Welcome to Grid Brief! Here’s what we’re looking at today: 10 Northeast states are collaborating on interregional transmission, a new study examines solar’s permitting restrictions, and a new Florida bill authorizes the study of advanced nuclear power.
Northeastern States Collaborate on Interregional Transmission
Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work together to plan and develop “robust interregional planning infrastructure.”
The MOU includes sharing technical data and standards, increasing external collaboration between states, providing regulatory updates, and more. Importantly, the agreement does not include cost-sharing initiatives between the states.
These 10 states are all a part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RFFI) and have implemented renewable energy or emissions reduction goals. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, for instance, are working to deploy 9 GW of offshore wind by 2030.
New Study Examines Permitting Restrictions for Solar
An analysis from Philip Rossetti and Josiah Neeley of the R Street Institute, a D.C.-based think tank, has found that solar PV faces very few restrictive local ordinances in the U.S.
Using data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the authors found that only 9% of counties in America have implemented restrictive ordinances on the energy source. Of this share, 93% are what the authors categorize as “less restrictive” and mostly include setback ordinances of 100 feet.
Despite this small number, Rossetti and Neeley note that solar ordinances are on the rise:
“In our analysis of wind ordinances, we found that not only were there numerous county-level wind ordinances but that the rate of adoption for new ordinances was accelerating. While there are fewer solar ordinances, this trend is similar for PV solar, which also has an accelerating rate of adoption of new ordinances restricting siting…similar to our finding with wind ordinances, as solar power becomes more common, so too do ordinances restricting it.”
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Conversation Starters
The Florida Legislature has passed a bill, which has been signed by Governor DeSantis, which will authorize the state to conduct a feasibility study for advanced nuclear power. In 2022, nuclear power provided 12% of Florida’s electricity needs.
Titanium Metals Corporation has begun construction on a facility that will melt titanium to be shaped into parts for airplanes and other uses. This new site will be powered by a 106 MW solar array and 50 MW battery pack, courtesy of BHE Renewables.
In 2022 Tony Robbins invested $200 million into Omnis, a company that aims to turn coal into clean hydrogen. Omnis has yet to prove its concept, but it says it’s close.
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