THREE MONTHS AGO, the organization that runs our New England power grid sounded a shocking alarm: Our region faces a possibility of forced, rolling wintertime blackouts in coming years, largely […]
Plugging In
Posted inEnvironment
Globe pushes for new natural gas pipelines
The BOSTON GLOBE editorial page is going all in for new natural gas pipelines. In an editorial entitled “Why you’ll pay for Beacon Hill’s pipeline folly,” the Globe said it was […]
Posted inOpinion
Getting to grid modernization
IN MASSACHUSETTS and across much of the country, the push is on for “grid modernization.” The “grid” is at a critical point of transformation, being driven by trends towards de-carbonization, […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. needs to move much faster on electric buses
MASSACHUSETTS HAS AN AIR POLLUTION problem, specifically a diesel pollution problem. Our state has the highest health risk from diesel soot in New England. The Environmental Protection Agency’s recent rollback […]
Posted inOpinion
Go bigger with offshore wind procurement
IN RECENT MONTHS, the Baker administration has taken several important steps toward a clean energy future for the Commonwealth, including bold initiatives to accelerate large-scale clean energy as enabled by […]
Posted inOpinion
Tweak needed for clean peak standard
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER recently submitted a significant bond bill to the Legislature calling for a $1.4 billion authorization for climate adaptation, mitigation, and infrastructure investment. While the dollar amounts grab […]
Posted inEnvironment
Grid operator raises alarm at Mystic shutdown
This story was updated at 7:25 p.m. to include clarifying material. THE OPERATOR OF THE REGIONAL POWER GRID said on Tuesday that it plans to take immediate steps to prevent […]
Posted inEnvironment
Delays likely in offshore wind procurement
THE STATE’S TOP ENERGY OFFICIAL said on Tuesday that the selection of a winner or winners of the offshore wind procurement will probably be delayed beyond April 23 because the […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics
Baker treads softly on Healey proposal
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER adopted a cautious approach to Attorney General Maura Healey’s call for the elimination of a 50-company business sector that sells electricity to homeowners in Massachusetts. Healey last […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker proposes home energy efficiency score
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday proposed the creation of an easy-to-understand home energy efficiency score that could provide guidance for owners seeking to improve the energy efficiency of their residences […]
Posted inEnvironment
Exelon plays power politics
EXELON GENERATION is threatening to shut down its Mystic Generation Station in mid-2022 unless the operator of the regional power grid offers more money to units that generate electricity reliably […]
Posted inOpinion
My recipe for embracing renewables
WE’VE COME TO EXPECT the miracle of Moore’s Law from our computer technology – exponential progress in speed, power and efficiency, all while prices drop. Until recently, the world of […]
Posted inEconomy
Healey seeks ban on electricity sellers
This story was updated at 5 p.m. ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY on Thursday called for a ban on companies selling electricity to residential customers in Massachusetts, saying the 50 firms […]
Posted inEnvironment
Next up, Central Maine Power
MASSACHUSETTS SHIFTED GEARS on its multi-billion-dollar clean energy procurement Wednesday, dropping Northern Pass because of the project’s failure to obtain one last, key permit from the state of New Hampshire […]
Posted inEnvironment
No decision yet on clean energy procurement
THE STATE’S THREE UTILITIES apparently have decided that a Tuesday deadline means they have until midnight, so there was no word as of Tuesday evening on the winner of the […]
Posted inOpinion
New England’s largest battery
Editor’s note: An op-ed critical of Northfield written by Karl Meyer was published on March 17. AS THE LARGEST BATTERY in New England, FirstLight Power’s Northfield Mountain pumped-hydro storage facility […]
Posted inEnvironment
Deepwater Wind commits to local foundation facility
DEEPWATER WIND said on Tuesday that it would assemble its turbine foundations in Massachusetts if it is awarded a state-authorized contract to build a wind farm off the coast of […]
Posted inEnvironment
State’s top executives push for more natural gas
THE MASSACHUSETTS COMPETITIVE PARTNERSHIP, a group representing the top executives of the state’s largest employers, released a letter on Tuesday urging the state’s top three political leaders to push for […]
Posted inOpinion
This energy storage is tough on Connecticut River
IN APRIL, MASSACHUSETTS will take a big step toward meeting its energy responsibilities in the era of climate change. A company will be selected for the first phase of long-term […]
Posted inEnvironment
Time running short for N. Pass
NORTHERN PASS, the New Hampshire transmission line selected by Massachusetts as the winner of a clean energy procurement, is running out of time to win a key permit. The New […]
Posted inEnvironment
Study gauges economic impact of offshore wind
MASSACHUSETTS WON’T GAIN MUCH economically by importing hydro-electricity from Quebec into New England, but a new report indicates the Bay State’s upcoming procurement for offshore wind will have a positive […]
Posted inUncategorized
Pipeline debate gets testy on Twitter
Tim Murray, a Worcester business leader and the former lieutenant governor, got into a testy natural gas policy debate on Twitter over the last few days with a number of pipeline opponents. It started on Tuesday when Murray, […]
Posted inOpinion
We’re not absolutists, we’re realists
AS OUR STATE EXPERIENCED back-to-back 100-year floods, the Boston Globe’s editorial writers were busy this winter honing their case for expansion of natural gas pipeline capacity in New England that […]
Posted inOpinion
We need to end energy inequality
CLEAN ENERGY BELONGS to us all. We’re talking about the wind and the sun, sources of power that have graced us since the dawn of time. We’re talking about power […]
