Philadelphia may become center of clean energy universe, governor touts

HYDROGEN: Pennsylvania’s governor says that a new hydrogen hub in the Philadelphia area powered by nuclear and renewable energy could make the city and its suburbs ​“the center of the clean energy universe” and create 20,000 union jobs. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• New York City will end a cap on new licenses for drivers of for-hire vehicles this week, but only for fully electric cars — a policy change some say undercuts the city’s upcoming congestion pricing program. (Gothamist)
• New Hampshire officials want bids from companies to build and maintain electric vehicle fast-chargers along several major roads as the state looks to catch up to its New England neighbors’ infrastructure deployment rates. (Granite Geek)
• Massachusetts begins a database of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries to track the history and manufacturing information from impacted batteries and vehicles. (Boston Herald)

WIND:

• A Vermont trail club asks state regulators to examine if the 500-foot turbines for a proposed 2.2 MW wind farm in Stamford would impede views from the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail. (Bennington Banner)
• Officials in Somerset, Massachusetts, mull a $20 million tax break for a planned subsea transmission cable manufacturing facility to service the offshore wind industry. (CommonWealth Magazine)

FOSSIL FUELS: An oil spill in a creek near Pennsylvania’s capital city forces a water treatment plant to stop work, causing the local water utility to ask residents to reduce water consumption. (Sentinel)

SOLAR:

• Cambria, New York, appeals the siting permit issued by the state to a 100 MW solar farm arguing it should have been granted party status during the process. (Niagara Gazette)
• In New Castle, Pennsylvania, debate divides local farmers and township supervisors as to whether a local ordinance goes too far to restrict whether farmers can use their land for solar development. (New Castle News)

GRID: Federal energy officials grant $30 million to Central Maine Power to reduce power outages and strengthen its grid with 300 new sensors. (Portland Press Herald)

BUILDINGS: In Pittsburgh, a vacant building will be converted into a community development organization’s new operations center, repurposing the existing structure and installing a solar array and electric vehicle charger to earn a zero-energy certification. (Next Pittsburgh)

WORKFORCE: In Buffalo, New York, a nonprofit opens a clean energy workforce training center focused on technology and construction skills to serve low-income and minority residents. (Buffalo News)