Invenergy’s 1.3GW Samson Solar energy project in Texas. Image: Invenergy
An Indiana-based subsidiary of power distribution company AES Corporation has announced it will buy a 195MW solar power project in the state in as part of its energy transition program.
Indianapolis Power and Light Company (IPL) said this week that developer Invenergy will oversee the construction of the project in Clinton County. Construction is expected to start in Autumn 2021, however, it is yet to be approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. It is expected to come online in 2023.
IPL chief executive Kristina Lund said the subsidiary’s investment in a utility-scale solar project “allows us to diversify our electric generation portfolio, while still reliably serving our customers.”
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While the rapid transition to renewable energy may save utility customers money in the long run, it can lead to higher energy bills in the short term. That’s because customers are still paying off retired coal plants while also funding new energy sources.
A state Senate bill would study how to reduce those costs through securitization. Much like refinancing a home, it allows customers to pay off coal plants over a longer period of time at a lower rate lowering energy bills. Tim Phelps is with the Indiana Conservative Alliance for Energy, which supports the legislation.
“These securitization tools could help speed up the state’s inevitable transition to cleaner, more renewable energy and save money along the way, he said.
Weekly Statehouse Update: Cigarette Tax, Controversial School Choice Bills Testimony
Brandon Smith/IPB News
A House committee passed a cigarette tax increase. The Senate approved an expansion of telehealth services. And legislation advanced to require nursing homes to allow certain visitors, even during lockdowns.
Here’s what you might have missed this week at the Statehouse.
Legislation approved by the House Public Health Committee would double the state’s cigarette tax, from $1 to $2 per pack. It would be the first increase in that tax since 2007. The bill also creates a new tax on e-liquids, used in vaping.
A measure that unanimously cleared the Senate this week would permanently expand telehealth services that Gov. Eric Holcomb temporarily allowed during the pandemic. The bill’s author, Sen. Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso), called the measure “transformational.”
Bill Aims To Secure Reliability As Utilities Transition To Wind, Solar
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Article origination IPBS-RJC
The bill’s author, Rep. Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) said the bill, HB 1520, doesn’t favor any one energy source.
FILE PHOTO: Brock Turner/WFIU-WTIU News
The bill is based off of a similar law in Michigan. Every year electric utilities would have to show how they plan to provide reliable energy to their customers for the next three years.
If the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission doesn’t feel a utility can meet peak demand times, the utility would have to come up with a plan to bridge that gap which could include building a new power plant or solar farm.
NIPSCO Advances Its Cost-Saving Electric Generation Transition Plan With Completion Of First Two Renewable Projects kpcnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kpcnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.