NY startup wants to decarbonize buildings from the outside

BUILDINGS: A New York start-up focused on decarbonizing big buildings from the outside with insulated, HVAC-integrated panels wins a $250,000 funding prize from a state tech competition; it plans to pilot the tech at a public housing complex. (Canary Media)

ALSO: A New York City public housing complex completed in April is the nation’s largest certified passive-house building and is serving as a model for future development elsewhere. (The Guardian/​The City)

GRID:

• A PJM Interconnection committee gives its support to a proposal from the grid operator, not recommendations from stakeholders, for measuring valid energy efficiency capacity. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Between the pricey results of PJM Interconnection’s latest capacity market auction and an uncertain future for the Brandon Shores coal plant, stakeholders and ratepayer advocates say the grid operator should’ve been able to foresee and mitigate high costs. (Baltimore Banner)
• In Maryland, Baltimore County’s executive says he wants eminent domain to be the last resort for the development of a transmission project. (Fox 45)

FOSSIL FUELS: As federal investigators look to understand the cause of a gas leak and subsequent explosion at a Bel Air, Maryland, house, a reporter highlights how previous explosions have informed utility policy. (Baltimore Sun)

POLITICS: Plenty of Inflation Reduction Act funds are being spent in Pennsylvania, a political swing state, but it’s yet to be seen whether voters know where the money is coming from and if it will benefit Democrats in the presidential election. (Politico)

WORKFORCE: Demand for heat pump installation and repair in Maine is exceeding the capacity of technician training programs. (Portland Press Herald)

SOLAR:

• A New Hampshire hardware store receives a $56,000 federal grant to install enough rooftop solar to completely offset the company’s energy needs, saving roughly $10,000 every year. (Valley News)
• A New York-based solar company purchases two solar farms in western new York totaling 13 MW, one on the site of a former steel plant and the other at a former petroleum refinery. (WGRZ)

TRANSIT: Some senior advocates say Maine housing policy needs a revamp to encourage senior housing to be built near public transit lines. (Bangor Daily News)

COMMENTARY:

• A New Hampshire columnist writes that although heat pumps have some minor drawbacks, they’re a better option than the status quo for many homes. (Concord Monitor)
• Notching a victory in the slated closure of a coal plant, a New Hampshire activist writes about plans for a new campaign calling for the closure of four fossil fuel peaker plants in the state. (In-Depth NH)