IN THE RACE to address a changing climate and transition to a clean energy future, Massachusetts is in an all-out sprint. Massive wind, solar, and battery projects are at various […]
Electricity
Posted inThe Download
Beacon Hill inaction leaves Avangrid in awkward spot
On July 27, the CEO of Avangrid told financial analysts that his company was preparing to resume work on the Massachusetts-financed transmission line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec into New England. […]
Posted inPolitics
Beacon Hill inaction leaves Avangrid in awkward spot
ON JULY 27, the CEO of Avangrid told financial analysts that his company was preparing to resume work on the Massachusetts-financed transmission line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec into New England. […]
Posted inEnergy
Avangrid provides on-the-water glimpse of offshore wind future
WIND FARM DEVELOPER Avangrid provided a preview of coming attractions on Wednesday, taking a group of lawmakers, environmental advocates, and reporters out to the construction site of the nation’s first […]
Posted inEnergy
Avangrid agrees to pay $48m to terminate offshore wind deal
AVANGRID AND THE STATE’S three major utilities on Monday agreed to terminate a power purchase agreement they signed just last year, with the offshore wind developer agreeing to pay a total […]
Posted inEnergy
Grid shifts to operating reserves to deal with transmission outage
THE NEW ENGLAND power grid experienced a transmission outage at 6 p.m. Wednesday night and dealt with the electricity shortage by tapping resources it keeps on standby to deal with […]
Posted inEnergy
Mass. solar potential called enormous
THE HEALEY ADMINISTRATION unveiled a new mapping tool on Thursday that suggests the state has the potential to generate an enormous amount of solar power. In a press release, the […]
Posted inOpinion
Oil is not a good bridge fuel to the future
THE FEDERAL ENERGY Regulatory Commission (FERC) came to Portland, Maine, this week to discuss with policymakers from across the region the challenge of keeping the lights on while reducing the […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Big decisions looming on offshore wind
EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS a picture surfaces out of New Bedford showing ships bringing in the giant parts needed to assemble Vineyard Wind, the nation’s first commercial-scale wind farm. The […]
Posted inEnergy
R.I. official: Offshore wind regulators facing ‘Hobson’s choice’
A TOP REGULATOR in Rhode Island is raising concerns about the way offshore wind developers are seeking to renegotiate the financial terms of their projects, saying policymakers are facing “a […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
NY offshore wind developers also seek price relief
MAJOR OFFSHORE wind developers in New York say their projects may no longer be financially viable unless regulators amend their power purchase agreements to include adjustments for inflation and interconnection […]
Posted inEnergy
SouthCoast Wind report suggests pricey future for offshore wind
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
Correcting the record on decarbonization
A RECENT COMMENTARY, “Decarbonization road map has some gaping holes” by Arnold J. Wallenstein, argues that Massachusetts must scale back its efforts to decarbonize its energy system. Unfortunately, the piece […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Opinion
Fair share for the fossil fuel industry
RIGHT NOW, the fossil fuel industry is booming. A recent Reuters report said that Exxon Mobil made record annual profits in 2022, raking in $55.7 billion, exceeding its previous record of […]
Posted inOpinion
Pushing back against the defenders of natural gas
WE TAKE exception to Arnold Wallenstien’s recent commentary, in which he argues against a rapid transition from gas to renewable energy. First, he fails to consider the alternative to a rapid […]