Vineyard Wind has yet to transmit power to grid

OFFSHORE WIND: Vineyard Wind didn’t transmit any electricity to the grid last year, breaking a pledge made by its developers, who have yet to provide a new timeline for power delivery. (State House News Service)

ALSO: New Jersey utility regulators side with Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind and dismiss a complaint over the valuation of the project’s renewable energy certificates brought by an anti-offshore wind group. (Asbury Park Press)

GRID: Maine utility regulators end an agreement with the developer of a 160-mile transmission line slated to carry wind power from the state’s northernmost county to the New England grid over cost concerns; a new bidding process will be held. (Portland Press Herald)

POLICY:

• Vermont lawmakers plan to strengthen the state’s renewable energy standard during this legislative session; the majority of a related working group recently recommended increasing it to 100% by 2030. (VT Digger)
• Connecticut energy and environment officials are working with consultants to draw up a specific proposal for reducing near-term greenhouse gas emissions, such as electric buses and tree-planting blitzes. (Hartford Courant)
• Despite emissions reductions achieved during pandemic-era shutdowns, Rhode Island has far to go to reach its 2030 climate mandates and no clear plan to do so. (ecoRI)

SOLAR:

• A New York working group’s early findings suggest three battery storage fires at an upstate solar farm didn’t lead to harmful toxin levels or injury. (NCPR)
• After initially planning to be operational by 2023 or 2024, a proposed 200 MW solar farm in New York’s Finger Lakes region pushes back its construction timeline to 2027 over delayed approvals. (Finger Lakes 1)
• A pilot agrivoltaic project seeks to grow the expensive spice saffron under solar panels in Vermont in a bid to help specialty crop farmers stay in business. (Clean Technica)
• About $256,000 in new state grants will help fourteen Rhode Island farms install solar panels or make other clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades. (WUN)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: New York City’s transit agency says it isn’t confident the current electric bus marketplace has vehicles reliable enough to meet its needs. (NYDN)

REGULATION: Connecticut’s top utility regulator holds unusual power compared to other state utility leaders, leading some observers to question whether she’ll last the year. . (WSHU, CT Mirror)

FOSSIL FUELS: Pennsylvania’s well-regarded former top environmental regulator, David Hess, operates a blog providing in-depth historical context and reporting on the state’s fracking industry. (Inside Climate News)