Massachusetts solar incentive program to ​‘adapt with the times’

SOLAR: Massachusetts officials, advocates, and businesses are hoping proposed changes to the state’s solar incentive program will help reinvigorate a flagging market and give more disadvantaged residents access to the benefits of renewable energy. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:

• Maine utility regulators decide to allow solar projects on farmland that has been contaminated with a class of persistent chemicals linked to birth defects and cancer, helping farmers make money off otherwise unusable acreage. (Portland Press Herald)
• In New York, an energy developer moves forward with plans to build 10 projects generating a collective 60 MW of community solar by selecting its construction team. (news release)
• Misleading social media advertisements are promising much more generous solar incentives than are available in Maine. (Bangor Daily News)

COURTS: A Connecticut court decides not to dismiss the state’s climate lawsuit against oil and gas majors, delivering a win for climate advocates just a week after a Maryland court rejected a similar case. (E&E News, subscription)

WIND:

• GE Vernova tells investors that a seemingly isolated manufacturing defect is to blame for the Vineyard Wind blade failure; the company’s wind power unit still operates at a loss but could be profitable in 2025. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Some lawmakers in New York’s Chautauqua and Erie counties join calls to prevent wind turbines from being installed on Lake Erie. (WGRZ)

GRID:

• Federal energy officials grant $354 million for 16 economic development projects in numerous small towns where new or expanded transmission projects are planned, like coastal New Jersey communities where offshore wind cables will come ashore. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• New York will use over $6.5 million from federal energy officials to pay for roughly half of the cost of installing two so-called ​“fire-safe” long-duration energy storage pilot projects in two different areas of the state. (news release)

FOSSIL FUELS: Loopholes in Pennsylvania law allow fracking companies to still dispose of their wastewater along roadways — risking environmental and human health — even though the practice was banned over seven years ago. (Grist)

POLICY:

• Two top Vermont officials issue a request for information for expert advice on which fossil fuel companies should compensate the state for climate-related losses. (news release)
• U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is coming to Maine today and tomorrow to reportedly make funding pledges for clean energy and forestry works in the state. (Bangor Daily News)

BUILDINGS:

• Over 600 New York City-owned buildings, like schools and hospitals, are promising to cut energy use by a collective 122 MW as part of a municipal demand response program. (Utility Dive)
• A new housing development in New York’s Catskill Mountains is designed to completely avoid fossil fuel use and maximize energy efficiency. (Yale Climate Connections)

COMMENTARY: A New Jersey climate advocate writes about how school districts in the state can save money on energy costs by installing solar on their buildings and parking lots. (Madison Eagle)