New Hampshire close to community solar breakthrough

SOLAR: A New Hampshire program using community solar to benefit low-income residents is coming close to fruition some seven years since regulators first approved the idea. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: As solar farms proliferate in western Pennsylvania, tension is rising between developers, municipal leaders, and community members who fear the projects will hurt the area’s natural beauty and diminish property values. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, subscription)

HEATING:

• Vermont’s public utilities commission proposes a tax on heating fuels as an alternative to the clean heat standard it was charged with designing, the latest move in what has been a politically charged process. (VTDigger)
• The number of Maine homes heating with oil dropped by 6% last year, a decline Gov. Janet Mills attributes to the state’s success in getting more than 100,000 homes to switch to heat pumps. (Maine Public)

STORAGE: A new battery storage facility in Massachusetts will make it feasible for two local high schools to electrify their heating systems and invest in solar panels. (Canary Media)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• New Jersey launches a free technical assistance program to help businesses, municipalities, and nonprofits create plans to electrify their vehicle fleets. (news release)
• An aviation company plans to offer electric helicopter flights from downtown Manhattan to JFK Airport as soon as it receives federal approval. (Gothamist)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Connecticut officials agree the recent $310 million investment in an offshore wind terminal in New London was the right call, despite the governor’s decision not to sign on to a recent wind contract. (The Day, subscription)
• The blade that fell off a wind turbine off Martha’s Vineyard this summer might have dampened support for offshore wind among residents of nearby Rhode Island, recent polling suggests. (Rhode Island Current)
• As Maine aims to be the U.S. leader in floating wind turbines, a delegation from the state will visit Norway and Denmark to tour floating turbines and learn more about balancing the wind and fishing industries. (Bangor Daily News)
• As protesters target a proposed offshore wind power cable in New Jersey, experts say their objections are based on a misunderstanding of how the project will be built. (Asbury Park Press)

TRANSPORTATION: A proposed $8 billion rail tunnel connecting Boston’s two train terminals could finally make it possible for trains to travel from Maine to New York and beyond, while also boosting the economy and cutting carbon emissions. (Portland Press Herald)

EDUCATION: A $4.67 million federal grant will allow a New Hampshire state university to install rooftop solar and construct a renewable energy lab to give students hands-on opportunities to learn about sustainable energy technology. (NH Business Review)

COMMENTARY:

• Lawmakers must preserve new building efficiency standards in Maryland that would mean lower carbon emissions, cleaner air, and lower utility bills for residents, says an area architect. (Maryland Matters)
• Developing robust bike lane infrastructure in Boston would help make transportation safer, more equitable, and less carbon-intensive, says a cycling activist. (CommonWealth Beacon)