3M units, even those that suffered over past year, are doing better The Maplewood-based company handily beat Wall Street forecasts with first quarter results. April 27, 2021 7:52am Text size Copy shortlink:
3M on Tuesday posted a strong first quarter, handily beating Wall Street s profit forecasts with solid performances across all of its main businesses.
The Maplewood-based manufacturing giant, maker of everything from Post-it Notes to respiratory masks, recorded profits of $586.3 million, or $2.77 per share, a 23% per-share increase over 2020 s first quarter.
The consensus stock analyst estimate was $2.29 per share.
3M s first quarter sales clocked in at $8.9 billion, up 9.6% and ahead of forecasts of $8.47 billion.
Enbridge shells out $750K to law enforcement for Line 3 protest costs A fund set up by the state PUC reimburses agencies for enforcement tied to project. April 24, 2021 8:00am Text size Copy shortlink:
Enbridge so far has paid about $750,000 to Minnesota law enforcement agencies for policing the construction of its controversial new oil pipeline.
The money has covered officers wages, police equipment and training, including for crowd control, according to information filed with the state. Enbridge will likely spend a lot more before the half-built replacement for its corroding Line 3 is finished.
Enbridge s support of the public-safety fund is mandated as part of Minnesota utility regulators approval of the $3 billion-plus pipeline. The rationale: make the Canadian company pay for Line 3-related law enforcement costs not Minnesota taxpayers.
How a deep freeze in the South burned Minnesotan consumers Minnesota utilities made a losing bet on natural gas markets, leaving customers on the hook for higher prices. April 17, 2021 8:00am Text size Copy shortlink:
When a deep freeze hit the South in February, the natural gas market essentially failed Minnesotans, leaving them on the hook for an unprecedented $800 million in extra charges.
Under state law, utilities pass down wholesale gas costs, which skyrocketed in February. Many Minnesota consumers will pony up at least 50% more than they pay annually for their heating bills.
Customers of CenterPoint Energy, the state s largest gas utility, will be hit the hardest: $354 for the average residential household. The state s second- and third-largest gas utilities, Xcel Energy and MERC, expect surcharges of $270 and between $225 to $250, respectively.
Inside Clean Energy: The Rooftop Solar Income Gap Is (Slowly) Shrinking
Research shows that falling costs are helping to make solar accessible to people with lower incomes.
April 15, 2021
Contractors install SunRun Inc. solar panels on the roof of a new home at the Westline Homes Willowood Cottages community in Sacramento, California, on Aug. 15, 2018. Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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One of the most common arguments against subsidizing rooftop solar is that the benefits mostly go to affluent households that don’t need any help.
But the reality is that the declining costs of rooftop solar, along with access to solar leasing and other financing methods, are helping to reduce the income gap between solar households and U.S. households in general.
Xcel wants to build $575M solar plant in Becker The project will be adjacent to the utility s Sherco coal power complex. April 13, 2021 10:56am Text size Copy shortlink:
Xcel Energy has unveiled plans for the largest solar energy plant in Minnesota by far, a $575 million project in Becker adjacent to the company s Sherco coal power complex.
The solar plant would create 900 union construction jobs and provide enough electricity to power 100,000 Upper Midwest homes, the company said.
It would help replace some electricity generation that will be lost through the early retirement of Xcel s three Sherco coal generators.
While Xcel discussed the solar plant last year, the company late Tuesday filed its formal proposal with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The proposal is part of Xcel s response to the PUC s call last spring to accelerate investments to help with the COVID-19 ec