News Digest Renewable Energy

  • Pellet producer offering heat for schools program - 05/09/12
    Northern Forest Region By: Luke Geiver A startup pellet producer has unveiled a plan to create a larger market for its hybrid wood, agricultural residue and plastic residual pellets. Maine…Read More
  • School’s wood pellet boiler paying off - 05/05/12
    New York By: Chris Knight A new, high-efficiency wood pellet boiler at Petrova Elementary and the Saranac Lake Middle School has cut the building's heating costs in half, at least for the month …Read More
  • Lawmakers declaw RGGI - 05/03/12
    New Hampshire By: Mathew Spolar New Hampshire wouldn't withdraw from a multi-state cap-and-trade compact under a reform bill passed yesterday by the Senate, but advocates say the move weakens a …Read More
  • Legislature Drops Renewable Energy Requirements For Utilities - 05/03/12
    Vermont By: John Dillon Under pressure from business groups, the Legislature has backed away from a plan to require utilities to buy a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sour…Read More
  • Montpelier, Vt., district heating plant awarded funding - 05/03/12
    Vermont By: Lisa Gibson The district heating project in Montpelier, Vt., has been awarded $1.75 million in grants and loans from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program. The $20…Read More
  • Seminars focus on energy savings for businesses - 05/02/12
    New York By: Staff Warren County businesses are invited to two seminars in which state officials will detail how to access state cash for energy-saving projects. The New York State Researc…Read More
  • In waning days of the session, energy bill stalls in Senate - 05/02/12
    Vermont By: Alan Panebaker Each day, the chances of the Vermont Legislature passing an energy bill this year appear to get slimmer. A bill that would require state utilities to buy renewab…Read More
  • Wood Makes Comeback as a Fuel - 05/01/12
    Northern Forest Region By: Kate Galbraith A century ago, rural homes in the United States and Europe commonly relied on wood for heating. Now wood is making a comeback, thanks largely to pellet …Read More
  • New program joins energy audits with weatherization work - 04/30/12
    Maine By: Tom Groening Few people go to one car mechanic for a diagnosis of a rattle in the engine, then go to another to get the necessary repairs. But that’s the way Maine’s nascent home e…Read More
  • Biomass Plants in Maine Could Be Hurt By Mass. Rules - 04/30/12
    Maine By: Jay Field Some biomass power plants in Maine could see their bottom lines hurt by tough new industry emissions standards in Massachusetts. The rules, being pushed by the administration…Read More
  • New Rules Could Shut Door On Commercial-Scale Biomass Power In Massachusetts - And The Rest Of New England - 04/27/12
    Northern Forest Region By: Fred Bever Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's administration today released long-awaited rules that could determine the fate of biomass energy projects proposed in…Read More
  • Maine Public Utilities Commission and 3Degrees Announce Launch of Maine Green Power Program Which Enables Mainers to Choose Renewable Energy for Their Home or Business - 04/24/12
    Maine By: Maine Public Utilities Commission Today, the Maine Public Utilities Commission and 3Degrees, a leading renewable energy provider, announce Maine Green Power, a new, statewide green pow…Read More
  • Burlington Electric rolls out its first residential 'smart' meter - 04/23/12
    Vermont By: Joel Banner Baird Burlington’s new electricity meters are safe and secure — as well as smart, city officials say. The installation Monday of Burlington Electric Department…Read More
  • Biomass industry leaders discuss priorities, challenges - 04/17/12
    Northern Forest Region By: Anna Austin Nearly 1,300 gathered at the International Biomass Conference & Expo held in Denver, Colo., April 16-19, to hear leaders of biomass industry sectors di…Read More
  • KVCC wins $100,000 for renewable energy - 04/13/12
    Maine By: Morning Sentinel Staff Kennebec Valley Community College has won a $100,000 federal grant to help small rural businesses and agricultural producers reduce energy consumption and use re…Read More
  • Efficiency Maine unveils home energy loan program - 04/11/12
    Maine By: Staff ...Along with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Efficiency Maine announced the new PowerSaver program, which will provide loans to homeowners at 4.99 perce…Read More
  • KVCC wins Renewable Energy grant - 04/10/12
    Maine By: Jon Humphrey Kennebec Valley Community College won a $100,000 federal grant to help rural small businesses and agricultural producers reduce energy consumption and implement renewable …Read More
  • Energy efficiency movement focuses on financing - 04/10/12
    Vermont By: Joel Banner Baird Popular enthusiasm for lower heating bills in Vermont hasn’t translated into a warm investment climate for weatherization and clean energy upgrades, experts agree…Read More
  • Would Wood Work? - 04/09/12
    Vermont Howard Weiss-Tisman A number of Windham County buildings will receive full biomass feasibility studies, or site visits, after the State of Vermont, and the U.S. Forest Service announced …Read More
  • Wood Biomass Market Report begins reporting prices for premium grade wood pellets - 04/09/12
    Northern Forest Region By: RISI RISI, the leading information provider for the global forest products industry, today announced that it has begun reporting on premium grade wood pellet pricing f…Read More
  • Biomass energy studies underway at 10 Vt. Facilities - 04/06/12
    Vermont By: Anna Austin The U.S. Forest Service and Vermont have teamed up to conduct preliminary feasibility studies for small-scale biomass energy systems at 10 public buildings across the sta…Read More
  • Farm Bill unlikely this year, Owens predicts - 04/05/12
    Northern Forest Region By: Denise A. Raymo A federal Farm Bill is not expected to pass this year because of the November election and typical pace of government in Washington, D.C., Congressman …Read More
  • New Renewable Energy Rules Face an Uphill Battle - 03/29/12
    New Hampshire By: Sam Evans-Brown The New Hampshire legislature is considering a bill that would expand the state’s renewable portfolio standards. That means more money to subsidize renewable …Read More
  • More Towns Approve PACE Program, Questions Remain - 03/28/12
    Vermont By: Mitch Wertlieb On Town Meeting Day, the Property Assessed Clean Energy district program, thankfully better known as PACE, grew in size, with 23 more towns voting to take part in the …Read More
  • As heating-fuel prices rise, wood makes a comeback - 03/25/12
    New York By: Susan Tobias The mild winter we've experienced this season has been good for consumers who heat with fuel oils. Winter will come again, however, and heating homes and business…Read More
  • Biomass industry sets out to meet NY needs - 03/23/12
    New York By: WNYT Staff With all the mild weather lately, you probably weren't thinking much about heating your home, but a big conference in Saratoga Springs aims to warm more of us up to the i…Read More
  • Biomass Commodities Corporation and Trumbull-Nelson Construction Company Completing Wood Pellet Heating System at Lebanon Middle School - 03/22/12
    New Hampshire By: PRWeb.com Biomass Commodities Corporation and Trumbull-Nelson Construction are completing the installation of two wood pellet boilers at a new middle school in Lebanon, New Ham…Read More
  • Idled Fort Drum coal plant to have greener reopening - 03/21/12
    New York By: NCPR staff An Albany energy company plans to buy an idled coal plant on Fort Drum and convert it to run on renewable biomass materials. In an announcement Monday, ReEnergy hol…Read More
  • Opinion: Maine lawmakers should not back new energy policy - 03/14/12
    Maine By: Staff We don't have oil wells in Maine. We don't have coal mines. We import natural gas through pipelines that originate far outside our borders. But we do have a source of energ…Read More
  • Federal, State Officials to Join Biomass Boiler Ribbon-cuttings at Gardiner, Waterville High School - 03/13/12
    Maine By: Tom Wood and Jeanne Curran Federal and Maine state officials will join local city and school officials this week to celebrate the completion of two energy projects designed to save Mai…Read More
  • Electricity glut threatens North Country's green power industry - 03/07/12
    New York By: Brian Mann Yesterday, we reported on New York's growing reliance on electricity produced Canada. A new project now in the works would pipe enough energy from hydro dams in Quebec to…Read More
  • Wood Stove Bill in Rhode Island Should be Model for all States - 03/06/12
    Northern Forest Region By: Heated Up! A Rhode Island bill, HB 7371, would make the state the first eastern state to adopt the progressive policies of Washington and Oregon on wood stoves. The bi…Read More
  • Pellet boilers now classified as conventional heating source - 03/06/12
    Northern Forest Region By: Anna Austin Wood pellet boilers are now classified as a conventional, primary heating source, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and co…Read More
  • Montville pushes for biomass generation projects - 03/06/12
    Northern Forest Region By: Jeffrey A. Johnson Mayor Ronald K. McDaniel Jr. has asked the state authority that regulates energy to require Northeast Utilities and NSTAR to seek new biomass genera…Read More
  • Gardiner to heat municipal buildings with wood pellets - 03/05/12
    Maine By: Ryan McLaughlin For the second time in two years, Gardiner has chosen locally produced wood pellets to heat its municipal buildings. The city will host an open house from 10 to 1…Read More
  • Barclay Encourages Youth to Apply for Summer Work Studying Biomass Energy - 03/05/12
    Northern Forest Region Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I – Pulaski) encouraged students interested in learning more about biomass energy to become a summer intern. Eight paid summer internshi…Read More
  • Shumlin Optimistic For Renewable Energy Credits - 03/05/12
    Vermont By: VPR Staff Gov. Peter Shumlin says he's optimistic that federal tax credits for renewable energy scheduled to expire at the end of the year will be renewed. Shumlin says there's…Read More
  • Moriah to sponsor Energy Info meetings - 03/02/12
    New York By: Staff The Town of Moriah is sponsoring Energy Info meetings to provide local residents with information about free and low-cost energy services. Two sessions for homeowners wi…Read More
  • How Much Wood Would the Northeast Need? - 03/01/12
    Northern Forest By: Dave Anderson Is there enough wood in the Northeast states to satisfy the current and projected demand from bio-energy facilities now and over the next decade? In one word: y…Read More
  • British power plant burns in biomass fire - 02/27/12
    International By: Katherine Airlie RWE’s Tilbury power station in southeast England, Europe’s largest biomass plant, was ablaze after a fire broke out in the facility’s wood-pellet stockpi…Read More
  • Veazie to join energy efficiency program, honor town’s oldest resident - 02/27/12
    Maine By: Nick McCrea Town councilors voted unanimously Monday night to join 105 other Maine communities in a program that aims to make home weatherization a more viable option for homeowners. …Read More
  • Technology Competition Seeks Cleaner Wood Stove - 02/27/12
    Northern Forest Region By: Alliance for Green Heat Today the Alliance for Green Heat announced the public launch of a Next Generation Wood Stove Design Challenge that seeks to promote innovation…Read More
  • Crown Point wants to conserve energy - 02/25/12
    New York By: Lohr McKinstry The energy-conservation project is almost complete at Crown Point Town Hall. The Monitor Bay building received New York State Energy Research and Developme…Read More
  • Layoffs planned at biomass plant - 02/23/12
    New York By: Denise Raymo Layoffs begin next week at Chateaugay ReEnergy as the plant shuts down until May because of the poor economy. About 13 people were told at the beginning of the mo…Read More
  • VT Law School: Smart Grid Adoption Is Improving - 02/22/12
    Vermont By: Staff Vermont Law School says the adoption of "smart grid technology" by the state's largest electric utility is going well. Smart meters communicate between a utility and its …Read More
  • Vermont won't make renewable energy goals - 02/21/12
    Vermont By: Associated Press Two key lawmakers say Vermont won't meet its goal of getting 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2017. And the chairman and vice chairwoman…Read More
  • Engineers Take Aim at a Barrier in LED Technology - 02/20/12
    Northern Forest Region By: John Markoff In a brand-new factory here, Eric Kim, chief executive of Soraa Inc., cradles a palm-size light that he refers to as “LED 2.0.” The light has a circul…Read More
  • New state list: Heating with wood pellets cheaper than oil, propane, but not natural gas - 02/19/12
    New Hampshire By: David Brooks In a sign of continuing inroads made by wood pellets in the state, their price is now being tracked by the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning, alongside t…Read More
  • Wood pellet producers ask federal government for help - 02/17/12
    Maine By: Nick McCrea Wood pellet heating is catching on at a slower rate than its leaders would like to see, but with some support from the federal government it could “go viral,” according…Read More
  • Proposed Biomass Energy Plant Gets Air PermitProposed Biomass Energy Plant Gets Air Permit - 02/17/12
    Vermont By: Staff The developer of a proposed wood energy plant in Fair Haven has received the air pollution control permit it needs from the state of Vermont. The plant proposed by Beaver Wo…Read More