Demand response is a strategy that compensates electricity customers for reducing their consumption in response to instructions sent out electronically from the grid operator (in the case of Massachusetts, the Independent System Operator for New England, ISO-NE). Facilities that generate electricity (like power plants) are paid for the amount of Read more…
The Benefits of Community Solar Nationally, almost seventy percent of the population can’t have rooftop solar, either because they rent, they can’t afford it, or their roof is not suitable for solar because of location or tree cover. Community solar allows multiple customers, or “subscribers,” to purchase the output from Read more…
Posted on January 15, 2025 Report details case studies where replacement of fossil fuel infrastructure is underway by Bhaamati Borkhetaria, Commonwealth Beacon, January 10, 2025 MASSACHUSETTS MUST CONVERT some of its existing fossil fuel infrastructure to renewable energy resources to meet its mandate of net zero emissions by 2050, according to a new report Read more…
Geothermal energy is clean and essentially unlimited (at least until the Earth is swallowed by the Sun in about 7.59 billion years when the Sun expands into a red giant and engulfs our planet)! In the meantime, the core of our planet will continually generate thermal energy that can be used Read more…
The very short answer to that question is: no. Now here’s the longer answer. Building enough nuclear power plants to make a meaningful reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would cost trillions of dollars and create tens of thousands of tons of deadly radioactive waste. Where and how will that dangerous Read more…
you’re probably aware that the Massachusetts Legislature failed to pass a comprehensive climate bill when the legislative session ended in August. Environmental groups and individuals across the state had been working for two years to help craft the bills that were part of the proposed legislation: filing comments, calling and Read more…
The concentration of methane (CH4) in the atmosphere has more than doubled over the past 200 years. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that has caused around 30% of all human-caused global warming since the start of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s. Most methane emissions are anthropogenic; that is, they are the Read more…
The climate is in crisis. The burning of fossil fuels is well known to be the primary cause. Yet the growth of fossil fuel infrastructure continues unabated, pouring gasoline onto our burning house. The cause of that is also well known: the fossil fuel companies’ preference for profits over the Read more…
Anyone who sat through the days of Massachusetts Senate hearings on the current climate omnibus bill last week would be forgiven for having some questions about the efficiency of the legislative process in Massachusetts.
Building a cleaner power grid in Massachusetts will require new infrastructure—but deciding where that infrastructure goes requires care, clarity on the principles guiding decision-making, and concerted community engagement.