Clean Energy Leaders Applaud Groundbreaking Energy Bill Passed by Senate
Lawmakers Should Think Bold and Finalize Forward Thinking Legislation this Session
BOSTON — Leaders of the Alliance for Clean Energy Solutions, a coalition of business groups, clean energy companies, environmental organizations, health and consumer representatives dedicated to advancing clean energy for Massachusetts, issued the following statements regarding the comprehensive energy bill (S2372) passed this week by the Massachusetts Senate.
“Massachusetts needs clean energy resources to address the threat of climate change and reduce our dangerous overreliance on natural gas,” said Peter Shattuck, Massachusetts Director of Acadia Center and co-leader of ACES. “This bill supports the scale and scope of clean energy options to responsibly meet our energy needs and build on Massachusetts’ climate leadership and capacity to develop innovative technologies.”
“The Massachusetts Senate has passed legislation that will enable the Commonwealth to take advantage of the benefits of clean energy and innovation by spurring the private sector investment needed to capture the cost reduction and economic development benefits of renewable energy sources in addition to their environmental benefits” said NECEC Executive Vice President Janet Gail Besser, co-leader of ACES. “We commend the Senate for including Class 1 eligible renewable energy resources, offshore wind, energy storage, fuel cells, and other key policies that will make Massachusetts’ energy more cost-competitive, reliable, and clean for future generations.”
“Clean energy, innovation, and economic growth are all intertwined here in Massachusetts, and the Senate’s energy bill allows the benefits we see from this connectivity to continue to expand,” said Jesse Mermell, President of The Alliance for Business Leadership. “By investing in clean energy – and the innovation around it – we reduce our impact on climate change, lower energy costs, and create jobs. The future of Massachusetts will be brighter because of this bill’s commitment to clean energy.”
ACES supports policies to bring diverse clean energy resources to Massachusetts. Alliance members share the view that such policies are critical for the Commonwealth to achieve its climate commitments and will also protect consumers and the environment. ACES promotes the following priorities for large-scale energy procurement:
- Large-Scale Clean Energy Procurements – authorize procurement of Renewable Portfolio (RPS)-eligible resources (such as onshore wind) and hydroelectricity in order to facilitate cost-effective achievement of the RPS, replace retiring generation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify our electricity supply.
- Pairing of Wind and Hydroelectricity – require bundled procurements of RPS-eligible resources (such as onshore wind) and hydropower in order to drive in-region development and maximize efficient use of transmission for clean energy.
- Meaningful Offshore Wind Development – authorize phased procurement of offshore wind of sufficient scale over 15 years in order to tap Massachusetts’ world-class offshore wind resource and develop a sustainable industry in Massachusetts.
- Energy Procurement Standards and Criteria – competitively procure cost-effective and environmentally preferable clean energy resources through a procurement process that protects against self dealing, and ensures reliability, price stability, affordability for all income levels, and ensures that environmental impacts of electricity generation and transmission are appropriately avoided, minimized, and mitigated.
ACES additionally supports complimentary energy policies including expansion of the renewable energy portfolio standard, incentives for energy storage, establishment of climate requirements for 2030 and 2040, and clean energy financing with appropriate consumer protections.
Contacts:
Krysia Wazny, Acadia Center
617-742-0054 x107, kwazny@acadiacenter.org
Kate Plourd Johnson, NECEC
617-500-9933, kjohnson@necec.org
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About ACES: The Alliance for Clean Energy Solutions (ACES) is a “coalition of coalitions” comprised of business groups, clean energy companies, environmental organizations, labor, health, and consumer advocates dedicated to advancing clean energy for Massachusetts. ACES is committed to ensuring that those charged with shaping Massachusetts’ energy policies have the most rigorous, current data on the benefits and costs of clean energy. Our goal is to ensure that the Commonwealth can attain a cost-effective, reliable and diverse energy supply to power its businesses, communities and households, which will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, create a stable and prosperous business environment and meet the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas emissions requirements. For more information: acesma.org
Members Include: Acadia Center, Alliance for Business Leadership, Climate Action Business Association, Clean Water Action, E4theFuture, Energy Storage Association, Environment Massachusetts, Environmental Entrepreneurs, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Health Care Without Harm, Mass Audubon, Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, Northeast Clean Energy Council, Northeast Energy Efficiency Council, RENEW Northeast, Solar Energy Business Association of New England, Union of Concerned Scientists, US Green Building Council Massachusetts Chapter, Vote Solar.
Massachusetts Energy Bill Lacks Provisions to Ensure Cost-Effective Clean Energy Transition
BOSTON — Leaders of the Alliance for Clean Energy Solutions, a coalition of business groups, clean energy companies, environmental organizations, health and consumer representatives dedicated to advancing clean energy for Massachusetts, issued the following statements regarding the energy bill (HB 4377) passed this week by the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
“The House of Representatives passed a bill that aims to grow the market for combinations of onshore wind, other class 1 renewables, hydro and the transmission to bring this competitive clean energy to the Commonwealth,” said NECEC Executive Vice President Janet Gail Besser, co-leader of ACES, “But the scale of the bill’s solicitation is insufficient to spur the private sector investment needed to capture the full cost reduction and economic development benefits of renewable energy sources, while the failure to include provisions that enable Class 1 RPS-eligible resources to compete on their own removes the most cost-effective source of renewable energy in today’s market from the equation.”
“The house bill takes steps toward clean energy but lacks the necessary scale and scope needed for a cost-effective clean energy transformation,” said Acadia Center Massachusetts Director Peter Shattuck. “The scale of procurement for offshore wind and other renewable energy sources is smaller than the need to replace retiring generation with clean energy sources and may limit the competitiveness of opportunity for new clean energy combinations.”
Below are amendments that ACES encourages the Senate to include in its version of the bill:
- An amendment that increases the size of the clean energy procurement.
- An amendment that enables Class 1 RPS-eligible resources (including on-shore wind) to compete in large scale clean energy procurement established by the bill, which will lead to greater competition, put downward pressure on prices, and allow a variety of renewable resources to bid.
- An energy storage amendment that would direct the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to develop a plan to implement an energy storage program in the Commonwealth. Energy storage is viewed as a game-changer. Its flexibility could solve problems related to integrating wind and solar energy and help grid operators manage resources more efficiently.
- An amendment to increase the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS), a statutory obligation that requires suppliers to obtain a percentage of the electricity they provide to customers from renewable resources. Since first being introduced, the RPS and similar laws in other New England states (and 29 states across the country) have helped to bring many renewable energy projects online, boosting the regional economy, diversifying our energy mix and mitigating the environmental impacts of electricity use and production. Massachusetts clean energy policy and adopting this amendment would make rising to the climate challenge that much more achievable.
“From where we sit, the complicated world of energy policy is actually very simple: we must continue to invest in clean energy in order to bolster our economy, mature a thriving industry and tackle climate change. We’re encouraged by the important progress made in the House yesterday and hope this issue, which is so vital to the future of our commonwealth, remains front and center in the State House as the end of the legislative session draws near.”
Media Contacts:
Krysia Wazny
Acadia Center
kwazny@acadiacenter.org
Phone: 617-742-0054 x107
Kate Plourd Johnson
NECEC
kjohnson@necec.org
Phone: 617-500-9933
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About ACES:
The Alliance for Clean Energy Solutions (ACES) is a “coalition of coalitions” comprised of business groups, clean energy companies, environmental organizations, labor, health, and consumer advocates dedicated to advancing clean energy for Massachusetts. ACES is committed to ensuring that those charged with shaping Massachusetts’ energy policies have the most rigorous, current data on the benefits and costs of clean energy. Our goal is to ensure that the Commonwealth can attain a cost-effective, reliable and diverse energy supply to power its businesses, communities and households, which will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, create a stable and prosperous business environment and meet the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas emissions requirements. For more information: acesma.org
Members Include: Acadia Center, Alliance for Business Leadership, Climate Action Business Association, Clean Water Action, E4theFuture, Energy Storage Association, Environment Massachusetts, Environmental Entrepreneurs, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Health Care Without Harm, Mass Audubon, Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, Northeast Clean Energy Council, Northeast Energy Efficiency Council, RENEW Northeast, Solar Energy Business Association of New England, Union of Concerned Scientists, US Green Building Council Massachusetts Chapter, Vote Solar.
Declining Emissions and Allowance Oversupply Keep RGGI Prices Low
Boston – Low emissions and a growing surplus of allowances kept prices modest in the latest Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auction. All 15,089,652 available allowances were sold at a clearing price of $4.53, which is 14% lower than the previous auction and 18% lower than the clearing price from one year ago. The RGGI states raised $68,356,124 dollars from Auction 32, and have now raised $2.52 billion for reinvestment since the program began, the majority of which has been used to fund energy efficiency and other consumer benefit programs. As energy ministers from around the globe gather to discuss means of implementing the Paris Agreement, RGGI provides a successful model for reducing power sector emissions. With forward-looking improvements through the 2016 Program Review, RGGI will help member states makes progress toward achieving their long-term emissions reduction commitments.
The Auction 32 results show a continuation of the decline of RGGI allowance prices that began following the Supreme Court’s stay of the Clean Power Plan in February. In the absence of a ruling on the Clean Power Plan’s merits or an indication from the RGGI states about the program’s future, the Auction 32 clearing price was primarily determined by market fundamentals. Emissions reductions have outpaced the trajectory of the RGGI cap, while surplus allowances purchased from the cost containment reserve have inflated supply. Considering the substantial allowance surplus that exists (130 million allowances through 2015), the modest price of $4.53/ton suggests an expectation of a sustained oversupply of allowances. Whether the RGGI states take further action to address this oversupply going forward will be determined in the coming months through the 2016 RGGI Program Review.
“The RGGI states used the previous program review to address the oversupplied market, and this time should be no different” said Acadia Center President, Daniel Sosland.
“Reducing the cap and adjusting for banked allowances were major improvements, but the market remains oversupplied due to a story that is beginning to sound repetitive” said Jordan Stutt, Policy Analyst with Acadia Center. “Emissions continue to decline more quickly than expected, with emissions reductions occurring at lower costs than projected. Accurately accounting for these trends during the program review will result in a stronger program for the future.”
“Despite this relatively low clearing price, RGGI auctions continue to generate significant revenue for investment in energy efficiency and clean energy programs,” said Peter Shattuck, Director of Acadia Center’s Clean Energy Initiative. “By establishing ambitious cap levels through 2030 the RGGI states will encourage a meaningful price on carbon emissions, supporting auction revenue for local energy improvements.”
Information on the 2016 RGGI Program Review, including meeting materials and stakeholder comments, can be found at: http://www.rggi.org/design/2016-program-review
Additional information on RGGI’s performance to date, and role in EPA’s regulatory process are described in Acadia Center’s July, 2015 report: RGGI: A Model Program for the Power Sector.
RGGI Overview:
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is the first mandatory, market-based effort in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states reduce CO2 emissions by setting an overall limit on emissions “allowances” which permit power plants to dispose of CO2 in the atmosphere. States sell allowances through auctions and invest proceeds in consumer benefit programs: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other programs.
The official RGGI web site is: www.rggi.org
Contact:
Jordan Stutt, Policy Analyst, Clean Energy Initiative
617-742-0054 x105, jstutt@acadiacenter.org
Peter Shattuck, Director, Clean Energy Initiative
617-742-0054 x103, pshattuck@acadiacenter.org
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Acadia Center is a non-profit, data-driven research and advocacy organization committed to advancing the clean energy future. Acadia Center is at the forefront of efforts to build clean, low-carbon and consumer-friendly economies. Acadia Center provides accurate and reliable information, and offers a real-world and comprehensive approach to problem solving through innovation and collaboration.
New Analysis Shows Connecticut’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Have Increased Since 2012; No Longer on Track to Meet State’s 2020 Target
Hartford, CT – Acadia Center today released new analysis showing that Connecticut’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have reversed course and increased by 4.4% since 2012. Using the most recent data available on actual GHG emissions, Acadia Center found that total GHG emissions increased from 39.6 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e) in 2012 to 41.3 MMTCO2e in 2014 – a net increase of 1.7 MMTCO2e. This is the first two-year increase in GHG emissions for Connecticut since 2003-2004.
Acadia Center’s analysis also found that the GHG emissions level in 2014 was more than the state’s mandatory 2020 GHG emissions cap, exceeding it by nearly 1.5 MMTCO2e, or 3.7%. Connecticut’s Global Warming Solutions Act, passed in 2008, set a binding target of reducing GHG emissions to at least 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. The new emissions data indicates that Connecticut is not on track to satisfy this legal requirement. In fact, preliminary data for 2015 suggests that emissions for this past year will be even higher than the level for 2014.
“This new, sustained upward trend in Connecticut’s greenhouse gas emissions is a cause for concern,” said Daniel L. Sosland, Acadia Center President. “We need stronger and faster reductions in GHG emissions through policies that we know are effective, such as eliminating costly energy waste, reforming our energy rules so that investments in exciting, community oriented clean energy technologies can flourish, and increasing our clean energy supply. It is crucial that the state’s upcoming Comprehensive Energy Strategy establish a clear policy path that will bring the state into compliance with its 2020 GHG emissions limit. We cannot afford to backslide any further.”
The rise in Connecticut’s GHG emissions from 2012 to 2014 comes after eight years of generally declining emissions from an historic peak in 2004. Acadia Center examined Connecticut’s GHG emissions at the sector level and found that the largest contributor to the state’s emissions was the transportation sector.
“We need to move quickly and aggressively if we are to have any real chance of complying with the state’s 2020 GHG emissions limit,” said Jamie Howland, Director of Acadia Center’s Climate and Energy Analysis Center. “Based on this latest data, Connecticut will need to wipe out the recent increase in a little over three years to meet the 2020 mandate. We face a major challenge, but it’s achievable if we immediately expand policies we already have in place, such as ramping up our energy efficiency investments and renewables goals to those of leading states, strengthening the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative’s emissions cap, and avoid locking into long-term emissions increases with new fossil fuel infrastructure projects.”
Acadia Center’s latest analysis of Connecticut’s GHG emissions updates its previous inventory of the state’s emissions released in 2013 through its ClimateVision 2020 report. The original ClimateVision 2020 report is available online: http://climatevision.acadiacenter.org/sites/default/files/ENE_ClimateVision2020_v1.1_0.pdf.
Acadia Center analyzed new GHG emissions data for 2013 and 2014 recently released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s State Inventory Tool.
Contact:
Jamie Howland, Director, Climate and Energy Analysis Center
860-246-7121 x201, jhowland@acadiacenter.org
Bill Dornbos, Senior Attorney & Director, Connecticut Office
860-246-7121 x202, wdornbos@acadiacenter.org
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Acadia Center is a non-profit, data-driven research and advocacy organization committed to advancing the clean energy future. Acadia Center is at the forefront of efforts to build clean, low-carbon and consumer-friendly economies. Acadia Center provides accurate and reliable information, and offers a real-world and comprehensive approach to problem solving through innovation and collaboration. Acadia Center’s Connecticut Office focuses on developing and implementing solutions to Connecticut’s climate and energy challenges.
New Coalition of Nonprofit, Business and Consumer Groups Launch Alliance for Clean Energy Solutions (ACES)
Leading Regional Organizations Combine Forces to Support Long-Term Policies that Will Create Clean, Affordable and Reliable Energy
Boston, MA – April 26, 2016. Nearly 20 environmental, clean energy industry, business, consumer, and health groups announced the creation of a coalition named the Alliance for Clean Energy Solutions (ACES acesma.org). The alliance consists of a wide variety of organizations seeking to ensure that Massachusetts enacts long-term policies that will drive clean, affordable & reliable energy.
“The Alliance shows the diverse support for new clean energy policies from the environmental, clean energy and business communities,” said Acadia Center’s Massachusetts Director Peter Shattuck, one of the co-chairs of the Alliance. Northeast Clean Energy Council’s Executive Vice President Janet Gail Besser, also co-chair of the Alliance, noted, “This Alliance is a testament to the fact that Massachusetts residents and businesses see clean energy as the centerpiece of a strategy to create a stable price environment for energy customers, mitigating the volatility of electricity prices driven by fossil fuels and driving the Commonwealth’s economy for the future. ”
ACES supports policies to bring diverse clean energy resources to Massachusetts. Alliance members share the view that such policies are critical for the Commonwealth to achieve its climate commitments, and will also protect consumers and the environment. ACES supports a diversified energy policy that includes:
- Large-Scale Clean Energy Procurements – authorize procurement of Renewable Portfolio (RPS)-eligible resources (such as onshore wind) and hydroelectricity in order to facilitate cost-effective achievement of the RPS, replace retiring generation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify our electricity supply.
- Pairing of Wind and Hydroelectricity – require bundled procurements of RPS-eligible resources (such as onshore wind) and hydropower in order to drive in-region development and maximize efficient use of transmission for clean energy.
- Meaningful Offshore Wind Development – authorize phased procurement of offshore wind of sufficient scale over 15 years in order to tap Massachusetts’ world-class offshore wind resource and develop a sustainable industry in Massachusetts.
- Energy Procurement Standards and Criteria – competitively procure cost-effective and environmentally preferable clean energy resources through a procurement process that protects against self dealing, and ensures reliability, price stability, affordability for all income levels, and ensures that environmental impacts of electricity generation and transmission are appropriately avoided, minimized, and mitigated.
“Clean energy procurements can play an important role in achieving Massachusetts‘ greenhouse gas reduction requirements,“ said Josh Craft, Program Director from Environmental League of Massachusetts. “But new hydropower resources alone are insufficient to meet our state’s energy needs. The ACES platform will allow our state to develop a truly diversified energy resource portfolio while ensuring that Massachusetts ratepayers will only pay for responsibly developed and competitively priced clean energy.“
The Alliance advocates that further action is needed to meet the State’s 2020 mandatory greenhouse gas requirements and believes that Massachusetts has an opportunity to create a diversified energy mix that will allow energy consumers to avoid being at the mercy of extremely volatile natural gas prices. Additional priorities supported by ACES include advancing energy storage and clean energy financing, establishing ambitious yet achievable targets for renewable energy and GHG reductions, and promoting distributed clean energy.
Businesses and other large energy consumers like hospitals and universities also recognize that a long term vision will help to provide a stable pricing environment that will make it easier for companies to budget and plan, turning Massachusetts’ energy markets into a positive for businesses. “It’s no secret that businesses use lots of energy. That’s why a stable pricing environment will be good news for the Massachusetts business community, making it easier for companies to budget and plan for their energy costs,” said Jesse Mermell of the Alliance for Business Leadership. “Businesses also benefit from the fact that renewable energy prices are declining, and are on their way to becoming the most affordable energy option.”
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Media Contacts:
Kate Plourd Johnson
NECEC
Phone: 617-500-9933
Kiernan Dunlop
Acadia Center
Phone: 617.742.0054 x107
About ACES:
The Alliance for Clean Energy Solutions (ACES) is a “coalition of coalitions” comprised of business groups, clean energy companies, environmental organizations, labor, health, and consumer advocates dedicated to advancing clean energy for Massachusetts. ACES is committed to ensuring that those charged with shaping Massachusetts’ energy policies have the most rigorous, current data on the benefits and costs of clean energy. Our goal is to ensure that the Commonwealth can attain a cost-effective, reliable and diverse energy supply to power its businesses, communities and households, which will reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, create a stable and prosperous business environment and meet the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas emissions requirements. For more information: macleanenergysolutions.org
Members Include: Acadia Center, Alliance for Business Leadership, Climate Action Business Association, Clean Water Action, E4theFuture, Energy Storage Association, Environment Massachusetts, Environmental Entrepreneurs, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Health Care Without Harm, Mass Audubon, Mass Energy Consumers Alliance, Northeast Clean Energy Council, Northeast Energy Efficiency Council, RENEW Northeast, Solar Energy Business Association of New England, Union of Concerned Scientists, US Green Building Council Massachusetts Chapter, Vote Solar.
Connecticut Leadership Needed in Regional Climate Program
In a letter sent today to Governor Malloy and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, environmental, business, consumer, and public health organizations call for strengthening and expansion of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which Connecticut is currently chairing through a Program Review. The letter notes that RGGI provides an effective and existing mechanism to meet the state’s statutory greenhouse gas (GHG) targets and follow through on the state’s recent commitments to climate leadership.
“Governor Malloy has made strong commitments to address the threats of climate change,” said Daniel Sosland, Acadia Center President. “Strengthening, extending, and expanding RGGI is a clear way to follow through on climate commitments.”
As the Malloy Administration battles raids on RGGI’s clean energy funding, the letter cites some of the benefits that RGGI has provided to-date – $245 million in value added to Connecticut’s economy, more than 2,200 job-years of employment, GHG reductions of 35%, and $13 million in avoided health impacts. “RGGI has had a tremendous impact in Connecticut through the state’s reinvestment of auction proceeds,” said Jamie Howland, Director of Acadia Center’s Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Initiative. “Continued use of RGGI revenue for clean energy investment is the surest path to realizing the thriving, low-carbon economy that Governor Malloy has envisioned for the state.”
In advance of the next Program Review meeting on April 29th, the groups call on Connecticut to lead partner states in pursuing ambitious reforms to the RGGI’s pollution reduction targets. Specifically, the letter calls for evaluation of pollution reductions of up to 5% per year from power plants covered by RGGI, an ambitious yet achievable rate that matches reductions since RGGI launched. “On a day of unprecedented international action on climate change, now is the time to be ambitious,” said Peter Shattuck, Director of Acadia Center’s Clean Energy Initiative. “Connecticut’s leadership will be vital to strengthening RGGI, and RGGI must be a vital part of Connecticut’s approach to addressing climate change.”
Looking beyond the power sector, the letter also commends Connecticut for partnering with other states to explore market-based approaches to reduce transportation sector emissions, which comprise an increasing share of regional climate pollution
RGGI Overview:
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is the first mandatory, market-based effort in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states reduce CO2 emissions by setting an overall limit on emissions “allowances” which permit power plants to dispose of CO2 in the atmosphere. States sell allowances through auctions and invest proceeds in consumer benefit programs: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other programs.
The official RGGI web site is: www.rggi.org
Contact:
Peter Shattuck, Director, Clean Energy Initiative
pshattuck@acadiacenter.org, (617) 742-0054 x103
Kiernan Dunlop, Communications Associate
kdunlop@acadiacenter.org, (617) 742- 0054 x107
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Acadia Center is a non-profit, research and advocacy organization committed to advancing the clean energy future. Acadia Center is at the forefront of efforts to build clean, low-carbon and consumer-friendly economies. Acadia Center provides accurate and reliable information, and offers a real-world and comprehensive approach to problem solving through innovation and collaboration.
Budget Raid Would Squander $60 Million in Energy Benefits & Undermine Climate Leadership
Budget proposals from the Connecticut legislature would slash $20m in funding from Connecticut’s clean energy programs, costing the state and consumers approximately $60 million in benefits from energy savings programs. Raiding clean energy and climate programs would threaten Connecticut’s progress to date addressing climate pollution, and undermine the state’s standing with partners in multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).
“We are deeply troubled by this shortsighted proposal,” said Jamie Howland, Direct of Acadia Center’s Climate and Energy Analysis Center. “The raid would disadvantage consumers, increase pollution, undermine the state’s leadership on climate, and further erode confidence in the predictability of policy making. It puts at risk Connecticut’s hard-earned credibility as a founding participant in the nation’s first carbon emissions trading program.”
Through Connecticut’s award-winning energy efficiency programs, revenue from RGGI – which Connecticut currently chairs – supports programs that reduce ratepayer energy bills while creating jobs and spurring the economy. In 2015, Energize Connecticut achieved $3.98 in lifetime energy savings for each dollar invested. The General Assembly’s budget proposal would deprive energy efficiency programs of $15 million in 2017, which is what would cost consumers the approximately $60 million mentioned above.
The remaining $5 million of the proposed $20 million raid would be drawn from the Connecticut Green Bank, which provides an important source of funding for Connecticut’s renewable energy industry. Green Bank-funded clean energy programs reduce expenditures for fossil fuels imported to generate power and heat homes, thus making Connecticut more competitive while reducing carbon emissions.
Examples of the types of projects supported by RGGI funding include efficiency upgrades to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford, solar for the John Lyman Elementary School in Middlefield and Bishop’s Corner Library and Senior Center in West Hartford, and incentives for thousands of homeowners and businesses to reduce energy waste.
Acadia Center’s fact sheet on the proposed raid is available here.
RGGI Overview:
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is the first mandatory, market-based effort in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states reduce CO2 emissions by setting an overall limit on emissions “allowances” which permit power plants to dispose of CO2 in the atmosphere. States sell allowances through auctions and invest proceeds in consumer benefit programs: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other programs.
The official RGGI web site is: www.rggi.org
Contact:
Jamie Howland, Director, Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Initiative
jhowland@acadiacenter.org , (860) 246-7121 x201
Kiernan Dunlop, Communications Associate
kdunlop@acadiacenter.org, (617) 742- 0054 x107
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Acadia Center is a non-profit, research and advocacy organization committed to advancing the clean energy future. Acadia Center is at the forefront of efforts to build clean, low-carbon and consumer-friendly economies. Acadia Center provides accurate and reliable information, and offers a real-world and comprehensive approach to problem solving through innovation and collaboration.
100 State Representatives Call for Progress on Solar Legislation
BOSTON, MA – Yesterday evening, a bipartisan group of 100 members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives sent a letter to the three House members that have been appointed to the Conference Committee on solar with the Massachusetts Senate. The letter, whose signers include 19 committee chairs as well as several other members in leadership positions, calls for the Conference Committee to report a bill that:
- Maintains a strong net metering policy, particularly for community shared solar, municipalities, and projects that benefit low-income ratepayers and affordable housing;
- Grandfathers existing systems;
- Reduces costs through reforms to the solar renewable energy certificate (SREC) program; and
- Raises the net metering caps.
“Acadia Center would like to thank House members for speaking up in defense of the demonstrated value of solar energy.” said Daniel L. Sosland, Acadia Center President. “We strongly support all of the concepts raised in the letter. In particular, preserving access to solar for communities and all ratepayers is a key part of the clean energy future for Massachusetts.”
In April 2015, Acadia Center issued a study of the value of local solar generation in Massachusetts, finding more than 22 cents per kWh of value for ratepayers through reduced energy and infrastructure costs, lower fuel prices, and lowering the cost of compliance with the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas requirements. This value is higher than the current retail rate provided through net metering.
Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney at Acadia Center, said: “Acadia Center’s studies and numerous others across the country show that solar provides significant value to ratepayers, major societal benefits, and good local jobs. Any changes to net metering should be based on an official public study of the costs and benefits of solar generation and, until that happens, key project types should be kept at the retail rate. As the legislators rightly note, the place to cut costs is the SREC program. We hope that this petition leads to a prompt result from the Conference Committee that preserves key elements of the Commonwealth’s solar programs and appropriately reduces costs.”
Contact:
Mark LeBel, Staff Attorney
mlebel@acadiacenter.org , (617) 742-0054 x104
Kiernan Dunlop, Communications Associate
kdunlop@acadiacenter.org, (617) 742- 0054 x107
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Acadia Center is a non-profit, research and advocacy organization committed to advancing the clean energy future. Acadia Center is at the forefront of efforts to build clean, low-carbon and consumer-friendly economies. Acadia Center provides accurate and reliable information, and offers a real-world and comprehensive approach to problem solving through innovation and collaboration.
RGGI Allowance Prices Stabilize as RI Governor is Pushed to Take Lead in Program Review
Member states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) today announced the results of the 31st quarterly auction of carbon dioxide (CO2) allowances. 14,838,732 allowances were sold at a clearing price of $5.25. This clearing price is 30% lower than the previous auction, and 3% lower than the clearing price from one year ago. The RGGI states raised $77,903,343 million dollars from Auction 31, and have now raised $2.45 billion for reinvestment since the program began, the majority of which has been used to fund energy efficiency and other consumer benefit programs. RGGI has been a successful model for reducing power sector emissions, and with forward-looking improvements through the 2016 Program Review, RGGI will help member states makes progress toward achieving their long-term emissions reduction commitments.
The secondary market for RGGI allowances has seen significant fluctuation in prices since the last auction, which cleared at a record high price of $7.50 per allowance. After prices climbed as high as $8.50, the market quickly fell to $4.00, followed by a steady rise to Wednesday’s clearing price of $5.25. The sudden drop in allowance prices followed the Supreme Court’s stay of the Clean Power Plan, suggesting that there may have been concerns about the stay’s potential impact on the RGGI market. As with all commodities, RGGI allowances will experience volatility, but RGGI’s future as an established emissions reduction policy and effective market are secure, and the results of Auction 31 show a renewed confidence in RGGI’s future.
“Despite the Supreme Court’s decision to issue a stay on the Clean Power Plan, many states are continuing to develop plans for their clean energy futures,” said Acadia Center President, Daniel Sosland. “Through the 2016 Program Review, the RGGI states have an opportunity to continue demonstrating leadership by establishing ambitious cap levels through 2030.”
The results of this latest auction come as RGGI stakeholders gather today in Rhode Island to discuss the state’s climate plans. Rhode Island, like the rest of the RGGI states, has committed to achieving significant, economy-wide emissions reductions by 2030 (35-45% below 1990 levels in Rhode Island). “In order to meet the state’s 2030 goal, Rhode Island will need to achieve major emissions reductions from the electric sector,” said Jordan Stutt, Policy Analyst at Acadia Center. In a letter sent to Governor Raimondo yesterday, Acadia Center and other stakeholders urged Rhode Island to establish the aggressive RGGI cap levels necessary to meet the state’s economy-wide targets most cost effectively.
“The results of Auction 31 are another page in RGGI’s success story,” said Peter Shattuck, Director of Acadia Center’s Clean Energy Initiative. “The region’s electric sector emissions fell yet again in 2015, while RGGI auctions continue to bring in revenue for reinvestment in energy efficiency and renewable energy, creating jobs and accelerating the transition to a clean energy future.”
Additional information on RGGI’s performance to date, and role in EPA’s regulatory process are described in Acadia Center’s July, 2015 report: RGGI: A Model Program for the Power Sector
RGGI Overview:
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is the first mandatory, market-based effort in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states reduce CO2 emissions by setting an overall limit on emissions “allowances” which permit power plants to dispose of CO2 in the atmosphere. States sell allowances through auctions and invest proceeds in consumer benefit programs: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other programs.
The official RGGI web site is: www.rggi.org
Contact:
Jordan Stutt, Policy Analyst
jstutt@acadiacenter.org, (617) 742-0054 x105
Kiernan Dunlop, Communications Associate
kdunlop@acadiacenter.org, (617) 742- 0054 x107
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Acadia Center is a non-profit, research and advocacy organization committed to advancing the clean energy future. Acadia Center is at the forefront of efforts to build clean, low-carbon and consumer-friendly economies. Acadia Center provides accurate and reliable information, and offers a real-world and comprehensive approach to problem solving through innovation and collaboration.
Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Programs Again Top National Bests for Savings
Boston, MA – Massachusetts’ energy efficiency Program Administrators recently announced remarkable preliminary program results for 2015. In 2015, the programs produced an estimated $3.42 billion in benefits for Massachusetts, delivering $4.70 in benefits for every dollar that the utilities invested in the program and achieving an unprecedented savings level of 3.01% of annual electric sales. This savings level exceeds not only the 2015 goal of 2.60% of annual electric sales, but also the nation-leading ambitious 2016-2018 goals, set at 2.94% of annual electric sales.
2015 is the last year of the 2013-2015 Three Year Efficiency Plan, which itself set top-in-the nation targets for energy efficiency savings. Over the course of the last three years, the Massachusetts efficiency programs have produced $7.79 billion in benefits for customers in Massachusetts, electric savings equivalent to powering 546,239 homes for a year, gas savings equivalent to heating 95,763 homes for a year, and greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to taking 434,900 cars off the road. And they did all this coming in under budget (spending only 98% of the total DPU-approved budget over the three year period).
“Massachusetts is setting an example for the rest of the nation not only by consistently establishing the highest energy efficiency goals in the nation, but by exceeding them. The energy efficiency programs responsible for reaching these goals show the country that it is possible to save consumers money and have a clean and secure energy future,” said Daniel L. Sosland, Acadia Center President.
Building on the widespread growth of the residential efficiency programs in 2014, spurred by increasing adoption of affordable LED lights, home insulation and installation of highly efficient heating equipment, 2015 also delivered significant savings in the commercial and industrial sector – including meeting the statewide goals for annual savings in electricity in this sector for the first time since the efficiency programs began in their current form. This success is attributable in part to high levels of adoption of combined heat and power operations at commercial and industrial facilities, which are some of the most cost-effective energy savings available in Massachusetts.
The programs also bring major benefits to the Commonwealth, beyond the direct savings for those who implement these services in their homes and businesses. This year’s efficiency investments yielded:
- Electric demand savings equivalent to a 222 MW power plant
- 1,473 GWh of annual electric savings (enough to power 187,872 homes for a year)
- 25.9 million therms of annual gas savings (enough to heat over 43,100 homes for a year)
- 446,218 MMBtu of oil saved in 2015
- Annual GHG reductions of 838,000 short tons, which is equivalent to removing over 160,085 cars from the road.
As a member of the Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Advisory Council, Acadia Center looks forward to working with fellow members, program administrators and other stakeholders to make sure that the Commonwealth continues to set and achieve ambitious goals for energy efficiency.
“This level of success in 2015 sets Massachusetts up well to achieve the ambitious goals of the 2016-2018 three year plan,” said Amy Boyd, Acadia Center Senior Attorney who serves on the EEAC, “Massachusetts has a significant opportunity to build on the progress we’ve seen to-date and bring even more benefits for homes and businesses.”
Contact:
Amy Boyd, Senior Attorney
aboyd@acadiacenter.org , (617) 742-0054 x102
Kiernan Dunlop, Communications Associate
kdunlop@acadiacenter.org, (617) 742- 0054 x107
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Acadia Center is a non-profit, research and advocacy organization committed to advancing the clean energy future. Acadia Center is at the forefront of efforts to build clean, low-carbon and consumer-friendly economies. Acadia Center provides accurate and reliable information, and offers a real-world and comprehensive approach to problem solving through innovation and collaboration.