the state has already exceeded a 2025 charger goal, the state needs to add far more to reduce potential buyers’ range anxiety. (Gothamist)
• Retailers in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County are seeing higher interest in electric lawn equipment. (WITF)

FINANCE:

• The Massachusetts Community Climate Bank begins offering a consumer loan option to help homeowners decarbonize their homes, but only if those projects slash total energy demand by at least 20%. (Statehouse News Service)
• New York City adopts a science-minded climate strategy already used in several major Asian and European cities to guide its budget spending decisions. (SI Advance)
• At a Boston business event, Massachusetts’ governor talks up the $1.3 billion her administration plans to spend on climate tech investments over the next decade. (Boston Globe)