Advocates want clean energy, not gas, for Wisconsin data center

CLEAN ENERGY: Environmental and health groups call on Microsoft to power a planned Wisconsin data center with clean energy instead of We Energies’ current proposal to build new natural gas power plants. (Wisconsin Examiner)

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HYDROELECTRIC: Midwest states are largely missing out on historic federal funding to shore up aging hydroelectric dams compared to other regions that tend to have larger facilities with more residents living nearby. (Inside Climate News)

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SOLAR:

• The Democratic candidate for governor in Indiana calls on lawmakers to help lower utility customers’ bills by restoring the state’s solar net metering policy that was phased out in 2017. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
• Consumers Energy plans to expand its utility-owned community solar program with a new 2.5 MW project in southern Michigan. (Solar Industry)
• Indianapolis International Airport will install a $47 million solar canopy at a surface parking lot while Iowa City’s municipal airport will use federal funding for an onsite solar project. (Indianapolis Business Journal; Daily Iowan)

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COAL: Two southern Illinois coal mining towns will share $200,000 in federal funding to help prepare for installing renewable energy projects. (Southern Illinoisan)

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BATTERIES: Four projects across Michigan will share $355 million in federal funding to boost the domestic production of advanced batteries and battery materials to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers. (Crain’s Detroit, subscription)

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GRID: A new report calls for interconnection changes in grid operator PJM’s that would expedite battery storage projects and potentially unlock thousands of megawatts of much-needed capacity. (Utility Dive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Two companies will partner to install 73 electric vehicle charging stations, including 19 fast-charging stations, in the Cleveland area by the end of the year. (WKYC)

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EFFICIENCY:

• Twenty-five projects across 17 states, including several in the Midwest, will share $38.8 million in federal funding to research advanced building decarbonization technologies. (Facilities Dive)
• A $263 million terminal expansion at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport includes geothermal power and major energy efficiency upgrades. (Facilities Dive)

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BIOFUELS: A new $375 million soybean crushing plant in southeastern Kansas will also produce renewable biodiesel. (Kansas Reflector)

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CLIMATE: A new digital tool from the University of Minnesota allows users to map out climate predictions based on emissions scenarios, such as how much snow cover could be lost in the coming decades. (Spokesman-Recorder)

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