Report: Clean energy kept lights on during New England heat wave

A new report revealed how local, “behind-the-meter” solar installations came to the rescue during New England’s recent historic heat wave.

On June 24, ISO New England issued a “power caution” and multiple energy alerts as record temperatures triggered a decade-high electricity demand.

Jamie Dickerson, senior director of clean energy and climate programs at the nonprofit Acadia Center, said solar panels helped ensure people had power throughout the day.

“Solar was helping not just deliver megawatt-hours but also suppressing demand for the entire region,” Dickerson pointed out. “Basically helping ensure that the grid could keep the lights on, could keep the air conditioning running.”

He added it helped save ISO customers more than $8 million on one of the most expensive power days of the year.

Renewable energy backers warn the loss of federal tax credits for solar panels and other green technologies will only slow future development and limit the region’s response to the next peak power event.

Landmark investments in clean energy made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act were largely eliminated by the federal budget bill signed into law by President Donald Trump last week. Massachusetts taxpayers alone benefited from more than $200 million in tax credits for home energy efficiency updates.

Dickerson noted the improvements ease the burden on the power grid in a warming climate.

“Those resources are susceptible to equipment failure and to outages, and there is correlated outage risk across the very large fleet of natural gas generation in the region,” Dickerson explained. “All the more reason why we need to diversify the region’s portfolio.”

He emphasized the removal of federal tax credits will not entirely handicap states’ ability to increase solar development. Massachusetts recently revised its solar program to encourage development in low-income communities as well as rooftop solar installations.