Rooftop solar more expensive than clearing trees in Massachusetts

SOLAR: Massachusetts solar developers routinely clear trees and green spaces for commercial projects because it’s cheaper than building on open rooftops, a habit clean energy advocates hope to break with newly proposed incentives. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:
• Recent flooding in Vermont has delayed work on an enhanced energy plan that would better describe local solar siting preferences and potentially answer questions from solar-skeptical Rutland residents. (Rutland Herald)
• A Connecticut-based developer announces the completion of a 10 MW solar/​15 MWh battery storage system in a town between Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Tesla wants to install what would be its largest Level-3 charging station in New England at a Canton, Massachusetts, brewery, which would also host a series of solar carports. (Boston.com)
• Burlington, Vermont’s electric utility installs its first public fast charger, which the city hopes will convince more people to transition to electric vehicles. (WCAX)

PIPELINES: As a small Massachusetts community faces criticism for quietly connecting to natural gas lines, officials say they had to do it to attract businesses. (Boston Globe)

OFFSHORE WIND:
• Financial issues impacting offshore wind development along the Northeast jeopardize the president’s clean energy goals. (Politico)
• Ocean City, New Jersey, leaders begin installing anti-wind signs along the boardwalk to convince tourists to join their cause against Ocean Wind 1. (OCNJ Daily)

BUILDINGS:
• Some New York City public housing units will have gas stoves swapped for induction models as part of a pilot to identify a manufacturer who can make an efficient stove that doesn’t need electrical upgrades. (Gothamist)
• Maryland issues $4 million in grants to upgrade almost 300 homes to a condition where energy efficiency retrofits can be completed. (news release)

HYDROPOWER: In Maine, a Calais dam removal project promises to open an upstream passage for several sea-run fish, while some advocates want the federal relicensing process for five Millinocket dams to force positive changes for a struggling eel. (Maine Monitor)

GRID:
• New York’s grid operator answers stakeholder questions regarding its recent announcement regarding grid reliability deficiencies by 2025. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Vineyard Wind completes what it calls the ​“single heaviest lift” of its 800 MW offshore wind farm: installing an electrical service platform, or offshore substation. (news release)

CLIMATE:
• Although it’s still too challenging to evaluate Vermont’s waterways, recent floods are suspected to have decimated populations and habitats of various riparian and aquatic creatures. (VTDigger)
• Horticulturalists at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden navigate around numerous issues exacerbated by climate change, like wildfire smoke and extremely hot, lengthy periods. (Brooklyn Eagle)