August 6, 2020
Massachusetts

New program will promote clean-energy generation during peak periods

Jon Chesto | Boston Globe | August 5, 2020 | www.bostonglobe.com

The Baker administration is launching a new program aimed at promoting the use of clean-energy generation and storage during times of peak electricity demand. State officials say the Clean Peak Energy Standard program will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, because fewer fossil-fuel powered plants will be called on to generate power during peak periods. The program, authorized by 2018 legislation, is similar to the state’s existing renewable portfolio standard by requiring electricity suppliers to buy a certain amount of “Clean Peak Energy Certificates” each year. But this program would reward power plants specifically for being able to generate or dispatch power at specific peak times of the day, and it also allows some waste-to-energy incinerators and hydroelectric plants to qualify if they add new capacity, in addition to traditional renewable sources such as wind and solar. State officials expect that the program will cost the typical household roughly an extra 80 cents per month in the first few years, but eventually could save them money over the course of a decade.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/08/06/new-program-will-promote-clean-energy-generation-during-peak-periods/