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….

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),….

This December, the Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index (BCI) hit its highest level since December 2004. The BCI rose 2.3 points from 58.1 to 60.4 last month, a figure that has experienced increases in the Commonwealth in each of the last four months. It is also 5.1 points higher than it was in….

Applicants that wish to attain or retain their SREC II qualification must meet certain requirements depending on their system size and status by Sunday, January 8, 2017. The DOER released the following requirements for systems over 25 kW and under or equal to 25 kW to meet qualification. Please visit these requirements for all required….

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) that would require Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) to allow 100 kW of energy storage and distributed energy resources. In addition to breaking down barriers to both energy storage and distributed energy resources, the notice would permit RTOs to participate in capacity,….

Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Canada, announced that Canada aims to eliminate traditional coal power by 2030. The announcement comes on the heels of country’s plan to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The country is also set to introduce a carbon levy starting in….

This past week, the Michigan Senate passed two energy bills. The first, energy choice bill SB 437, passed by a 26-10 vote and would limit retail choice providers that supply 10 percent of Michigan’s electricity customers. Currently, 10 percent of customers can use a third-party electricity supplier instead of the utility. In addition, the mandate….