More shakeups in offshore wind

OFFSHORE WIND: RWE and a National Grid subsidiary jointly propose a 1.3 GW offshore wind project, dubbed Community Offshore Wind, as part of New York’s fourth solicitation. (news release)

ALSO:

• Ørsted says it will cancel its power procurement agreement with Maryland for the 966 MW Skipjack Wind project but continue the permitting process, claiming the current deal isn’t economically viable. (Offshore Wind Biz, Maryland Matters, Bloomberg)
• BP and Equinor agree to swap ownership of their shared offshore wind projects, with BP taking full ownership of Beacon Wind 1 and 2 and Equinor doing the same for Empire 1 and 2. (Offshore Wind Biz)
• Two federal agencies publish final plans to protect a critically endangered whale species amid East Coast offshore wind development, a strategy that includes artificial intelligence and passive acoustic monitoring. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:

• Rhode Island zoning officials deny a special use permit for a proposed 19 MW solar project slated for a residential Johnston neighborhood, surprising opponents; the developer’s lawyer intends to appeal. (Providence Journal, Boston Globe)
• The developers of a 5 MW solar project in Embden, Maine, may be hit with a nearly $150,000 fine for failing to control construction site erosion. (Maine Monitor)
• In New Hampshire, a group of North Country residents work to persuade other homeowners and businesses to join a discounted bulk purchase of solar installations. (NHPR)
• Rhode Island begins offering a new program to help lower-income residents pay to lease solar panels. (Providence Journal, WPRI)

BUILDINGS: National Grid picks a Boston public housing complex, the Dorchester neighborhood’s Franklin Fields Apartments, for the city’s first networked geothermal heating system. (Mass Live)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Connecticut’s House Speaker says legislators won’t open a special legislative session on an eventual ban on new gas-powered vehicles, instead leaving the matter for the regular session. (CT Mirror)
• In New York, Long Island exceeds 51,000 electric vehicle purchases, a milestone that one nonprofit says makes sense given the density of the area and the number of single-family homes. (Newsday)

CLEAN POWER: Just under $4 million in federal agriculture grants will go toward developing clean energy projects in Vermont, including a solar array at a Bellows Falls manufacturing center that will offset most of the facility’s energy needs. (Vermont Public)

UTILITIES: National Grid’s New York division names a new president: the utility’s current executive vice president of network operations. (Buffalo News)

CLIMATE: Connecticut farmers consider new technologies and business practices to turn a profit despite unpredictable weather, including air movers to push warm air onto crops and agritourism ventures. (NHPR)