Northampton Energy & Sustainability Commission - NESC

HOPE for HOMES Act.
Major home energy efficiency legislation goes to Congress with bipartisan support .
It's very very exciting that this includes a 'measured performance' incentive structure - incentives based on actual savings , using open -source advanced measurement and verification software to measure post retrofit savings.
This opens the door to incentives for deeper energy efficeincy measures.. beyond basic utility sponsored weatherization. This is the beginning to a major initiative to fix our inefficient carbon fuel burning building stock.

1 pager here: https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/.../HOPE%20for%20HOMES...

Some info on incentives:

The HOPE for HOMES Act will create rebates for homeowners to invest in energy efficiency improvements, including:
$800 to add insulation to their home.
$1,500 for adding insulation and replacing part of their HVAC system.
$2,500 for adding insulation and the installation of an air source or ground source heat pump.
$2,000 for retrofits that lead to modeled or measured savings of 20-35% of whole-house or multifamily building energy use.
$4,000 for retrofits that lead to modeled or measured savings of 35% of whole-house or multifamily building energy use.
Doubling the rebate amount for moderate-income families.
A rebate based on actual energy savings, per kilowatt-hour, for homes and multifamily buildings that demonstrate measured energy savings of at least 15%.
An additional $200 rebate for each retrofit completed in an underserved community.
In addition, the bill will:
Authorize $500 million in grants to help develop training curriculums and assist companies in providing financial incentives to contractors to undertake online training to advance their capabilities to efficiently retrofit homes.
Provide $1,000 per employee rehired, up to $10,000 total, to contracting companies willing to cover the costs of training and technology upgrades needed to achieve online learning.
Provide a $1,000 stipend to contractors who complete the HOPE Training and are prepared to advance their careers and help homeowners with home retrofits.

www.vanhollen.senate.gov

The EU is taking steps to transition to a new energy economy

"Greenpeace UK’s Rosie Rogers pointed to funding by other countries for a green recovery, including £36bn by the German government and £13.5bn by France, and said the UK’s £3bn “isn’t playing in the same league”.
“Of course this money is better than nothing, but it doesn’t measure up to the economic and environmental crises. It’s not enough to create the hundreds of thousands of new green jobs that are needed,” she said.

Chancellor confirms £5,000 vouchers for home improvements - are you eligible Under the Green Homes Grant, Rishi Sunak said families will receive vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving changes, such as a new boiler, with the poorest getting up to £10,000

Will we return to ‘normal’ or something better ?

Germany's Merkel wants green recovery from coronavirus crisis Governments should focus on climate protection when considering fiscal stimulus packages to support an economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday.

"The Massachusetts clean energy industry has grown for the ninth consecutive year. According to a report released by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) on Tuesday, the state’s clean energy sector added 1,069 workers to the clean energy workforce between 2018 and 2019... Massachusetts now employs over 111,836 workers in the clean energy industry an increase of 86 percent since 2010." https://www.golocalprov.com/business/ma-clean-energy-industry-adds-over-1000-workers-in-2019?mc_cid=e5cf6af2e0&mc_eid=c450c12c64

GoLocalProv | Business | MA Clean Energy Industry Adds Over 1,000 Workers in 2019 The Massachusetts clean energy industry has grown for the ninth consecutive year. According to a report released by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) on Tuesday, the state’s clean energy sector added 1,069 workers to the clean energy workforce between 2018 and 2019.

Three institutions, Alliance to Save Energy, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, and American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, have just released a comprehensive Energy Efficiency Impact Report. "This report seeks to characterize 54 indicators that highlight the main features of the energy efficiency market, describe what our previous commitments to energy efficiency have achieved today, and give a sense of how much further it can take us." http://energyefficiencyimpact.org

Energy Efficiency Impact Report – Why Energy Efficiency Matters

By an overwhelming margin Wednesday night, Brookline Town Meeting voted to ban oil and gas piping in future construction projects, becoming the first community in Massachusetts to pass such a measure. And while over 15 cities in California have passed similar bans, Brookline’s bylaw goes further, prohibiting the installation of new oil and gas infrastructure in gut renovations, in addition to new buildings.
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2019/11/21/brookline-gas-oil-ban

Brookline’s ban on oil and gas in new buildings could just be the start "Other communities across the state are lining up to take similar action."

A Massachusetts economic development agency has awarded eight affordable housing projects a total of $1.73 million to build energy-efficient rental units that will cut heating and cooling costs and improve air quality for residents. Supporters say the move could be pivotal to bringing high efficiency standards into the mainstream.

https://tinyurl.com/wvrrdxk

Massachusetts grants test potential of passive design for multifamily homes State clean energy grants will give a boost to builders attempting to build high-efficiency rental units.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is likely to fall short of its greenhouse gas emission goals if it cannot implement utility-scale storage, according to a new study. https://tinyurl.com/rbfj6pf

Utility-scale storage critical to achieving Massachusetts carbon goals: UMass study But building out storage infrastructure is expensive without policy incentives.

https://tinyurl.com/wqr8pq6

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren Demand Changes at New England’s Grid Operator Democratic presidential candidates wade into a wonky but critical debate over compensation for renewables in the Northeast.

Can we hit a 0-carbon 2050 goal? Yes! This short article points to some opportunities and challenges

Getting to net zero: the missing element | theenergyst.com Net zero emissions can be achieved, says EnergyPro's Steve Fawkes, but requires one crucial attribute. Ørsted has it, can others deliver?

Ardern says New Zealand on 'right side of history' as MPs pass zero-carbon bill Centre-right opposition National party throws support behind the legislation that has been applauded around the globe

https://otherwords.org/we-need-publicly-owned-utilities/

We Need Publicly Owned Utilities California’s wildfires and blackouts show the dangers of entrusting our power to for-profit corporations.

This may still be a bit controversial, but the continued moratorium is is ultimately a great thing for our community. Electric heating, cooling, and hot water systems are inherently greener as the grid is increasingly becoming powered by renewable energy.

Kudos to David Narkewicz and the CIty Council for holding a line and withstanding the pokes form Gas executives.

Columbia Gas extends moratorium for Northampton, Easthampton customers NORTHAMPTON — A moratorium on adding new natural gas customers in Northampton and Easthampton will continue indefinitely following a decision by Columbia Gas of Massachusetts to abandon a project aimed at increasing the pipeline capacity for both...

A new report released by Vote Solar revealed that an inconsistent policy environment in Massachusetts is slowing the growth of the solar industry and called on the state to increase the SMART program capacity to 4800 MW, which would create up to 9,000 new jobs and drive more than $5 billion in solar project investment to the state’s economy.https://votesolar.org/files/8615/6754/1556/VS_MA_SMART_RPRT_FINAL_09.3.19Web.pdf

votesolar.org

https://tinyurl.com/y2h8mreb

Massachusetts advocates share plan to expand solar for low-income residents A state solar incentive program hasn’t done enough to spur development in disadvantaged communities, critics say.

https://tinyurl.com/y68e9tel

Economics in Brief: Zero-Carbon Cities Could Be Worth $24 Trillion, Report Says And in other economics stories this week, California caps payday loans and New York considers paying college athletes.

https://tinyurl.com/y4qty3gm

Energy storage industry rallies for passage of 30 percent tax incentive - Daily Energy Insider The Energy Storage Association (ESA) launched a national rallying cry this week to drum up support for passage of the storage Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which would make energy storage eligible for a 30 percent ... Read More »

https://www.ehn.org/renewable-energy-growing-2640193068.html

"Renewable energy capacity quadrupled across the planet over the past decade and energy from solar power increased 26 times from what it was in 2009, according to an international report released today.

The Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2019 report finds renewables accounted for 12.9 percent of global electricity in 2018—up from 11.6 percent in 2018. (The report excluded hydroelectric power, which, if included, bumps the current renewable share to 26.3 percent of total electricity produced.)

The 1.2 terawatts of new renewable energy capacity added over the past decade is "more than the entire electricity generating fleet of the U.S. today," the authors wrote..."

Global renewable energy has quadrupled over past decade With solar leading the way, clean energy capacity growth is helping the planet avoid billions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

https://tinyurl.com/yxe7j38z

Trump Rakes in Oil & Gas Money While Some Democrats Skirt No Fossil Fuel Donations Promise The fossil fuel industry is already pouring money into the Trump 2020 campaign. But some Democrats are also taking oil and gas donations.

https://tinyurl.com/y2sq6mpo

The Biggest Batteries Coming Soon to a Grid Near You The 100-megawatt club is about to get a lot busier. Here are the world’s eight largest battery storage projects.

https://tinyurl.com/y4cgphp2

Amid climate change pressure, insurers hold billions in coal-exposed investments An analysis shows that the 20 insurers with the most coal exposure held, as of 2018, a cumulative $40.30 billion in investments in companies that mine coal or power producers that generated more than 30% of their electricity from coal in 2017.

Alright, New York! Massachusetts -- let's follow suit! https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2019/0719/New-York-climate-plan-among-nation-s-most-ambitious?mc_cid=8297704bdf&mc_eid=c450c12c64

New York climate plan among nation's most ambitious The law signed Thursday would make New York the quickest state to achieve 100% renewable energy. Wind farms are expected to smooth the transition, but critics call the plan impractical.

The Mnt Tom Power Plant tower is coming down Tuesday August 6th at 1pm or 4:30pm after the Amtrak passes. Try to catch a glimpse of this representation of dying coal power.

https://www.citylab.com/environment/2019/07/east-coast-heat-wave-urban-heat-island-effect-maps/594346/

Here's What the Heat Island Looks Like in East Coast Cities Maps of urban heat islands show where residents can find pockets of cooler air in Boston, Philadelphia, Richmond, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.

New report from Environment MA: MASSACHUSETTS CITIES AND TOWNS LEADING THE WAY TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY

Across Massachusetts, cities and towns are leading the way to 100% renewable energy with innovative policies and programs to increase renewable electricity, energy efficiency, clean heating and transportation, and energy storage.

Environment Massachusetts is profiling some of these leading communities in the 2019 edition of our Renewable Communities report. We are previewing portions of the report at events across Massachusetts, with the full report set to be released on Friday, August 2.

Case studies:

Amherst: Zero Energy Town Buildings Bylaw
Boston: Carbon Free Boston study
Cambridge: Cycling Safety Ordinance
Cape Light Compact: Regional energy efficiency and clean energy programs
Concord, Amherst, and Cambridge: Electric school buses
Everett and Arlington: Bus-only lanes
Gosnold: Solar + storage microgrid
Lexington: 100% renewable schools
Lincoln, Sudbury, and Wayland: Solarize Mass Plus
Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority: Electric transit buses
New Bedford: Electric vehicles in the municipal fleet
Newton: Green municipal aggregation
Northampton, Amherst, and Pelham: Community Choice Energy PLUS
Pioneer Valley: ValleyBike Share
Pittsfield: Microgrid feasibility study
Somerville: Climate Forward plan
Sterling and Ashburnham: Battery storage
Watertown: Rooftop solar policy
Worcester: Municipal solar installations

https://environmentmassachusettscenter.org/reports/mac/renewable-communities-2019

Renewable Communities 2019 Across Massachusetts, cities and towns are leading the way to 100% renewable energy with innovative policies and programs to increase renewable electricity, energy efficiency, clean heating and transp

https://www.wamc.org/post/push-massachusetts-clean-energy-targets-advocates-point-pioneer-valley-initiatives?mc_cid=9e2d52585b&mc_eid=c450c12c64

In Push For Massachusetts Clean Energy Targets, Advocates Point To Pioneer Valley Initiatives Environmental advocates and community leaders are highlighting steps cities and towns in western Massachusetts have taken toward a goal of 100 percent

June, 2019 - At a recent meeting, the Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) indicated their support for a net zero stretch code for the state and tasked the Energy Advisory Committee (EAC) to develop an implementation framework over the next year. This will ensure that all new buildings built in the state are extremely energy efficient and get their energy from a mix of onsite and off-site renewable energy.

The stretch energy code adopted by Massachusetts in 2009 provides communities the option to adopt a more stringent energy code than the mandatory statewide base code. However, the stretch code is no longer a significant improvement over the base code. Development of a net zero stretch code will make it easier for municipalities, especially those interested in net zero planning to reach their emission reduction goals. https://neep.org/blog/zero-energy-vision-massachusetts

A Zero Energy Vision for Massachusetts | NEEP

https://tinyurl.com/y3xh72hb

May pledges to pass law to eliminate UK greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 - The Boston Globe The law would commit Britain to reach production of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, making it the first major economy to do so.

https://tinyurl.com/y2pyjkjj

The end of the world will be a non-event As long as we keep imagining one future climate catastrophe, we can ignore all the ones already here.

84 Environmental Rules on the Way Out Under Trump A comprehensive list of environmental policies the Trump administration has targeted, often in an effort to ease burdens on the fossil fuel industry and other big businesses.

https://tinyurl.com/y4hbxmc7

How could citizens’ assemblies be used to tackle climate change? “When people hear it from their peers who say ‘we’re f**ked,’ that will be really powerful.”

https://tinyurl.com/y6gqp2ff

These Are the Cities Doing the Most to Combat Global Warming Cities, which are home to more than half the world’s population, are stepping up efforts to slash pollution, often wresting the fight against climate change away from national governments.

https://tinyurl.com/y4f4haym

Harvesting Solar Could Help Small-Scale Farmers Improve Sustainability A mashup of agriculture and solar technology could enable farmers to diversify their income by producing renewable energy, while preserving much of their...

1 in 5 Americans now live in places committed to 100% clean power Gov. Jay Inslee just signed legislation to power Washington with nothing but clean energy by 2030.

https://tinyurl.com/y4foqfq3
America's renewable energy set to surpass coal for the first month ever

April 29, 2019

By Matt Egan, CNN Business

CNN — America's clean energy revolution is on the verge of a tipping point.

The renewable energy sector is projected to generate more electricity than coal during the month of April, according to a recent report published by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. That's never happened before.

Coal, long the king of the power sector, has already been dethroned by natural gas, a much cleaner burning fossil fuel. Now, coal is facing intensifying pressure from wind and solar power.

"Five years ago this never would have been close to happening," Dennis Wamstead, research analyst at IEEFA, said in an interview. "The transition that's going on in the electric sector in the United States has been phenomenal."

Even a decade ago, America's renewable energy had little presence other than hydro power. But a wave of investment — first into wind, and then solar — has made these new technologies far cheaper.

At the same time, increased awareness about climate change has led many American businesses, households and state legislatures to demand cleaner energy.

"Renewables are just a better bet at the moment," Wamstead said.

The IEEFA report cited US government statistics that project renewable energy (hydro, biomass, wind, solar and geothermal) will start to sporadically exceed coal in 2019 and 2020. In other words, this year renewables will likely start to generate more energy than coal's 240 gigawatts of remaining capacity, at least on a month-by-month basis, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

While such a milestone would highlight the shift away from coal, some of it is also because of seasonal issues.

For instance, some coal plants shut down for maintenance during the spring when demand for electricity is low. The spring also tends to be a strong period for hydro and wind power.

Renewable power isn't expected to surpass coal on an annual basis for at least several years.

It was only in 2016 that coal was surpassed by natural gas as America's No. 1 power source.

39-year low in coal consumption

The clean energy transition is accelerating.

Renewable energy is projected to be the fastest-growing source for power generation for at least the next two years, according to EIA numbers published earlier this year.

Coal, on the other hand, continues to rapidly decline. Coal's share of total power generation tumbled from 45% in 2010 to 28% in 2018. And it's expected to dip to just 24% in 2020.

Despite President Donald Trump's promise to rejuvenate the coal industry by slashing regulation, America's coal appetite continues to shrink. US coal consumption declined by about 4% in 2018 to the lowest level since 1979, according to the EIA.

More coal retirements loom

The problem for coal is economics. Wind and solar costs have plunged so drastically that 74% of the US coal fleet could be replaced by renewable energy and still save customers money, according to a report released last month by nonpartisan think tank Energy Innovation.

And America's coal power plants aren't getting any younger. The average coal plant is about 40 years old, according to Wamstead. Coal plants typically last around 40 to 60 years before getting phased out. As they age, these plants require more maintenance and repairs, making renewable power all that much more attractive.

"A lot of plants are staring normal retirement age right in the face," Wamstead said.

Some power companies are preemptively retiring other coal plants in a bid to be more environmentally friendly.

For instance, Xcel Energy has shut down a quarter of its coal power plants and plans to pull the plug on another quarter. The Minneapolis-based power company recently announced a plan to deliver zero-carbon electricity by 2050 — an ambitious goal that will require plenty of wind and solar energy.

"Wind is already beating fossil fuel alternatives — even with low natural gas prices," Xcel CEO Ben Fowke recently told CNN Business last month.

America's renewable energy set to surpass coal for the first month ever America's clean energy revolution is on the verge of a tipping point.

https://tinyurl.com/y5uyuvks
Vermont rules spur solar development on landfills, brownfields

A Vermont policy meant to steer solar projects away from undeveloped and agricultural land appears to be working two years after it was implemented.

Solar developers under the rules can earn a premium rate by building smaller projects sited on landfills, sandpits and other less desirable properties.

Since state regulators made the change in July 2017, they’ve received more than 100 applications for projects seeking to qualify for the program.

State officials are now taking input on how they could potentially expand or refine the program to cover factors such as tree clearing and grid congestion.

“We’re seeing much more of these brownfield-to-brightfield kinds of projects,” said Chad Farrell, CEO of solar developer Encore Renewable Energy.

A recent example is a 500-kilowatt array built by Encore as part of a new headquarters and woodyard for forest management company Long View Forest. The project was built on a 28-acre remediated brownfield in Hartland that was formerly used as a sawmill and lumber treatment facility.

“The solar array was a critical part of Long View’s plan to redevelop the brownfield site as a forestry business park,” said Jack Bell, Long View’s general manager.

As solar energy gained popularity and larger projects became more visible earlier this decade, some officials and residents worried about losing prime farmland and unaltered greenspace to development. Following a legislative mandate a few years ago, regulators studied ways to revamp the net metering programs that had led to the solar boom.

“The former net-metering program provided comparable economic incentives for all net-metering systems regardless of their environmental siting impacts. As a result, net-metering systems have disproportionately been sited in undeveloped fields and forests because greenfield sites cost less to develop,” the Public Utility Commission wrote in 2017.

A rulemaking process devised a policy to steer development to “preferred sites” using financial incentives. Eligible sites range from relatively small ones like carport roofs to much larger locations such as former factory sites, capped landfills, gravel pits or contaminated Superfund sites.

Vermont rules spur solar development on landfills, brownfields State regulators have received more than 100 applications from developers seeking to qualify under the policy. A Vermont policy meant to steer solar projects away from undeveloped and agricultural land appears to be working two years after it was implemented. Solar developers under the rules can ear...

https://www.ecowatch.com/best-environmental-books-of-may-2636429825.html

Orangutans, Coal, Climate and Resistance: The 13 Best Environmental Books of May This month brings two new books about the psychology of climate change and a two-volume series on resistance, plus at look at the secrets that blind us from taking action.

https://tinyurl.com/yyrv5syk

Opinion | Your Gas Stove Is Bad for You and the Planet To help solve the climate crisis, we need to electrify everything.

Global inequality is 25% higher than it would have been in a climate-stable world
https://tinyurl.com/y3t7dyza

Those least responsible for global warming will suffer the most. Poorer countries – those that have contributed far less to climate change – tend to be situated in warmer regions, where additional warming causes the most devastation. Extreme weather events such as Syria’s prolonged drought, South Asia’s catastrophic monsoon floods, and Cyclone Idai in South-East Africa, the third deadliest cyclone on record, are becoming more likely and more severe.

These events are disproportionately bringing death, displacement, and crop failure. As a result of this, projections estimate that the economies of poorer, warmer countries will be gravely harmed by climate change over coming decades, while the cooler, richer countries responsible for the vast majority of the extra CO2 in the air may even benefit in the short term. But as new research reveals, this is not just a future concern – the economic injustice of climate change has already been operating for 60 years.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, compared different countries’ GDP per capita – a measure of the average person’s economic standard of living – between 1961 and 2010. It then used climate models to estimate what each country’s GDP would have been without the effects of climate change. The findings are stark.

Global inequality is 25% higher than it would have been in a climate-stable world Never mind the future – rich countries have already benefited from climate change, while poor countries have suffered dramatic economic losses.