States scramble to develop renewables before tax credits expire

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RENEWABLES

• Maine and other states are scrambling to get as much wind and solar under development as possible before federal tax credits disappear. (Canary Media)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Two people died and 10 were injured in an explosion at a U.S. Steel plant in Pennsylvania that converts coal into coke for steel-making. (Associated Press)

• Some 4,000 people in the greater Baltimore area lose power after a disruption at a coal-burning power plant, just days after the facility received a federal waiver to exceed pollution limits so it could keep providing enough power to the grid. (WBFF)

• A project upgrading natural gas pipelines in Pennsylvania and Virginia is working its way through the federal approval process. (ABC27)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Danish wind developer Ørsted offers shareholders a chance to buy more shares in the company in an attempt to raise funds to keep going as it finishes construction on the Sunrise Wind project off New York. (E&E News)

• Nantucket officials agree to extend the deadline for Vineyard Wind to respond to the town’s list of 15 demands for better communication, emergency response planning, and lighting systems. (Nantucket Current)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• New York-based Revel will end its EV ride share service to focus on nearly tripling its network of public charging stations by the end of next year. (New York Times)

• Massachusetts announces it is allocating $46 million for the expansion of EV charging infrastructure, with particular focus on the central and western parts of the state and stations for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. (news release)

• A Massachusetts company unveils a prototype solar-powered boat it plans to market for use as a water taxi. (MassLive)

DATA CENTERS

• Facing predictions that electricity demand will grow 32 GW by 2030, grid operator PJM fast-tracks plans to develop rules for connecting data centers and other large loads to the grid while still ensuring the region has enough power. (Utility Dive)

CRYPTO

• A new state law in New Hampshire, part of Republican-backed effort to make the state more appealing to the cryptocurrency industry, allows off-grid power generation to connect directly to specific buyers. (NHPR)

EMISSIONS

• A University of Maine professor develops an app that allows users to visualize the energy and water consumption needed to power different AI tasks, from a basic Google search to image generation. (Bangor Daily News)

TRANSMISSION

• Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal asks federal regulators to increase their scrutiny of utility transmission projects in the face of soaring electricity prices in Connecticut and elsewhere. (New Haven Register)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Trump admin reopens $5B EV charging program after losses in court — Jeff St. John

• States look to unleash wind and solar boom while tax credits still exist — Maria Gallucci

• Trump’s push to mine deep-sea battery metals draws ire from allies — Clare Fieseler

• NYC utility tests portable home batteries to dull AC’s impact on the grid — Samantha Maldonado, THE CITY