In a near unanimous vote last Wednesday, the House backed a bill that would require utilities to enter into long-term contracts (15-20 years) for large-scale (1,200 megawatts) hydroelectric and offshore wind power in an effort to reduce the state’s reliance on natural gas and reduce carbon emissions. According to Rep. Thomas Golden of Lowell, the….

Eversource has proposed new basic service rates beginning July 1, that would yield cheaper rates by over 25%. For medium and large commercial and industrial entities (rate classes B2, B3, G6 and G8) the fixed rate of 7.07 cents represents a decrease of 23% from last year’s basic service fixed average from July through December….

On Wednesday, Kinder Morgan, a subsidiary of Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co., suspended any further work and spending on its Northeast Energy Direct (NED) natural gas pipeline project due to insufficient commitments from prospective customers. The company has neither the necessary resources nor an expectation of procuring them in order to continue to work on the….

On Tuesday, leaders of the Massachusetts House and Senate reached a deal to increase the level of solar energy that public and private customers can sell back to the grid by 3 percent. Additionally, the agreement stipulates a reduction in the value of new solar project incentives. The negotiations would also give utilities the ability….

According to a study published in Nature last week, sea levels could rise twice as much as previously anticipated by 2100 if carbon dioxide emissions remain unchecked. Current consensus projects that sea levels could rise by just under a meter by the end of the century; however, this figure does not factor in a substantial….

U.S. crude inventories rose by 2.1 million barrels last week to 504.1 million barrels, a new weekly record high, the Energy Information Administration said. In monthly data, which don’t line up exactly with weekly data, inventories last exceeded 500 million barrels in 1930.   Brought to you by your MassMEC Market Research Team.

On Monday, January 25, the Supreme Court reaffirmed a mandate created in 2011 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that requires utilities to pay energy consumers for reducing their electricity usage during peak demand. Electricity generators and utilities challenged the rule, asserting that FERC was overstepping its boundaries, but Justice Elena Kagan confirmed the….

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station will be closed no later than June 2019, said operators on Tuesday, October 13th. Pilgrim is the last nuclear power plant in Massachusetts and the announcement comes one month after the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission labeled the plant as one of the nation’s three least-safe reactors citing a timeline of mishaps….

On August 9th, 2015, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station was forced to reduce power due to the water in Cape Cod Bay being too warm.  The changing climate continues to affect Pilgrim as this is not the first time the nuclear power station has had to power down, having done so on two former occasions. The….

Project Sunroof, Google’s new solar mapping service, is now online and operational for the Greater Boston Area.  The goal of the application is to simplify the process of figuring out the savings realized from decking one’s roof out with solar panels.  Project Sunroof utilizes Google’s already expansive data mapping and computer resources to help calculate….