Summer solar savings soar

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

SOLAR

• Rooftop solar in New England helped ease demand on the grid during the heat wave earlier this month, saving consumers some $130 million in wholesale energy costs. (Maine Public)

STORAGE

• Hundreds of New York City residents used home batteries to power their ACs and relieve stress on the grid during the recent heat wave as part of a pilot run by storage startup Every Electric. (Canary Media)
• A Massachusetts paper mill announces plans to build a battery system to store the excess energy generated by its onsite turbine as a cost-saving measure. (Greenfield Recorder)

CLIMATE

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) defends her clean energy and climate policy and track record, despite concerns about her decision to roll back emissions targets: ​“Please do not question my credentials in this space.” (E&E News)

DATA CENTERS

• New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania are among a wave of states considering laws to require data centers to use renewable energy. (Associated Press)

AFFORDABILITY

• Maryland asks federal energy regulators to make utilities stop charging customers a fee for voluntarily belonging to the regional electrical grid, following passage of a state law that makes it mandatory for utilities to be members of the grid organization. (Maryland Matters)
• Every electric customer in New Jersey will receive a $25 credit on their August bill under an affordability measure enacted by the state, with low-income households getting an additional $50. (Gothamist)

TRANSPORTATION

• Questions remain about who owns the Trump-touted Freedom Fuel Network, as the company raises prices 10 cents per gallon at its gas stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. (WITF)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY

• Philadelphia plans to award a new contract to trash disposal company Reworld, despite concerns that the business’ Delaware waste-to-energy plant causes harmful air pollution in its community. (WHYY)

ELECTRIFICATION

• A Vermont ski mountain replaces diesel compressors on snow-making machines with electric equipment. (WCAX)

COMMENTARY

• New Hampshire legislation that would allow utilities to own nuclear power generation would lead to higher prices for consumers, says a Sierra Club energy advocate. (Concord Monitor)