Back
A successful regional collaboration to secure federal Inflation Reduction Act money in northeast Ohio has inspired a new, ongoing effort to help cities, counties, utilities and community groups coordinate on clean energy.
Three Cleveland-area foundations last month announced the launch of Power Up Local, which aims to play both a matchmaker and wedding planner role on large-scale, regional clean energy developments. The initiative plans to help connect potential partners, maximize projects’ community benefits, and facilitate joint funding opportunities such as federal grants, tax incentives, or green bank loans.
“This is really looking for the larger, more ambitious stakeholder projects that have direct stakeholder benefits,” said Daniel Gray, Power Up Local’s executive director. A big emphasis will be on assembling groups who “might not have worked with each other originally or understood where there’s an overlap” between clean energy and other goals.
The initiative could offer a new path for local leaders to advance in a place where state government remains hostile to clean energy. The continued availability of federal funding is in question following former President Donald Trump’s reelection, but Gray and others said they are confident some form of federal support for clean energy will remain during his second term.
The idea for Power Up Local grew out of collaboration among Cuyahoga County, the cities of Cleveland and Painesville, and other organizations on a $129 million grant application under the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program. The application was among those awarded funding in July. It includes money for closing a coal plant and building multiple solar arrays, including on four closed landfills.
Beyond reducing pollution, the project will help lower electricity costs and generate revenue. Some of that will in turn aid in conservation efforts for the West Creek Conservancy, including lakeside access for residents in Lake County. Gray did some work on the project as director of local strategies for the Citizens Utility Board of Ohio, and local philanthropic support also helped in assembling the grant application.
The Cleveland Foundation, George Gund Foundation and the Fund for Our Economic Future are providing initial funding for Power Up Local. Initially, the program’s three full-time employees are being housed under Fund for Our Economic Future, with a goal of spinning it out as an independent nonprofit by 2027.
The George Gund Foundation also provides funding to the Energy News Network. Like other donors, it has no oversight or input into the editorial process and may not influence stories.
Gray said Power Up Local will help stakeholders think bigger and more broadly about projects. For example, a project to redevelop a former industrial site may be able to help bring in other properties from a land bank or other group, potentially expanding into an economic redevelopment district that might support a microgrid, he suggested.
“We can add efficiency to projects, both financially and timewise,” Gray said.
Power Up Local will be a resource for organizations that want to add clean energy to a project but may not have the time or bandwidth to figure out how to do it. “They don’t necessarily know how to engage the marketplace,” Gray said.
And when it comes to funding, competitive grants will just be part of the story. A range of other credits or incentives can also help bring more clean energy. That raised a question, said Stephen Love, program director for environmental initiatives at the Cleveland Foundation: “What would it look like at scale beyond just the competitive grants to really unlock the whole scale of federal resources?”
While Power Up Local will work on clean energy projects, those projects must still be “net-neutral or revenue-positive” in order to promote economic development, Gray said. “We’re looking to develop as much community benefit as possible.”
Those benefits can come from lower electricity rates for people with high energy burdens, health benefits from lower pollution, job opportunities, conservation, access to parks, redevelopment of properties to attract businesses, and so on.
“This is about economic development. This is about creating economic opportunity in our communities,” said Love. As he sees it, clean energy can help drive that development.
No one knows what Trump’s presidential victory will mean for federal clean energy funding, but advocates are confident some funding will still be available.
“There are still grants to go after, and will likely still be grants to go after in the future,” Gray said. A repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law would take time, and much of the grant funding has flowed to districts that supported Trump in 2020.
Even if agencies under Trump stopped carrying out the law, “I don’t think the bulk of the IRA direct credits are going to go away,” Gray said. He noted that Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Bainbridge Township) is among 18 members of Congress who wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson this summer to support continuation of the energy tax credits.
Atlas Public Policy’s Climate Portal Program estimates those tax credits could exceed a quarter of a trillion dollars, with nearly another $250 billion of potential credits under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Those credits can serve as refunds for nonprofits and local governments, which is how sewage treatment authorities in Columbus and Cincinnati plan to offset big chunks of the costs for biogas plants at two of their wastewater treatment facilities.
Financing opportunities will also be available from green banks, Gray said. Commercial banks also are looking to expand their portfolios for financing clean energy projects as part of corporate sustainability goals, he noted.
Power A Clean Future Ohio has already been working for several years to help its 50 local government members find ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, based on their individual interests and priorities. Executive Director Joe Flarida said Power Up Local’s work will be a welcome complement to its ongoing work.
“It just underscores the huge needs we have in the state of Ohio to invest locally and ensure that our local leaders and local governments have all the resources they need to do this work efficiently,” he said.
In Flarida’s view, an anti-climate approach by the incoming Trump administration “is also an anti-jobs approach.” And even if the federal government no longer treats climate change as a key priority, “that doesn’t change the reality that this is an issue we have to address head on,” he said.
Gray encourages local governments and other organizations with ideas for projects to reach out in the coming weeks and months.
“Now is the time to start thinking about what might be possible,” he said.
GRID: The Tennessee Valley Authority approves a power agreement for Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer facility in Memphis, Tennessee, which is expected to use up to 150 MW at its peak. (Commercial Appeal)
ALSO:
SOLAR: As insurance premiums spike as much as 400% for solar projects in Texas due to the risk of damage of hail, one company reduced its insurance costs 72% by installing 3.2mm tempered glass solar panels and other hardened components on a 140 MW solar farm. (PV Magazine)
COAL:
STORAGE: Georgia Power begins building more battery facilities to supplement its recent investments in solar and nuclear. (WRBL)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A new report finds that Georgia is leading the country in electric vehicle-related job creation, but is ranked just 22nd for EV sales. (WABE/Grist)
OIL & GAS:
OVERSIGHT: Louisiana voters elect a Republican who pledged to be a “true conservative watch dog” to the state regulatory board, but he seems more moderate than another Republican in the race who promised to “oppose liberal-thinking Green New Deal initiatives.” (Canary Media)
UTILITIES:
CLIMATE: A massive Louisiana coastal restoration project sits in limbo as federal officials press the state to commit to completing the multi-billion-dollar endeavor amid two separate legal challenges. (Floodlight)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Colorado advocates say a recent increase in electric vehicle sales shows state and federal incentives are working as intended. (Colorado Sun)
ALSO:
OVERSIGHT: California prepares to defend its climate and environmental laws against the incoming Trump administration’s likely challenges. (CalMatters)
CLIMATE: A report predicts Colorado will fall short of its greenhouse gas-reduction goals for 2025 and 2030, but the gap is smaller than in previous forecasts. (Denver Post)
MINING:
OIL & GAS: Wyoming’s oil and gas industry expects the incoming Trump administration and Republican-dominated Senate to loosen federal drilling regulations. (Cowboy State Daily)
STORAGE: Pacific Gas & Electric agrees to purchase 500 MW of power from two standalone battery energy storage systems in southern California. (Energy Storage News, subscription)
SOLAR: Arizona Public Service signs on to purchase power from a proposed 600 MW solar-plus-storage installation in the northern part of the state. (Solar Industry)
WIND: California awards the West Coast’s floating offshore wind industry nearly $38 million for research aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing costs. (RTO Insider, subscription)
UTILITIES:
COMMENTARY:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to finalize more than $200 million in grant funding in the coming weeks to accelerate the clean energy transition at three Great Lakes shipping ports.
The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, and the Illinois International Port District were each selected for grants last month under the Biden administration’s Clean Ports Program.
The U.S. EPA said it intends to finalize grant agreements by December or January. That action will obligate the federal government to pay roughly $3 billion in grants under the program, even if President-elect Donald Trump or the next Congress tries to repeal or block further action under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The $94 million grant announced for the Cleveland port is the largest it has ever received and will help it build on work that’s already underway to electrify and decarbonize its infrastructure.
“It puts us at the forefront of decarbonization,” said William Friedman, president and chief executive officer of Cleveland’s port authority. “Now we’ll be able to start figuring out what’s the phase-in and then how do we move forward with the next round.”
The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority will get approximately $25 million for solar panels, charging infrastructure and electric cargo handling equipment, and another $95 million will go to the Illinois EPA for solar, battery storage and hydrogen-related investments at the Illinois International Port District serving greater Chicago.
The largest share of grants will go to ports along the East and West coasts. “But the program is also intended to set the foundation for transitioning the entire port industry to zero emissions,” said Jennifer Macedonia, a deputy assistant administrator for U.S. EPA. “And there are important communities around many of our inland ports as well.”
The shipping industry accounts for roughly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. While the bulk of that is from ships themselves, port operations typically rely on diesel power for most of their energy. And ships often burn fuel to power equipment even while they’re in port.
The EPA’s review process included ensuring that selected projects can achieve or exceed goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as other pollution that can affect nearby communities, said U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Those criteria air pollutants are ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, lead, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
The work is especially important for Ohio, which has lagged other Midwest states and regions in deploying strategies to reduce greenhouse gases, said Valerie Katz, deputy director for Cuyahoga Green Energy. “Our regional decarbonization efforts will reduce environmental exposure to toxic air pollutants for downstream Ohio communities.”
Funding for the Port of Cleveland will encompass work for electric cargo-handling equipment and vessels that serve the port, along with solar generation and battery storage, charging infrastructure and shore power for vessels. Project partners include Logistec USA, the commercial operator for day-to-day operations, as well as the Great Lakes Towing Company, which will build two electric tug boats.
Decarbonization is a “competitive advantage that will attract more shipping volume to our port,” said Baiju Shah, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. “Companies are striving to reduce their environmental footprints through their operations and value chains,” including Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. “In addition, electrifying the port operations supports our region’s clean air efforts.”
That’s especially important given the port’s location near the downtown lakefront and riverfront areas, Shah said. Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River are the focus for several waterfront development projects aimed at drawing more business and visitors to Cleveland.
Funding for the Port of Detroit will go toward electric cargo-handling equipment, some vessels and railcar movers, along with charging infrastructure and solar generation. Part of the money also will be used to develop a roadmap for adding EV and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is part of the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, or MachH2, which was selected last year for $1 billion in Department of Energy funding for a hydrogen hub.
Funding for the Illinois International Port District will cover a variety of projects for its three ports, including hydrogen fueling infrastructure, solar energy and battery storage, and hydrogen and electric cargo handling equipment. Hydrogen and electric locomotives also are on EPA’s program selections list. The Illinois EPA is the lead partner for the grant work.
Like its counterpart in Cleveland, the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority had already begun working on plans to move to cleaner energy sources for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. But zero-emissions equipment to move cargo is new in the U.S. shipping industry and is still generally more expensive than fossil-fueled counterparts.
“What’s great about the EPA grant is that it helps these businesses make the decision to choose this cleaner technology,” said Mark Schrupp, executive director for the Detroit port authority. Over time, costs for such equipment should come down, but the grants will help launch market growth.
Various projects among the 55 selected for grants last month have planning components and provisions for community engagement or workforce development. Planning work on emissions inventories can position other ports to move ahead with clean energy in the future, Macedonia said.
The U.S. EPA plans to move ahead swiftly to finalize grant agreements, which will have the effect of protecting the funds from a possible clawback under Trump or the next Congress.
“We will be awarding the grants in December of 2024 and January of 2025… so that money will be obligated on or before the end of this administration,” Regan said. Depending on the projects, implementation will occur over the next three to four years.
In Cleveland, that means a big chunk of work under the new grant will be taking place even as renovation of the Port of Cleveland’s Warehouse A and electrical work take place under its current projects.
“We’ll have to throw a lot here at the engineers and construction project management people to figure this out,” Friedman said. Yet the timing means it will be that much sooner for the port to move to zero emissions for its own operations.
COAL: Ameren Missouri would spend $61 million on high-efficiency air filters for residents and electric school buses under a proposed agreement to settle past clean air violations at a St. Louis-area coal plant. (Missouri Independent)
ALSO: Indiana regulators approve AES’ plan to transition two coal plant units to run on gas, despite opposition from the coal industry and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, who was elected Tuesday as the state’s next governor. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
CLEAN ENERGY: The incoming Trump administration is likely to reverse federal regulations limiting emissions from power plants and light- and heavy-duty vehicles, and could jeopardize America’s global climate leadership, experts say. (Canary Media, Inside Climate News)
ELECTION:
SOLAR: A solar installer and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe run an apprenticeship program that promotes workforce development and builds renewable energy projects on tribal land across the Great Plains. (Buffalo’s Fire)
EFFICIENCY: A historic former train station in Detroit that was recently renovated and reopened to house various startups is also equipped with various energy-efficiency upgrades. (FacilitiesNet)
BIOFUELS: Biofuel options outside of corn could play a key role in a more climate-friendly future for Indiana’s biofuels industry. (WFYI)
COMMENTARY: Voters’ rejection of a South Dakota law to regulate carbon pipelines in Tuesday’s election may have been influenced by a broader campaign in the state to vote ‘no’ on several initiatives that were on the ballot, an editor writes. (South Dakota Searchlight)
ELECTIONS: Rhode Island voters approve a $53 million green economy bond bill, which includes $15 million to help develop the Port of Davisville into an offshore wind hub. (Rhode Island Current)
ALSO: Control of the Pennsylvania state House and Senate is still up in the air as of this morning; if Democrats hold on to the House majority and flip the Senate, which is unlikely, it could be good news for Gov. Josh Shapiro’s plans for a carbon cap-and-trade system. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An unexpected surge in electric vehicle sales in Maine has drained the state’s $3.5 million incentive fund, though low-income buyers are still eligible for rebates. (Maine Public)
OFFSHORE WIND: Turbine blades spotted in transit off the Massachusetts coast are part of a plan to strengthen some of Vineyard Wind’s turbines, after a blade broke and fell into the water in July. (New Bedford Standard-Times)
TRANSMISSION: Preliminary work has begun along the path of a 70-mile transmission line in Maryland, even as opposition remains high and opponents say they will continue to fight the project. (Baltimore Sun, subscription)
NUCLEAR: The owner of Three Mile Island forges ahead with plans to reopen the plant and sell power to Microsoft, following federal regulators’ rejection last week of another plan to colocate a data center at a nuclear plant. (Utility Dive)
GRID: In central Massachusetts, National Grid gets approval for new and upgraded substations and power lines intended to accommodate greater use of solar and energy storage. (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)
SOLAR: In western Massachusetts, a growing number of agrivoltaic projects showcase the commercial potential of installing solar panels on active farmland. (Christian Science Monitor)
COMMENTARY: New York’s plan to require increasing electric truck sales promises significant health benefits, particularly in low-income communities of color, and should not be delayed despite vocal opposition, says an environmental justice advocate. (Streetsblog NYC)
ELECTION: Washington voters reject a ballot measure that would have repealed the state’s landmark 2021 cap-and-invest program. (Washington State Standard)
ALSO:
GRID:
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A California startup runs a low-speed demonstration of its solar-powered electric vehicle. (PV Magazine)
NUCLEAR: Xcel Energy officials consider deploying small modular nuclear reactors in Colorado to replace fossil fuel generation and meet expected long-term power demand growth. (Aurora Sentinel)
BIOFUELS: A firm begins construction on a California facility designed to convert landfill gas to pipeline-grade methane fuel. (news release)
MICROGRIDS: California officials look to improve a state-funded program aimed at developing clean energy-powered microgrids on tribal land. (RTO Insider, subscription)
CLIMATE: Oregon researchers work to develop seaweed-based cattle feed designed to reduce livestock’s methane emissions. (OPB)
COMMENTARY: A Colorado county commissioner says a $2.5 billion federal grant will help Tri-State Generation transition away from coal, curb planet-warming emissions and reduce utility bills. (Colorado Sun)
EMISSIONS: Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation in New England dropped 4% last year, due to mild weather, lower natural gas prices, and increases in solar and wind energy, the region’s grid operator reports. (Maine Public)
EFFICIENCY: Massachusetts utilities submit their latest three-year energy efficiency plan for regulatory approval, with the goal of installing heat pumps in more than 119,000 homes and creating $13.7 billion in benefits for consumers. (Utility Dive)
GRID:
FOSSIL FUELS: Despite burgeoning power demands from cryptocurrency and AI operations, New York state may have built its last fossil fuel power plant, some clean energy advocates say. (New York Focus)
OFFSHORE WIND:
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Vermont electric aircraft startup tops $1 billion in equity capital, but questions remain about the climate benefits of the technology. (Canary Media)
SOLAR:
COMMENTARY: New York should delay implementation of rules requiring more electric truck sales to allow charging infrastructure and technology to improve, says a spokesperson for the retail lumber industry. (Long Island Press)
UTILITIES: North Carolina regulators approve Duke Energy’s long-term resource plan, which ramps up renewable energy and retires the utility’s final coal plants, but also includes 9 GW of new natural gas-fired power and gives up on the state-mandated goal of cutting emissions 70% by 2030. (Energy News Network)
ALSO:
SOLAR: New solar installations in North Carolina fell 40% from last year after Duke Energy lowered the rate it pays for rooftop solar, but longtime installers remain optimistic because of new home battery incentives. (Energy News Network)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Electric vehicle startup Canoo furloughs 30 workers in Oklahoma as it struggles to raise capital, and company officials report it might have to “terminate or significantly curtail” its operations there. (Tulsa World)
WIND: Members of the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma say they’re worried about potential environmental and property value impacts from a proposed 100-turbine wind farm. (KOKI)
PIPELINES: Anti-pipeline activists who spent the last decade fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline turn their efforts to blocking a 26-mile project in Virginia that’s part of a broader Southeast expansion. (WVTF)
STORAGE: A startup receives $20 million in federal funding to build a Texas factory for containers that hold used electric vehicle batteries that can be assembled for stationary energy storage. (Canary Media)
OIL & GAS:
GRID: A Tennessee man faces federal charges for allegedly planning to damage an electrical substation in Nashville with a drone armed with explosives. (CNN)
CLIMATE:
POLITICS: Virginia Congress members call for reauthorization of the landmark 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, which funded abandoned mine land restoration, accelerated the energy transition and paid for transportation projects. (Virginia Mercury)
COMMENTARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority owes an apology to the families of more than 50 workers who helped clean up the utility’s 2008 coal-ash spill in Tennessee and have since died from illnesses related to their exposure, writes a columnist. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
LEGISLATION: Massachusetts lawmakers consider a climate bill that aims to slow the expansion of natural gas and authorizes gas utilities to offer networked geothermal services. (Energy News Network)
ALSO: The bill would also streamline the process of siting and permitting for renewable energy infrastructure, boost deployment of electric vehicle chargers, and support increased energy storage. (WBUR)
SOLAR: Maine officials plan new fees for large-scale solar installations on certain undeveloped land — measures that developers say could make utility-scale solar projects all but impossible. (The Maine Monitor)
GAS: A Pennsylvania community looks to increase the allowable distance between fracking operations and homes, with advocates citing adverse health effects associated with these sites. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
NUCLEAR: Federal regulators reject a request to let Amazon Web Services expand a data center co-located with a Pennsylvania nuclear plant, saying the increased energy use could cause reliability concerns. (RTO Insider, subscription)
GRID: A Maryland utility plans to use a $50 million federal grant to install 11 MW of battery storage capacity and enable additional solar, storage, and electric vehicle charging projects. (Baltimore Sun, subscription)
EFFICIENCY: Rebates for heat pumps, induction stoves, and other energy efficiency measures are expected to be available in New Hampshire by summer 2025, after delays in receiving $70 million in federal funding for the program. (NHPR)
TECHNOLOGY: A Massachusetts start-up promises a clean and affordable way to extract lithium — an essential metal for making electric car batteries — from underground brine. (The Boston Globe)
WIND: The rules governing transportation of wind turbine parts in New York pose a serious obstacle to reaching the state’s goals for onshore wind production, advocates and industry insiders say. (Gothamist)
MICROGRIDS: A New York City utility tests a microgrid combining solar panels, an onsite battery, and electric school buses that can send power to the grid during off hours. (Canary Media)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Delaware plans to use $21 million in state and federal funds to install electric vehicle chargers along busy highway corridors. (Delaware Business Times)
POLITICS: Maine’s plans to develop an offshore wind hub are a central issue in a state legislative race that could signal the area’s level of support for the industry. (Bangor Daily News, subscription)
.svg)
