Rooftop Solar Bills Advance in Massachusetts
“Our building sector is going to be one of the toughest sectors to fully decarbonize,” Deborah Donovan, Massachusetts director for the Acadia Center, an environmental nonprofit, explained to Energy News. “We don’t want to miss any opportunities on buildings we’re going to be living with for the next 50 to 80 years.”
Read the full article from Nonprofit Quarterly here.
Environmental groups accuse state of ‘deeply flawed’ review of biomass changes; call for more input
The groups submitted the request in a four-page letter dated Aug. 1, to Kathleen A. Theoharides, state secretary for the Department of Energy Resources.
It was signed by representatives of the Acadia Center, the Conservation Law Foundation, Green Energy Consumers Alliance, the Massachusetts Sierra Club, Partnership for Policy Integrity, and RESTORE: The North Woods.
The groups alleged that the process used thus far in evaluating state regulation changes has been “deeply flawed.”
Read the full article from Mass Live here.
Raid or reinvest? Connecticut, Vermont take different paths on efficiency funds
In Connecticut, energy efficiency efforts have been largely overshadowed in recent years by the state’s “big push” to get homeowners to switch from oil heating to natural gas, said Amy McLean Salls, Connecticut director for the Acadia Center. A lack of awareness around the payback from energy efficiency programs left the funds vulnerable to diversion, a circumstance advocates worked hard to correct during the most recent legislative session.
Read the full article from Energy News Network here.
Performance-based regulation: Seeking the new utility business model
“The Eversource rate case has shown us that Massachusetts utilities can get automatic rate increases without doing anything differently,” Acadia Center Attorney Amy Boyd emailed Utility Dive.
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The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission’s landmark PIM Principles, proposed by Commissioner Abigail Anthony, are “a framework on PIM design to guide regulators and stakeholders,” Regulatory Associate Project Attorney Mark LeBel, who intervened in the rate case as an attorney with advocacy group Acadia Center, told Utility Dive.
Read the full article from Utility Dive here.
Raising NH’s solar standards would yield many economic benefits
Many reputable studies debunk a common misconception regarding solar power by providing evidence in support of “reverse cost shifts” – that is, net savings to all ratepayers. A 2017 study conducted by the state Public Utilities Commission found no evidence of a cost-shift from solar generators to ratepayers. In fact, the Acadia Center estimates the value of solar energy to all grid-dependent ratepayers at 19-24 cents/kWh, not including an additional 6.7 cents/kWh in societal value. These benefits are greater than half the full retail value of conventionally-generated electricity.
Read the full article from the NH Business Review here.
Maine Enacts Beneficial Electrification Law; State to Issue RFP for Pilot Projects
“Passage of the beneficial electrification bill shows that Maine is serious about its clean energy and climate goals,” said Emily Lewis ,Acadia Center’s climate and energy analysis center director. “Coupled with the heat pump market transformation bill, Maine is now poised to attack its two biggest sources of greenhouse gases – buildings and transportation.
“These bills offer a one-two punch by setting the state up for near-term progress through residential heat pump targets and pilot electric vehicle programs, while also establishing a path for long-term solutions by studying barriers to electrifying these sectors,” she told Microgrid Knowledge.
Read the full article from Microgrid Knowledge here.
Cap and trade for cars? ‘It gets pretty complicated’
“There’s been a successful effort to reduce electric-sector emissions. And now the states have an opportunity to pivot and really focus on the largest source of CO2 emissions in the country,” said Jordan Stutt, director of carbon programs at the Acadia Center, a Boston-based environmental group.
“Frankly, the science is making it all the more clear that we need to act quickly on this,” Stutt said. “So even though the transportation sector is notoriously difficult to clean up, that’s no longer a good enough excuse.”
Read the full article from E&E News here.
General Assembly moves likely to expand solar development in R.I.
“I don’t see how anyone can say this is a good outcome,” said Erika Niedowski, Rhode Island director for the Acadia Center, a regional environmental group. “The prospect of another year without good strategies for smart siting is really disappointing.”
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Grow Smart said in an email that the stripped-down bill “fails to achieve any solar siting reforms.” And in a recent letter to Sosnowski, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture, the Acadia Center, Save The Bay, Audubon and other environmental groups argue that controls on development are critical.
Read the full article from Providence Journal here.
Critics say Massachusetts’ $1 billion clean energy bill not bold enough
The plan, known as GreenWorks, was first laid out in broad strokes by House Speaker Robert DeLeo in February. The announcement sparked excitement because the House has traditionally been unwilling to take bold action on climate change issues, said Deborah Donovan, Massachusetts director of the Acadia Center, a nonprofit that advocates for solutions to climate change.
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This uncertainty is not good enough, Donovan said.
“We’re working with the Legislature to make it clear that we need more than an empty bag that could maybe get filled,” she said.
Read the full article from Energy News Network here.
New Housing Issue Complicates R.I.’s Solar-Siting Plans
The solar-siting bills have created a rift among environmental groups, many of whom serve on the OER’s solar advisory board. They are at odds over the loss of open space and forests and the need for renewable energy to curb climate emissions. The Conservation Law Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the Northeast Clean Energy Council, and the Acadia Center see the bill as much-needed action this year that will stem the loss of woodlands.
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But the Acadia Center say communities are overwhelmed with solar projects and urgently need help to address the deluge of projects.
“We’re still very much urging more comprehensive action on solar siting this year,” said Erika Niedowski, Rhode Island director for the Acadia Center. “The status quo is not serving anyone well.”
Read the full article from ecoRI News here.