Infrastructure
Small Utilities Say Subsidized ‘Net-Metering’ Projects Could Trigger Rate Increases
Small electric utilities around Vermont are concerned their customers will face higher bills to pay for a boom in solar projects. Last month, the utilities complained to regulators about the subsidies they have to pay for certain solar projects.
Read MoreMarking Time On The Quinnipiac River: One Bridge Opening At A Time
When a boat needs to pass under a low bridge on a river, that bridge needs to move out of the way. A drawbridge lifts up so a boat can pass under. A swing bridge pivots out of the way so a boat can pass by. But these decades-old bridges don’t operate on their own. They rely on a small group of “bridge tenders” who specialize in a peculiar and slow-moving job.
Read MoreOther Cities’ Stadium Woes Serve Warning To Worcester And The PawSox
Worcester’s proposed new stadium for the Red Sox’s top farm team would be the most expensive minor league ballpark ever built, and most of the bill would be charged to taxpayers’ collective credit card. The city plans to take on as much as $100.8 million in bond debt.
Read MoreSam Evans-Brown Talks Behind-The-Meter Solar’s Impact On The Region’s Grid
Our growing need for energy – and our desire to make more of it renewable – has set up other tensions, beyond where to put big power lines. There’s long been a dispute over how to account for so called “Behind-the-Meter” solar – the kind you might put on your home or business to try and get “off the grid.” Energy analysts are seeing that – especially during heat waves like the one that’s gripped New England for much of the summer – this rooftop solar can actually have a big impact on our energy needs.
Read MoreAs Storms Become Stronger, What’s In Store For Coastal Drinking Wells?
Hurricanes can push extra sea water toward the shore. And that water, called storm surge, can flood streets and basements. But scientists at the University of Rhode Island are wondering, how can that water impact coastal drinking wells?
Read MorePilgrim Nuclear Power Plant Is Up For Sale
The owner of the Pilgrim nuclear power plant is selling it at a bargain price. In fact, it’s practically giving away the plant and its $1 billion trust fund.
Read MoreStage Set For Drama (And Musical Comedy) On The International Border
Next month a new theater troupe, the Borderline Players, will put on its first summer musical. You can see the show in the U.S. or Canada — depending on where in the theater you sit.
Read MoreWaiting For Supplies For His Home, One Puerto Rican Rebuilds Another Man’s House Instead
You only have to ask Ramón Luis Morales once to know that the trauma of Hurricane Maria is still fresh.
Read MorePlum Island Residents Weigh ‘Green’ Or ‘Gray’ Infrastructure In Struggle Against Erosion
On the northern tip of an island surrounded by river, marsh and sea, a few dozen volunteers sink shovels into a mound of sand, digging 10,000 holes to plant 20,000 stalks of beach grass.
Read MoreA Microgrid System On Isle au Haut Could One Day Be A Model For The Entire Nation
Now, tiny Isle au Haut is the laboratory with a big solution: islanders and engineers are using artificial intelligence, complex algorithms and a bootstrapping attitude in an urgent effort to design what they are calling the next, next electricity grid.
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