This past summer the Supreme Judicial Court found that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has failed to comply with key requirements of our state Legislature’s 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act.
Four teenagers were among the plaintiffs. They have been paying attention to the science, and concluded that the transition away from fossil fuels indeed must accelerate.
The court decision put the state on notice that more ambitious regulation over carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions is needed, and fast. Many Newton residents, elected officials and local business leaders clearly feel the same but we’re so reliant on fossil fuels, it can be hard to know how to move forward on the local level. There certainly has been some local action; for example we recently celebrated the 1000th MassSAVE home energy audit. Tip of our cap to these homeowners who not only receive an audit but then follow up with insulation and other major efficiency improvements. Applause too for those who have installed rooftop solar arrays, and to the thousands of solar panels going up on Rumford Landfill and other city property.
These are such good initiatives, but we must ask ourselves, “what more can we do?”
Nearby towns are demonstrating an exciting new approach: Community Choice Aggregation (CCA).
Following the 1997 restructuring of the state’s electricity market, Massachusetts residents were all put on “basic plans” offered by local utilities — that’s Eversource (formerly NStar) in the case of Newton. Residents may also buy electricity from independent providers, instead of from the utility. No doubt you are familiar with the mailings and calls from electricity providers, promising lower costs and “green” electricity in some cases.
The 1997 law also authorized cities and towns to implement Community Choice Aggregation, meaning the city may contract for electricity not just for municipal use, but also on behalf of the residents and businesses. With such volume brought to the table — over 30,000 households plus many small businesses in the case of Newton — there can be significant household savings. Already over 70 cities and towns in the commonwealth have found this logic compelling, and have aggregated residential and small business electric accounts. (Most large businesses find success in choosing their own electricity supplier).
The Community Choice model has mainly been used to drive down costs, but it’s possible to get creative and win additional benefits. For example, Newton could insist on a fixed price for the duration (two-three years) of the contract. Gone would be the days of unexpected per kWh cost spikes on our bills.
And now let’s paint this picture green. A number of our neighboring towns have used the aggregation model to increase the renewable energy content of their electricity. This happens when at least some percent of the realized savings are directed toward building new wind turbines, or new solar arrays on our region’s landfills. Newton is part of the fully interconnected New England grid, so any renewable energy projects in the region can help green Newton’s electricity. Those that help pay for these projects, can accurately claim to be running on cleaner, greener power.
Some may think, “I just want lower costs. Don’t push more green on me, thank you!” Good news for these households: aggregation programs created by some nearby towns have offered a menu of choices. The basic “light green” program can be the aggregation default, as it can offer a bit of savings and guarantee more green energy production. But a price-conscious ratepayer can at any time request a “full savings” plan instead. And there can be yet another option – one that hopefully many would choose — a greener plan with even more renewable energy.
Dedham, Lowell, Melrose, Salem, Somerville, Sudbury, Stoneham and Lexington are only some of the towns that have taken the plunge into Community Choice Aggregation or are planning to do so. So come on Newton, let’s aggregate!