GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said on Tuesday that he would support omnibus energy legislation that would spur the development of offshore wind, but he stopped short of backing a special carveout for the industry. Baker said his primary focus in the upcoming energy debate is legislation he filed that would allow the state’s utilities to solicit […]
Electricity
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
Legislature should commit to offshore wind power
THERE’S A CONVERSATION UNDERWAY right now on Beacon Hill that has the potential to unleash the next American energy revolution and create tens of thousands of jobs here in the Commonwealth and across the country. As communities up and down the eastern seaboard search for clean, reliable, and affordable sources of energy, offshore wind presents […]
Posted inEnvironment
Study prices out offshore wind
A UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE STUDY suggests offshore wind off the coast of Massachusetts can yield electricity at much lower prices than previously forecast, but only if policymakers green-light the development of at least 2,000 megawatts. The 2,000-megawatt number happens to be the exact number that some House lawmakers are pushing for in the omnibus energy […]
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
DeLeo officially backs offshore wind
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO on Wednesday made official what his lieutenants have been saying, that the omnibus energy bill scheduled to come up for a vote in April will include provisions to encourage the development of offshore wind power. “We have the opportunity to launch a new industry that is successful in other parts of […]
Posted inEnvironment
Beaton offers no commitment on offshore wind
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION’S POINT PERSON on energy told an offshore wind conference on Tuesday that the governor is very interested in the technology, but offered no commitments. Matthew Beaton, the governor’s secretary of energy and environmental affairs, sounded optimistic about offshore wind’s potential, but suggested it was premature to commit to the technology without first […]
Posted inEnvironment
House leaders: Price key in energy bill
HOUSE LEADERS, OFFERING UP SOME TANTALIZING CLUES about the omnibus energy legislation they are developing, said the bill will emerge sometime around mid-April and deal in some fashion or another with hydroelectricity, offshore wind, natural gas, and solar. The officials described their efforts as a balancing act, promising the package will not increase the average […]
Posted inEnvironment
Healey pushes for delay on pipeline contracts
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY on Thursday sought to delay action on a bid by Eversource Energy to tap its electric ratepayers for money to finance a natural gas pipeline expansion project in which an Eversource subsidiary has a 40 percent stake. Matthew Saunders, an assistant attorney general speaking on Healey’s behalf, urged the Department of […]
Posted inEnvironment
Moody’s raises concerns in wake of power auction
MOODY’S INVESTORS SERVICE on Tuesday issued a negative outlook for the region’s power generators in the wake of a very successful auction held last week to secure electricity supplies for New England in 2019-2020. Each year, the operator of the regional power grid holds a so-called forward capacity auction to secure electricity supplies three years […]