Maryland wind farm receives final federal approval

OFFSHORE WIND: A planned 114-turbine wind farm off Maryland receives final federal approval, but still faces local opposition and likely hostility from President-elect Donald Trump. (Maryland Matters)

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RENEWABLES: New York state executes contracts for 23 renewable energy projects expected to reduce emissions by 2.3 million metric tons annually. (Renewable Energy Magazine)

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BATTERIES: A company making zinc-based, long-duration batteries will use a $300 million federal loan guarantee to expand its Pennsylvania manufacturing facility to address a backlog of orders. (Utility Dive)

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SOLAR:

• Maine releases a new draft of rules that would require solar developers to pay a fee for developing projects on valuable farmland, adding blueberry barrens to the list of property types that could incur the charge. (Bangor Daily News, subscription)
• Pennsylvania is now accepting applications for a new grant program that will pay 50% of the cost to install solar panels on schools, and offering free technical assistance to potential applicants. (PennWatch)
• New Jersey issues its first permit authorizing a company to recycle solar panels, recovering valuable materials such as glass, silicon, and aluminum. (New Jersey Business Magazine)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Canadian company that supplied electric school buses causing problems for several Maine school districts is on the brink of bankruptcy. (Portland Press Herald, subscription)

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EMISSIONS: The company that owns the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, which is looking to restart to sell power to Microsoft, routinely ranks among the U.S. power producers generating the lowest carbon emissions. (The Well)

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EFFICIENCY: An affordable housing project in New Haven, Connecticut, includes $900,000 to complete energy efficiency retrofits for 30 existing homes in the neighborhood of the new units. (Connecticut Public Radio)

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ELECTRIFICATION: New York launches a $10 million program to help advance cold-climate heat pump technology by funding manufacturers developing the products and field demonstration projects in large buildings. (Facility Executive)

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COMMENTARY:

• New York City’s congestion pricing plan will help reduce transportation emissions, make the air safer to breathe, and position the city as a leader in sustainable planning, says an urban planner. (City Limits)
• Massachusetts’ plan to include layover tracks for diesel trains in a Boston neighborhood as part of an ongoing rail project will expose an already overburdened community to more black carbon emissions, say two transportation experts. (CommonWealth Beacon)

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