Author name: Nate

An engineering team led by an Illinois company has built a solar system that produces electricity and enough heat to potentially power a commercial oven or steam turbine. The hybrid heat-and-electric system, while likely years from commercial deployment, has potential uses in microgrids, energy storage, and large commercial applications. David Cygan, a project manager with …

Heat-capture system could help solar PV power ovens, steam turbines Read More »

Ohio’s net-metering rules appear destined for the state’s Supreme Court as utilities and their opponents dig in against each other over proposed changes. The disagreement over how customers with solar panels should be compensated for electricity they generate was on display last week before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. The commission adopted new net-metering …

In Ohio, no signs of cooling or compromise in net-metering fight Read More »

A northeastern Iowa community could lower its electric bills by creating a municipal-owned utility, according to a feasibility study presented to its city council Tuesday. Supporters of an effort to create a city-owned electric utility in Decorah, Iowa, got a boost this week from a consultant’s report that concludes the move is financially feasible. “We …

Iowa town’s municipal utility effort is financially feasible, consultant finds Read More »

Wisconsin is poised to capitalize on “the biggest market opportunity of our era,” according to a report released Wednesday by the Wisconsin Energy Institute, the Midwest Energy Research Consortium and the American Jobs Project. That would be the manufacture of sensors and controls crucial to the advanced energy economy, from smart grids and solar panels …

Energy sensors and controls could boost Wisconsin economy, study says Read More »

Biking to work, turning off your computer at night, flipping the light switch when you leave a room. These are all relatively easy things to do, with the exception perhaps of biking to work on a winter day in Wisconsin. But a decade ago when a task force convened by Wisconsin’s then-governor Jim Doyle set …

Gaming the system: Competition spurs energy savings in Wisconsin Read More »

The city of Bloomfield, Iowa is at least 10 percent of the way toward its pledge to reach energy independence by 2030 with the recent completion of a 1.86-megawatt solar array. The city turned on the solar array Dec. 29, just ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline for collecting a state production tax credit, which might …

Iowa city moving towards goal of energy independence Read More »

Minnesota will be included in a study to help federal researchers test the potential of pollinator-friendly habitat and fruit and vegetable crops around solar arrays. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will plant vegetation this year at three Minnesota solar installations owned by Enel Green Power. The sites are among 15 around the country that …

Putting the ‘farm’ back in solar farms: Study to test ag potential at PV sites Read More »

After objections from Ohio’s consumer advocate agency about a failure to provide required public notice, regulators have scheduled a fifth public hearing in American Electric Power’s pending rate case for  February 12. The case will set rates through May 2024 and will address issues ranging from subsidies for coal plants to a proposed electric program. …

AEP Ohio to get another rate case hearing, this time with public notice Read More »

As more communities create policies related to energy use and emissions, cities and counties are asking for more — and more specific — data from utilities about their energy footprints. What’s available varies from place to place, though, which is why a multi-state team of data wonks is working to build a standardized tool to …

Energy registry aims to standardize utility data for cities, counties Read More »