New England’s utility fight

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.

UTILITIES

• A battle between FERC and New England power utilities remains ongoing after the regulators found the utilities’ authorized profits were too high and ordered them to refund more than $1.5 billion to customers. (Maine Monitor)

• Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro files a petition with the state Public Utility Commission to intervene in a challenge against PPL Electric Utilities’ rate structure, saying it currently doesn’t protect customers from data center-induced rate hikes and outages. (Times Leader)

SOLAR

• Connecticut has so far built at least 29 solar arrays on top of closed landfills, and state officials say they plan to keep utilizing undesirable land for clean energy development. (Hartford Courant)

• Rutgers University’s off-campus research farm is testing how different crops perform alongside solar panels. (Rutgers University)

• Chatham, New Jersey, officials approve $4.2 million in bond ordinances for a plan to build solar installations at three municipal facilities, include a floating system at a water treatment plant. (Chatham Courier)

• Madison, New Jersey, public schools decide against installing solar panels to reduce power bills after a monthslong study. (Madison Eagle)

WIND

• The floating offshore wind industry, which has its U.S. roots in Maine, continues to push forward on research despite federal and financial challenges. (Inside Climate News)

NUCLEAR

• A Trump administration official says the Pittsburgh area will play a big role in the federal government’s planned nuclear power buildout. (Pittsburgh Business Times)

DATA CENTERS

• A poll finds 72% of New Jersey adults oppose construction of a data center in their town or city. (New Jersey Globe)