Energy Economic Forecast
PHOTO/COURTESY
State Sen. Dan Wolf (D-Hyannis) speaks to crowd calling for the immediate closure of Pilgrim Power Plant on Oct. 22. Its planned closure has left the state looking for other power sources.
Energy in Massachusetts has been a topic of hot debate throughout 2015, and there’s no indication that things will cool off in 2016. Discussions of whether and how to integrate more clean energy into the power grid, where gas pipelines should be run or whether to raise the cap on solar energy credits have been the highlights in 2015 and will continue into the coming year.
Solar energy push and pull
While seemingly everyone in the state is pushing for more solar energy, how they go about it is hotly debated. Those in the industry are calling to increase the cap on the amount of solar electricity produced by the private sector and public entities that can receive the retail rate for the power produced. Since the cap has been hit in National Grid territory, large projects have screeched to a halt, according to those in the industry. However, there are calls starting to come up for the industry to stand on its own without government intervention. With legislators unable to come to a decision in 2015, this debate will rage on into 2016.
New England banking on natural gas
While the debate about the location of natural gas pipelines into the state is mostly resolved, the state’s near-term dependence on this fuel is set to continue rising. During high load times, natural gas can account for nearly 40 percent of the state’s electricity generation. While much has been made about the switch to renewable energy sources -- with Attorney General Maura Healy notably saying natural gas pipelines are not only not needed to meet energy demands but could result in higher electricity prices -- for now natural gas is the king.
Renewable switch-over
Despite natural gas being the current king of the energy market, increased movements will be made in 2016 to dethrone it in the interest of more renewable sources of energy.
While state-grown solar continues to be popular, other measures will only enrich the renewable argument, including plans to build a transmission line to pull from hydropower resources in Canadian provinces.
With the closing of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station set for 2019, the push to increase the baseline of low-emissions power generation will be even more important to get lined up in 2016.
Top energy stories of 2015
AG comes out against gas pipeline
Pilgrim Nuclear station to close
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