Wisconsin utility pitches big battery projects

STORAGE:
• Alliant Energy announces plans for its first two utility-scale battery storage projects in Wisconsin, which would have a combined capacity of 175 MW. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• University of Missouri researchers receive a $500,000 grant to advance research on lithium-ion batteries. (Daily Tribune)

NUCLEAR: Michigan lawmakers pass a bill that would fund additional studies on the viability of nuclear power in Michigan’s energy mix. (Bridge Michigan)

WIND: An Iowa citizens group files for a court order to stop county officials from moving forward with a 28-turbine wind project. (Daily Nonpareil)

SOLAR:
• Iowa regulators hold a public hearing on a proposed 200 MW solar project that developers say would generate $10 million in additional property taxes. (Southeast Iowa Union)
• A southwestern Ohio city loosens rooftop solar restrictions to make the process more flexible and permissive for property owners. (Journal-News)
• An Iowa county will hold a public hearing today on a potential one-year moratorium on new solar projects. (KCRG)
• The Biden administration begins to stress the cost-savings potential of community solar projects for residents who are unable to install rooftop installations, particularly in disadvantaged communities. (Canary Media)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Illinois transportation officials consider taxing electric vehicle charging stations as a way to offset revenue losses from gasoline taxes. (WTVO)

PIPELINES:
• Candidates for Iowa agriculture secretary are split on whether eminent domain should be allowed for carbon capture pipelines. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
• A company seeking to build a carbon pipeline through Iowa asks a judge to halt landowner efforts to block workers from performing property surveys. (Sioux City Journal)

UTILITIES: Wisconsin residents push back on We Energies’ latest electric and gas rate increase proposal as home heating costs are expecting to rise this winter. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

BIOFUELS: Minnesota will distribute more than $6.4 million in grants to 44 gas stations to offset the cost of investing in infrastructure for higher ethanol blends. (CBS Minnesota)

RENEWABLES: Western Ohio county officials hold an informational meeting on proposed maps that would restrict wind and solar development. (Daily Standard)

COMMENTARY: An Ohio writer and clean energy advocate says agrivoltaics and offshore wind are opportunities to find common ground between renewable energy supporters and opponents and build more projects. (Ohio Capital Journal)