Some Connecticut Democrats worry state is moving too fast on solar

CLEAN ENERGY: Some Connecticut lawmakers say the state’s siting council is giving too much deference to developers of energy projects, including solar arrays and transmission lines. (CT Post)

ALSO: New York Republicans introduce a package of bills that would delay the state’s climate targets by ten years, but also provide incentives for solar power. (Finger Lakes 1)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• GE Vernova reports another blade failure on one of its Haliade-X turbines in England — the same design as a Vineyard Wind turbine that failed in July — but the company is still prohibited from installing more blades at the project. (CommonWealth Beacon)
• Anti-wind protesters claim without evidence that the broken Vineyard turbine blade added to ​“the plight of the right whale,” an endangered species most at risk from vessel strikes and climate change. (Nantucket Current, Energy News Network archive)
• A Delaware beach community votes to join Ocean City, Maryland, in its threat to sue a federal agency over its environmental review of the Maryland Offshore Wind Project, which has not yet been completed. (Coast TV)

WIND:

• A Maine agency will study the viability of small-scale wind turbines, which could help supplement low production from solar panels in winter. (Portland Press Herald)
• Construction has begun on a 114 MW wind farm in western Pennsylvania. (Renewables Now)

UTILITIES: Connecticut Republicans want to use a state surplus to provide relief from high utility bills, but it would require a change to spending rules that the party has previously resisted. (Connecticut Mirror)

SOLAR:

• New Hampshire regulators are holding hearings this week on proposed changes to the state’s net metering policy. (Sentinel Source)
• Philadelphia school officials say the state’s new Solar for Schools program will create a new income stream that will help them pay for needed renovations on buildings. (WHYY)
• New Maine rules will help farmers install solar on otherwise unusable land contaminated by PFAS chemicals. (News Center Maine)
• Developers complete a 9.4 MW solar array on a former golf course in Rhode Island. (Solar Industry)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Maine company specializes in converting commercial work boats to run on electric power, anticipating the switch will be a ​“no-brainer” for fishermen as battery costs drop. (MaineBiz)

NATURAL GAS: Connecticut regulators fine a gas utility $100,000 for safety violations in decommissioning abandoned service lines. (Hartford Courant)

NUCLEAR: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is interested in whether nuclear power, with the help of federal funding, could help the state meet its climate targets. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)

BUILDINGS: A pair of Maine hospitals are working to reduce their climate impact, including ending use of an anesthetic gas that emits a large amount of carbon dioxide. (Sun Journal)