SOLAR: Minnesota solar developers hope that a newly created interconnection ombudsperson role will help ease frustrations and delays related to connecting projects to utilities’ power grids. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: South Dakota’s largest solar farm, a 128 MW project east of Rapid City, comes online after a year of construction. (Dakota Scout)

STORAGE:

  • A former coal-fired power plant south of Detroit is set to become the largest stand-alone energy storage site in the Great Lakes region. (Fast Company)
  • Critics say battery storage fire safety legislation awaiting the governor’s signature in Illinois could burden small businesses by requiring them to register as automotive parts recyclers in order to store used batteries. (The Center Square)

BUILDINGS: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs legislation prohibiting homeowner associations from blocking clean energy-related improvements, including solar panels, heat pumps, and vehicle charging equipment. (MLive)

OIL & GAS: The U.S. Justice Department proposes changes to its consent decree with Enbridge over the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill that could require the company to repair previously identified cracks in its Midwest pipeline system. (Detroit News)

PIPELINES:

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

CLEAN ENERGY: A forthcoming paper in a Minnesota law journal proposes that clean energy developers should prioritize projects on marginal land such as retired mines, closed landfills, and brownfields, to avoid public opposition. (Heatmap)

HYDROPOWER: A Minnesota hydropower dam will double its generating capacity after a $48 million renovation project by a county and Xcel Energy. (Pioneer Press)

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Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.