Baker's push for hydropower
During his final year in office, former governor Deval Patrick urged lawmakers to require Massachusetts to get more of its electricity from hydropower. This month, his successor renewed the call. Gov. Charlie Baker filed a bill aimed at diversifying the state's energy picture and advancing its clean-energy agenda by bringing in more electricity from Quebec's hydropower plants. Here are the details.
What's in the bill?
Massachusetts' electric distribution companies, with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, would need to solicit cost-effective, long-term contracts for hydropower. Meanwhile, wind and solar would remain part of the state's clean energy mix.
The legislation would also allow Massachusetts to partner with other New England states to import hydropower.
Why hydro?
Hydropower — electricity derived from harnessing the energy of rushing water — is considered an environmentally cleaner form of energy. One reason for the current push is that much of the infrastructure to generate it is in place elsewhere. Canada has long been committed to large-scale hydropower projects.
The main purpose behind the bill is to help propel the state to a sounder energy future, officials and observers say.
What about the clean-energy picture?
To address global warming and other problems associated with fossil fuels, Massachusetts is aiming to increase its use of renewable energy sources. The efforts have not come without struggle. The Cape Wind Project off Nantucket, proposed in 2001, this year saw National Grid and Northeast Utilities terminate power purchase agreements with the project.
Solar energy has had more success, thanks in part to state incentives. Officials announced in May that the state was more than halfway to its goal of installing 1,600 megawatts of solar electricity by 2020.
What problems are foreseen?
The Conservation Law Foundation sounded caution after the Baker team's July 9 announcement. Spokesman Greg Cunningham said the power source would need to be tracked, “or else we could end up buying Canadian coal-powered electricity during periods of high demand in the Eastern Canadian provinces.” While “hydropower needs to be a piece of the puzzle,” he said, it “must be added in a way that simultaneously protects our rivers and forests and incorporates alternate renewable energy solutions.”
No one says hydropower is perfect. The equipment is expensive to build and maintain, and can harm forests and wildlife. Also, transporting the power from the generator requires hundreds of miles of power lines. That can lead to disagreements and power struggles.
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