A REPORT COMMISSIONED by SouthCoast Wind indicates the cost of building and operating US offshore wind farms has risen by more than 20 percent since 2019, suggesting the Massachusetts procurement scheduled for next year could be pricey. SouthCoast Wind on Monday said it was seeking to terminate the power purchase agreements it previously signed with […]
Electricity
Posted inEnergy
Healey seeking $250m for grid upgrades
THE HEALEY ADMINISTRATION announced on Monday that it has filed an application for $250 million in federal matching funds to help build connections to the power grid in Massachusetts for offshore wind and solar power developers. State officials portrayed the grant proposal as an attempt to “jumpstart state and regional collaboration on necessary transmission infrastructure,” […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government
Energy storage facilities hit regulatory black hole
THE STATE’S Energy Facilities Siting Board concluded on Wednesday that it lacks authority to approve large energy storage facilities, which means two projects in Carver and Medway may be in jeopardy. Energy storage facilities are becoming an integral part of the regional power grid. The facilities help the grid deal with fluctuations in demand by […]
Posted inEnergy, Government
Connecticut taking different approach to utility regulation
CONNECTICUT IS CHANGING the way it regulates utilities, and the new approach has the companies and investors scared. The new approach, called performance-based regulation, is intended to compensate utilities based on how well they perform tasks rather than on how much money they spend. Many states, including Massachusetts, incorporate some element of performance into their […]
Posted inOpinion
End the DPU’s stall on municipal electricity aggregation
AS FOLKS ACROSS Massachusetts confront the consequences of a changing climate and emerge from a winter of extraordinarily high energy costs, it’s clear that we need cleaner, more affordable power. Expanding municipal aggregation programs would increase demand for clean energy, reduce fossil fuel emissions, and lower energy costs for ratepayers – yet the Department of […]
Posted inOpinion
We see promise in geothermal heating and cooling
CLIMATE CHANGE is real. Also real is that each of us can act. We are at a critical moment to make lasting change, particularly in reducing greenhouse gas emissions that come from how we heat our homes and businesses. After all, building heat represents more than a quarter of total carbon emissions. EARTHDAY.ORG , the […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
New England’s last coal-fired power plant loses key revenue source
AN AUCTION for commitments to deliver electricity to the New England power grid three years from now provides two interesting clues about the region’s energy future. First, New England’s last active coal-fired generator, Merrimack Station in Bow, New Hampshire, failed to qualify in the auction, suggesting its days may be numbered. The other big takeaway […]
Posted inEnergy
Electricity prices falling, but remain high
NATIONAL GRID said its price for basic service will plummet starting May 1 but still remain above levels from a year ago. Basic service is electricity National Grid buys on behalf of customers who choose not to select their own supplier. National Grid procures the electricity through a competitive bidding process and collects no markup […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Offshore wind industry united on pricing adjustments
MASSACHUSETTS POLICYMAKERS may be split on whether offshore wind developers should be allowed to adjust the pricing in their existing power purchase agreements to cope with changing economic conditions, but there is no disagreement – within the industry at least – that adjustments should be permitted on future contracts. In filings with the Department of […]
Posted inOpinion
More renewables, not more gas, is our future
At 4:30 p.m. on a bitter, cold Christmas Eve 2022, New England’s power grid operator ISO-NE declared a capacity deficiency after gas and oil generators used during times of peak demand failed to provide sufficient energy. The failure pushed our regional power grid to the brink and put residents at risk of blackouts. Over two […]