Plug-in solar bills surge

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.

SOLAR

• Twenty-eight states — including nine in the Northeast — are considering legislation that would authorize residents to install their own small-scale, DIY solar panels. (Canary Media)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Iberdrola says it has installed 60 of 62 turbines at its Vineyard Wind project on the Massachusetts coast, and the last two will likely be completed in a matter of days. (E&E News)

• Oil lobbyists are asking President Donald Trump to back off his attacks on offshore wind, saying his hostility could delay energy permitting reforms that would benefit fossil fuel companies. (Wall Street Journal)

AFFORDABILITY

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) plans to attempt to delay or roll back energy and emissions mandates she says would sharply increase costs for residents. (Times Union)

• Republican state legislators in New York propose using $2 billion from an existing clean energy fund to provide bill credits to consumers, and look to roll back school bus and building electrification mandates, which they claim raise costs. (Times Union)

• Wholesale natural gas prices jumped 71% in Pennsylvania last year, likely foreshadowing rising utility bills for residents. (TribLive)

DATA CENTERS

• Newly sworn-in New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill has inherited a plan to award a $250 million tax break to a planned AI data center, even as her administration grapples with how to control rising electricity prices driven by increased demand. (Inside Climate News)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Advocates and concerned residents testify against Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s plan to shift $292 million from a clean energy fund into the general budget. (Maryland Matters)

TRANSMISSION

• Increasing transmission capacity between regional grids could create substantial savings for consumers, but could be financially damaging for power plants in the Northeast and Southeast, according to a new analysis. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Pennsylvania prepares to award $100 million in grants to public EV charging projects. (WESA)

STORAGE

• A storage company proposes a new battery system in a former steam plant in Maine, as the state aims to develop 400 MW of storage capacity by 2030. (Maine Monitor)

COMMENTARY

• Though the New England grid performed admirably in last month’s cold snap, ISO New England must continue to work on capacity market reforms to ensure the system continues to perform in extreme conditions, says the executive director of a power generators trade group. (Utility Dive)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Ohio corruption trial traces tactics to prop up nuclear and coal plants — Kathiann M. Kowalski

• Chart: US to overwhelmingly build clean power in 2026 — Julian Spector

• Illinois cities move to cut ties with a massive coal plant — Kari Lydersen