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Rural co-ops set for clean energy boost

By Andy Balaskovitz

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CLEAN ENERGY: President Biden is set to announce $7.3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act clean energy financing for rural co-ops today, including $573 million for a Wisconsin electric co-op. (Wisconsin Examiner)

ALSO: An Indiana co-op will use the funding to buy renewable energy as well as power from a shuttered Michigan nuclear plant planned to come back online. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

GRID: Investor-owned utilities in deregulated states like Illinois and Ohio say they could help bring new generation online to ensure adequate supplies in PJM’s territory following a recent spike in capacity prices. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR:

  • A Minnesota solar project with pollinator-friendly habitat is part of a growing effort to use solar not just to fight climate change but also prevent a collapse in biodiversity. (New York Times)
  • Iowa State University researchers say an agrivoltaics pilot project with Alliant Energy is demonstrating that certain crops can be grown at a commercial scale beneath solar panels. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
  • A Michigan solar project that’s among the first to use a new state program providing direct payments to communities instead of taxes secures a power purchase agreement with an in-state energy company. (Solar Industry)
  • A Wisconsin car dealership plans to offset more than 50% of its power usage with rooftop solar at multiple buildings. (Solar Power World)

PIPELINES: The Sierra Club asks Iowa regulators to dismiss permit requests for Summit Carbon Solutions’ carbon pipeline expansion, claiming the company acquired land easements too early. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

BATTERIES: A German automotive company plans a $105 million battery components production plant in western Michigan that will supply Ford electric transit vans. (WOOD-TV8)

BIOGAS: A water conservation group sues an Iowa county for allegedly failing to allow enough public input before approving a rezoning for a renewable natural gas plant. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

UTILITIES: Ohio FirstEnergy customers can expect higher electric bills next year as the utility seeks higher charges but multiple cases tied to the utility’s corruption scandal remain unresolved. (Energy News Network)

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