New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm gets federal approval

OFFSHORE WIND: In a major milestone, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approves New Jersey’s first offshore wind project, though opponents have vowed to keep fighting the development. (Associated Press)

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ALSO: Officials in New Bedford, Massachusetts, vote to amend zoning regulations to clear the way for more construction at a marine terminal intended to serve the offshore wind industry. (New Bedford Standard-Times)

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ELECTRIFICATION: Massachusetts regulators order National Grid to create a seasonal discounted rate for households with heat pumps, months after approving a similar plan by another utility. (Energy News Network)

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SOLAR

• A Pennsylvania bill with bipartisan support would require solar developers to plan for the costs of removing panels at the end of the installation’s life, but would make them pay the entire cost upfront. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
• A pair of developers acquires a 5.7 MW community solar project planned for a landfill in New Jersey, on the former site of a coal-burning power plant. (PV Magazine)

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NUCLEAR:

• A former Pennsylvania environmental official criticizes the idea of reviving nuclear plants for the benefit of big tech companies, warning Three Mile Island’s “1960s technology” still poses risks. (Politico)
• Exelon asks the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to weigh in on Constellation Energy’s plans to co-locate data centers with its nuclear plants in Pennsylvania and Maryland. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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CONSUMER PROTECTION: Big energy companies in Maryland argue that a law intended to protect consumers from predatory energy suppliers will limit their ability to market their renewable energy products, hurting their business and slowing the state’s progress toward its climate goals. (Maryland Matters)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Massachusetts startup unveils a new, slow electric vehicle charger in Concord, New Hampshire, testing the idea that the less-expensive equipment can help expand charging infrastructure in places where cars remain parked for several hours. (Concord Monitor)

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HYDROGEN: A Massachusetts company claims its equipment can make hydrogen at greater scale, using methods that produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the traditional process. (MIT Technology Review)

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BUILDINGS:

• A New Hampshire company receives a $1.7 million federal grant to develop a heat pump component that will make them work better in cold climates. (Keene Sentinel)
• Developers break ground in Maine on a $500 million university campus project that aims to use energy-efficient design to achieve net-zero emissions when it is completed in 2027. (Construction Dive)

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ELECTRIFICATION: Two of the world’s largest building materials companies invest $75 million in a Massachusetts company that makes cement using an electric current instead of emissions-intensive fossil-fueled kilns. (Canary Media)

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