EarlyBird News

On May 11, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Rep Jim Langevin (D-R.I.-2) announced the “Offshore Wind Incentives for New Development Act” or the “Offshore WIND Act.” If passed, the Offshore WIND Act would extend the 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC) under Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Code for offshore […]

Eversource has filed with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities new electric basic service rates for the upcoming summer and fall months beginning July 1, 2017. These newly published rates have increased compared to current 2017 rates and are significantly higher, over 30%, than last year’s 2016 rates. To better understand this rate increase, below […]

National Grid has filed with the Massachusetts DPU new basic service rates for residential, commercial, and industrial customers effective May 1, 2017. Taking into account pending changes to National Grid’s Basic Service Administrative Cost Adjustment Factors (BSACFs) and Smart Grid Customer Cost Adjustment Factors (SGCCFs) which are the subject of another proceeding, the new rates […]

Last week, Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indicated that he does not think carbon dioxide is a significant contributor to global warming. In an interview with CNBC, Pruitt suggested that we do not know yet whether carbon dioxide caused by human activity is a primary contributor to global warming. Pruitt’s suggestion […]

ISO New England, the operator of New England’s power grid, reported last week that 2016 wholesale electricity prices in the region fell to their lowest since 2013. Cheap natural gas and lower consumer demand for electricity contributed to the fall in prices. ISO New England noted that, according to the Energy Information Administration, 2016 natural […]

ISO-NE Acquires Low-Priced, Surplus Capacity Last Monday, ISO New England’s annual Forward Capacity Auction (FCA) for 2020-2021 yielded low capacity prices. ISO-NE, the New England electricity grid operator, holds FCAs three years in advance to ensure that the grid has sufficient resources to meet electricity demand. In past years, the clearing prices have been quite […]

Eversource, previously Nstar, has filed their new basic service electric rates with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities for the upcoming three-month period beginning April 1, 2017. The new retail prices apply to Large Commercial and Industrial electric customers and include Basic Service Adders, Renewable Portfolio Standards, and Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard Adders. Below are […]

DOER Next Solar Incentive Program Update– The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), after months of public comment, released on Tuesday its proposal for a new solar-energy incentive program. The new program will eliminate Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC). The new program, called the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target program or SMART program, will establish a […]

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s Department of Environmental Protection has drafted a new clear air regulations proposal. The proposal would aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions further after MA’s Supreme Court ruled the state was not doing enough to cut them. Under the proposal, utilities would have to purchase generation credits from zero-carbon sources at 16 […]

The University of Texas Austin’s Energy Institute recently published an interactive map that reflects the country’s movement away from coal. It illustrates what kinds of power plants are cheapest to build in every county in the continental United States. For most of the country, the lowest-cost plants are natural gas combined cycle plants (in red), […]