EVERSOURCE, New England’s largest utility, said on Thursday that it plans to exit the offshore wind business and write down the value of its holdings by $220 million to $280 […]
Plugging In
Energy and the Environment
Posted inEnergy
Vineyard Wind components arrive in New Bedford
THE NATION’S fledgling offshore wind industry took a very visible step forward on Thursday as a ship from Portugal delivered components for the first US industrial-scale wind farm to the […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, Opinion
We must pursue a real plan for net-zero emissions by 2050
AS THE COMMONWEALTH moves forward with its ambitious mandate to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, it’s essential that we have a real plan for implementing a real solution. Failure to adopt a […]
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 inOpinion
Ocean grid key to explosive offshore wind growth
OFFSHORE WIND could be as beneficial to Massachusetts economy as life sciences, but not without transmission infrastructure to scale the industry. The life science sector grew by over 60,000 jobs […]
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, State Government
Healey playing catch-up with latest offshore wind procurement
THE HEALEY ADMINISTRATION made the best of a bad situation on Tuesday, issuing a draft of the state’s fourth request for offshore wind proposals that reworks the failed third procurement, […]
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 inEnergy
Avangrid CEO mentions default on wind farm deal
THE CEO of Avangrid told financial analysts on Wednesday that his company has defaulted on a provision in its offshore wind power purchase agreement with three Massachusetts utilities. It’s not […]
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
Maine jury delivers hydro relief for Mass.
BAY STATE and many New England policymakers breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday after a jury in Maine voted 9-0 to green light the completion of a Massachusetts-financed transmission […]
Posted inEnvironment
AG reaches $300,000 Brayton Point settlement
AFTER NEARLY TWO years of negotiation, the owner of Brayton Point in Somerset on Wednesday agreed to a $300,000 settlement with the Massachusetts attorney general’s office related to allegations that […]
Posted inOpinion
New transmission lines key to clean energy future
STATELY WIND turbines and neat arrays of solar farms provide vivid images for a much-anticipated era of abundant renewable energy. But it is the relatively mundane network of transmission lines […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Solar is causing a dramatic shift in electricity demand
DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY from the New England power grid fell to an all-time low on Easter Sunday, another telling sign that solar power continues to expand across the region. Solar is […]
Posted inEnergy, Politics
Somerset elects newcomer to Select Board
VOTERS IN SOMERSET elected a new member to the Select Board on Monday who has expressed interest in resolving a dispute that has stalled the sale of land at Brayton […]
Posted inEnergy
Select Board race in Somerset has offshore wind ramifications
A BATTLE FOR A SEAT on the Somerset Select Board is shaping up as a referendum on the board’s oversight of Brayton Point, which many in town hope will become […]
Posted inOpinion
We can’t afford to ban offshore wind developers
THE CONSTRUCTION OF VINEYARD WIND this year is a turning point for the Commonwealth and the country. By this fall, energy from the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind project will […]
Posted inOpinion
Talking about decarbonization? Think nuclear
AN INTERESTING DEBATE is taking place on the pages of CommonWealth about decarbonization. One commentary by Arnold Wallenstein suggested Massachusetts should scale back its decarbonization efforts, which prompted a sharp response […]
Posted inOpinion
Criticism of green hydrogen misses the mark
A YEAR AGO, President Biden signed into law the single most sweeping climate bill in American history. Supported by virtually the entire Democratic Party and environmental leaders like the Environmental […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t let utilities hijack offshore wind
RECENT DISPUTES between offshore wind operators and Massachusetts regulators highlight how our clean energy future is far from guaranteed. The two projects in dispute, Commonwealth Wind and SouthCoast Wind (formerly […]
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
SouthCoast Wind keeps hedging on its viability
IS SOUTHCOAST WIND, the proposed wind farm off the Massachusetts coast previously known as MayFlower Wind, fully committed to the power purchase contract it agreed to with the state’s utilities? […]