Record-setting solar

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

• Solar hits a new hourly generation record in New York, meeting about 29% of the state’s electricity demand around noon on June 3, mostly thanks to behind-the-meter systems. (Utility Dive)

FOSSIL FUELS

• President Donald Trump accuses New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) of reneging on an alleged deal to support a proposed natural gas pipeline in exchange for the end of a stop-work order on Empire Wind. (E&E News)
• Maryland’s last remaining coal power plant is likely to receive federal approval to delay its closing date from 2029 until 2031. (Maryland Matters)

ELECTIONS

• The Republican candidate for governor of Pennsylvania says she would reverse a state ban on new fracking sites in order to ​“unleash” the state’s natural gas industry. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
• In some primary races, candidates for the New York State Legislature attack incumbents for their vote to weaken state climate mandates: ​“There ought to be a real political price for gutting the climate law.” (E&E News)

ENERGY POLICY

• The Rhode Island legislature passes a budget that removes Democratic Gov. Dan McKee’s proposed cap on energy-efficiency spending and maintains the state’s timeline for reaching 100% renewable energy. (Canary Media)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Rhode Island regulators approve a permit allowing SouthCoast Wind to run power lines through the state, though the project’s fate is uncertain in the face of economic challenges and hostility from the Trump administration. (Rhode Island Current)

NUCLEAR

• Holtec considers eventually building four small modular reactors totaling nearly 1.3 GW at its shuttered Oyster Creek nuclear station in New Jersey. (Asbury Park Press)

GEOTHERMAL

• A coalition of nonprofits plans to launch a network of training centers to address a shortage of qualified geothermal drillers, starting with a program in Massachusetts. (Canary Media)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Maryland will require the owners of public EV charging stations to pay a fee of $75 per port to fund state inspections of the equipment. (Maryland Matters)

AFFORDABILITY

• Advocates in Pennsylvania urge state legislators to take action to lower utility bills by requiring data centers to supply their own power, reducing utility profits, and speeding the connection of new renewable energy projects to the grid. (Inside Climate News)

GRID

• FERC approves PJM Interconnection’s proposal to fast-track interconnection requests for certain large power plants, rejecting concerns from energy company Vistra, state regulators, and others. (Utility Dive)

BUILDINGS

• Entech says AI software rolled out a year ago has slashed emissions across 401 New York City apartment buildings by nearly 25% and saved property owners over $5 million in total by helping boilers run more efficiently. (Heatmap)