Electricity

Regional grid operator too protective of industry

Plugging In/ Energy/ Opinion

Regional grid operator too protective of industry

Policies are driving up electricity prices that consumers pay

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THIS SUMMER, governors from five of the six New England states joined together to issue a statement acknowledging the challenges the region faces in maintaining reliable, affordable electricity.  The governors pledged to work within their jurisdictions to carry out policies that ensure both a robust and reliable system and keep prices as low as possible.(...)

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On climate change, more than RGGI is needed

Plugging In/ Energy/ Environment/ Opinion

On climate change, more than RGGI is needed

Cheap natural gas played biggest role in reducing emissions so far

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YOU MAY HAVE CAUGHT wind of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s disturbing new report on climate change. The message is clear––keep man-made global warming impacts to 1.5 degrees Celsius or suffer dire consequences. We are currently at about 1-degree Celsius, and if we are to remain below 1.5 degrees of warming, fossil fuel use(...)

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Utility to run line under Kennebec Gorge

Plugging In/ Energy/ Environment

Utility to run line under Kennebec Gorge

MA project will bring hydro-electricity into New England

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THE UTILITY UNDER CONTRACT with Massachusetts to import Quebec hydro-electricity into New England said on Thursday that it now plans to run the transmission lines under rather than over the Kennebec Gorge in Maine. The transmission line has stirred opposition in Maine for a variety of reasons, but the prospect of high-voltage transmission wires running(...)

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We need more, not less, competition for offshore wind

Plugging In/ Energy/ Environment/ Opinion

We need more, not less, competition for offshore wind

With ranks of competitors shrinking, government must intervene

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THE OFFSHORE WIND ERA in the United States is here. With no need to burn fossil fuel, to enrich uranium, to dam rivers, or to build thousands of acres of solar panels, offshore wind is the most benign form of bulk power available to mankind. Plans to seize the potential of offshore wind already have(...)

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Ørsted to buy Deepwater Wind for $510m

Plugging In/ Energy

Ørsted to buy Deepwater Wind for $510m

Danish firm eliminates competitor; retains Grybowski as co-CEO in US

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TWO OF THE BIGGER PLAYERS in the emerging US offshore wind industry are combining forces, as the Denmark-based Ørsted announced an agreement on Monday to purchase Deepwater Wind of Rhode Island for $510 million. The deal eliminates one of Ørsted’s leading competitors along the East Coast and creates a company with offshore wind contracts or(...)

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Hydro-Québec’s greenwashing game

Plugging In/ Energy/ Environment/ Opinion

Hydro-Québec’s greenwashing game

No guarantees Massachusetts deal will lower emissions

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IN A RECENT COMMENTARY PIECE, “Sierra Club fires back on Québec hydro,” the Sierra Club explained why electricity imported from Québec is not clean. The focus was on the adverse environmental impacts directly related to flooding large areas of land for hydroelectricity. But that’s only part of the story. As a result of Hydro-Québec’s ability(...)

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Consumers overlooked amid ISO power politics

Plugging In/ Energy/ Opinion

Consumers overlooked amid ISO power politics

Who should bear the brunt of Exelon subsidies?

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THE FUEL SECURITY CONTROVERSY in New England, particularly as it relates to the availability of natural gas in the winter, escalated dramatically with the issuance of a fuel security study by the operation of the region’s power grid, ISO New England. That was followed quickly by Exelon’s announcement that it intends to shut down its(...)

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Sierra Club fires back on Quebec hydro

Plugging In/ Energy/ Environment/ Opinion

Sierra Club fires back on Quebec hydro

Stored energy is neither green nor clean

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THE ASSERTIONS IN THE RECENT ARTICLE “Hydro-Québec, Central Maine Power respond to critics” by John Carroll and Lynne St-Laurent are not correct. Of course, one must consider the source of the statements. New England Clean Energy Connect project proponents put a nice spin on their joint project, but they respond as public relations employees rather than(...)

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Hydro-Québec, Central Maine Power respond to critics

Plugging In/ Energy/ Environment/ Opinion

Hydro-Québec, Central Maine Power respond to critics

Accuse Sierra Club, Maine group of siding with fossil fuel industry

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MASSACHUSETTS’ LEADERSHIP on energy policy has created a once-in-a-generation opportunity to move the needle on clean energy.  According to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the proposal from Hydro-Québec  and Central Maine Power to deliver clean energy over the New England Clean Energy Connect will result in nearly half (47 percent) of the electricity consumed by Massachusetts(...)

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Lawmakers have more work to do on energy

Plugging In/ Energy/ Environment/ Opinion

Lawmakers have more work to do on energy

We need access to more natural gas

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AS IT ALWAYS DOES, the summer’s legislative session on Beacon Hill concluded with a flurry of activity, ending with a number of bills sent to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk on everything from a sales tax holiday to automatic voter registration. For all our progress, one area where work isn’t finished is energy. Massachusetts has shown(...)

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