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 in the 15 years leading up to 2022, a growth rate of 131 percent vs. 6.9 percent over the same period for the broader Massachusetts […]
Peter Shattuck
Posted inEnvironment
Ingredients for climate success
MASSACHUSETTS HAS A STRONG RECORD addressing climate-changing pollution. In the early 2000s, Massachusetts was a founding partner in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-state, bipartisan cooperative that has contributed to a 50 percent drop in power plant emissions. Passage of the Green Communities Act in 2008 led to nation-leading energy efficiency policies that […]
Posted inOpinion
What Massachusetts can learn from New York’s solar experience
Over the past several years, Massachusetts has been able to deploy more than 1000 megawatts of solar capacity. This remarkable success is due to an interrelated set of policies that made solar an attractive investment for customers and a viable business opportunity for developers to invest and hire in the Commonwealth. These policies are now […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
A roadmap for the omnibus energy bill
Final in a series. The first installment focused on natural gas and the second on utilities. A DECADE FROM NOW, electricity mix in Massachusetts could look quite different from what we see today. A new offshore wind sector could allow Massachusetts to tap a world-class resource, while generating jobs and investment in a growing industry. […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Technology upends the utility business model
Second in a three-part series. The first part, on natural gas pipelines, can be found here. IN THE SHARING ECONOMY, new consumer technologies and business models are upending industries from transportation to accommodation, opening up markets previously dominated by established players. Similar forces are sweeping over the energy sector. A homeowner who feeds surplus electricity […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
The case against gas pipelines
This is the first in a three-part series of opinion pieces that will appear on consecutive Mondays. ON MARCH 20, 1886, the world’s first alternating current electric grid was powered up in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The steam generator, power lines, and transformers were revolutionary and, in the 130 years since, the electric grid has transformed […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Part 3: Energy rules need to change
Third of three parts OUR ENERGY SYSTEM is evolving and will look very different in years to come from what we have today. Electricity produced by solar, wind, and other renewable technologies will power our cars and provide efficient heating. Homeowners and businesses will anchor an integrated grid with power flowing between consumers and among […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Part 2: What states are doing on energy
Second of three parts IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, policymakers across New England may commit tens of billions of ratepayers’ dollars to gas pipelines and electric transmission that will shape the region’s energy future for decades to come. Some of the projects probably make sense, and could help to replace the region’s outdated power plants […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Part 1: We’re not facing an energy crisis in New England
First of a three-part series NEW ENGLAND’S ENERGY SYSTEM is at an important juncture, but we are not facing a crisis. After last year’s winter, many argued for radical action to head off looming shortages and increasing prices. However, when we look at how well the energy system weathered the record-cold of 2015, the crisis […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Don’t treat natural gas addiction with new pipelines
Massachusetts and New England are dangerously addicted to natural gas. We got addicted because gas burns cleaner than oil and coal and is cheap most of the year. But our need for gas is becoming increasingly problematic as competition for limited supplies on cold days causes energy prices to spike. And the problem is getting […]