Solar not to blame for Maine’s high electricity bills

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SOLAR

• Maine’s solar incentives are not to blame for the state’s high electricity prices, despite claims by lawmakers attempting to repeal the program and saying it puts an unfair financial strain on customers. (Canary Media)

• New York’s first grid-scale solar project, a 177 MW array generating enough electricity to power 47,000 homes, comes online. (FingerLakes1.com)

TARIFFS

• Grid operators in New York and New England lay the groundwork to collect a 10% tariff on power imported from Canada, even as they maintain the Trump-imposed charge does not apply to electricity. (Utility Dive)

EFFICIENCY

• Climate advocates object to Massachusetts regulators’ decision to cut $500 million from the state’s energy efficiency plan, saying there are better ways to lower costs for consumers without reducing environmental benefits. (Berkshire Eagle)

WIND

• A plan to build two dozen wind turbines in an upstate New York town will be one of the first to be approved at the state rather than the local level, as part of a new initiative aiming to fast-track renewable energy projects. (Syracuse.com)

• Lightning strikes the Vineyard Wind turbine that lost a blade last summer, but the incident does not create any additional debris or damage any other turbines or equipment. (MV Times)

AFFORDABILITY

• In both Connecticut and Maryland, lawmakers consider proposals intended to lower residents’ energy bills by eliminating utility bill fees that fund renewable energy investments, energy efficiency initiatives, and other programs. (Fox61, WMDT)

• As New Jersey braces for an expected leap in electricity prices this summer, lawmakers prepare for voter anger and consider extreme measures to get costs back under control. (E&E News)

CLEAN ENERGY

• State Senate leaders in Maryland push a pair of bills that would encourage more nuclear power development in the state and allow small solar projects to come online faster. (WMAR)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• New Jersey expands two incentive programs offering vouchers and loans toward the purchase of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. (NJBiz)

COMMENTARY

• Offshore wind and building decarbonization initiatives have benefits beyond the environmental, creating jobs, stabilizing power prices, tempering rising insurance rates, and making the U.S. more globally competitive, says a Rhode Island climate activist. (Boston Globe)