Will clean energy matter in Maine’s Senate race?

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.

POLITICS

• Climate and clean energy have not been hot topics as Maine Democrats scramble to choose a U.S. Senate candidate, but presumptive nominee Troy Jackson has a solid track record of supporting renewables and other environmental causes. (Inside Climate News)

NATURAL GAS

• An environmental advocacy organization sues New Jersey over its decision to grant a license to a controversial pipeline project intended to carry fracked gas from Pennsylvania to New York. (E&E News)

STORAGE

• Maine announces plans to start competitive bidding to build out up to 360 MW of large-scale battery storage projects. (Maine Public)

• Startup Haven Energy offers Massachusetts residents home batteries for a monthly subscription price as low as $29 — a business model that may be catching on and help accelerate the adoption of residential storage. (Canary Media)

GRID

• Grid operator NYISO had to use ​“basically all resources we had available” during the recent heat wave as air conditioners turned on and several generators and transmission lines were forced offline. (RTO Insider)

• If New Hampshire were to withdraw from regional grid operator ISO New England, electric costs would increase for residents, according to a recent study mandated by a 2025 law. (RTO Insider)

WIND

• Rhode Island’s U.S. Congressional delegation and its state attorney general slam the Trump administration’s recent agreements to pay wind developers to give up their offshore leases: ​“Donald Trump is, no question, the greatest threat that we see to clean energy.” (NBC Boston/ State House News Service)

DATA CENTERS

• At least two dozen New Jersey municipalities have passed measures banning data centers in the face of widespread public concern. (NJ Spotlight News)

SOLAR

• A 1,900-panel solar array built atop a capped landfill in New Haven, Connecticut, has started operations and is expected to produce enough electricity to power roughly 200 homes. (NBC Connecticut)

• Best Buy installs its first rooftop community solar array on the roof of one of its New York stores as part of an ongoing effort to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. (Utility Dive)

• A small-batch ice cream shop in Maine uses solar power to produce, store, and sell more than 8,000 gallons of frozen confection each year. (Solar Power World)

• Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) signs a bipartisan-backed law requiring solar developments larger than 2 MW to provide decommissioning plans. (Solar Power World)