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New siting provision could bring hard times for Ohio wind power
Ohio made headlines last week after its governor, John Kasich (R), signed a bill into law making his state the first in the nation to freeze its renewable portfolio standard (ClimateWire, June 13). Green groups and some industries immediately fired back, saying the move could hamstring their markets and hinder state actions on future greenhouse gas standards from U.S. EPA. Much less attention was given to a separate bill, issued with little fanfare just before the state Legislature went into summer recess. Yet that bill, H.B. 483, may include an even greater challenge for renewable energy in Ohio than the RPS freeze, according to renewable energy advocates. [ read more … ]
Minnesota could face bigger carbon-reduction hurdle
Minnesota Power, the state’s third-largest power company, is concerned that more than $800 million in wind power investments appear to be credited to North Dakota, where the wind farms were built, rather than to Minnesota, where the power is delivered. “We just don’t like the fact that Minnesota seems to have gotten very little credit for how much it accomplished,” said Dave McMillan, a senior vice president for the Duluth-based utility. “Our customers shouldn’t pay again while other states do less.” [ read more … ]
Modest Renewable Energy Growth Expected From EPA Proposal on Power Plant Emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants may not be the panacea for clean energy that environmentalists and industry advocates hoped for, with critics and others saying the new requirements are likely to spur only modest increases in renewable energy. Instead, environmentalists and other observers say the proposal could further incentivize the switch from coal to cheap natural gas and is unlikely to replace federal tax incentives and state renewable energy requirements as the main drivers behind the transition to alternative energy sources. [ read more … ]
Project Tests New Storage for Energy
The project’s $500,000 cost is an afterthought for the multibillion-dollar company, but it is part of a larger trend of investment in what the industry has long considered its holy grail: a backup source of low-carbon energy from intermittent sources like wind and the sun. In part because of its fast-growing renewable energy sector, Texas has become a major testing ground for storage technology, which, while still decades away from grid-wide use because of its costs, is gaining attention as the technology improves. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.