Latest news with #MassachusettsCleanEnergyCenter
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Massport pushing to make the state a hub for sustainable aviation fuels
Among the suggestions: Pass legislation to create tax credits that would encourage sustainable aviation fuel blends, storage, and production infrastructure, and new kinds of fuel technologies. While Massport has already asked the US Department of Energy to study the region's current sustainable aviation fuel assets, the task force also wants to identify existing state programs that could be used to support and grow the industry. Davey said he hopes Massachusetts can become a big player in this emerging industry, by fostering startups that can engineer more environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional petroleum-based jet fuel, and by prompting the airlines that use Massport-run Logan Airport to increasingly blend sustainable aviation fuels, primarily biofuels, with their conventional fuel. Advertisement Current technology and regulations allow for up to 50 percent biofuel in jet engine tanks. While its use is rapidly rising, biofuels still represent less than 2 percent of all jet fuel in the US market. Advertisement 'We're not going to stop flying,' Davey said. 'On the flip side, we have a [climate] crisis we need to address.' Davey pitched the idea of creating a sustainable aviation fuel hub to Healey soon after he started as Massport chief executive last year. 'What we found in this journey is that this is not only about improving or reducing gas emissions in Massachusetts,' Davey said. 'It's also an economic development play.' Toward that end, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center has access to newly created tax credits and capital grants tailored specifically for climate-tech businesses, funded by a $4 billion economic development bond bill that the Legislature passed last year. The working group would like to augment those subsidies with tax credits that could be applied against the state's jet fuel tax to encourage the big airlines to add more biofuels to their tanks. (Airlines paid around $50 million in jet fuel taxes in Massachusetts last year.) Davey said the legislation could include a cap on how much is spent each year, like what has been done in several other states that already offer these incentives. 'I'm cognizant that while we want to solve this problem, the state budget right now is a bit murky,' Davey said. 'We need to balance that uncertainty and all the services we provide [from state government] with this potential incentive.' Some research and development in sustainable aviation fuels is already happening here. Chief growth officer Ben Downing pointed to two startups affiliated with the nonprofit incubator and accelerator where he works, The Engine in Cambridge: Lydian Labs, which is creating carbon-neutral aviation fuels, and Sora Fuel, which aims to make fuel out of carbon removed from the air. Advertisement Downing said Massport's leadership should help spur similar startups, in part because of the opportunities that the port authority could provide to commercialize sustainable fuel technologies by working with suppliers and airlines. 'We've seen Rich and his team lead [on this issue],' Downing said. 'There's a proactive nature to their approach that puts Massachusetts in a really interesting position to be not just a place where these things get invented but potentially where these companies grow. ... That's a model for other key anchor institutions and it's really hopeful and promising for this sector.' Jon Chesto can be reached at
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
State officials announce new plan to turn everyday cars into power sources: 'It could be serving huge loads across the grid'
Massachusetts is recruiting volunteers for a pilot program that turns electric vehicles into grid-supporting mobile powerhouses. It's called vehicle-to-everything, or V2X, an innovative plan that has been tried elsewhere with mixed success, according to Canary Media. But New England officials are hopeful they can learn enough from a trial run to prove the concept is viable to provide sustainable grid power. It's part of a clean energy plan through 2050 outlined by state officials. One goal is for Massachusetts to have 900,000 EVs on travel lanes by the end of the decade, according to Canary. Program leaders see untapped potential in the cars' power packs. "That could be a really important piece as we seek to get to net zero by 2050. It still requires a whole lot of infrastructure, and it's complicated for the utilities. But in the future, it could be serving huge loads across the grid," Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's Elijah Sinclair told the site. Sinclair is the center's transportation manager. It's using $6 million to provide and install up to 100 bi-drectional chargers, the two-way devices needed to both charge and provide electricity. Schools, businesses, and individuals are invited, all per Canary and the center. The report added that some V2X attempts floundered because of high costs and complexity. The system needs willing utilities to pay the participants for the power they provide. That part isn't unheard of, as virtual power plants leverage household batteries, including Tesla Powerwalls, for grid-supporting electricity. A VPP network in Southern California supplied enough juice last year when needed to prevent dirty fuel-burning support, Tesla Energy posted on X, formerly Twitter. Electrek reported that participants typically earn between $10 and $60 per "event." For V2X to be successful, EV owners will at some point have to take on the approximately $5,000 to $10,000 cost that Canary listed for the special chargers. It's a big hurdle the team in Massachusetts hopes to learn how to solve during the demo. "What went well, what did not go well, and what should be considered in moving these programs to a more mature scale," Kelly Helfrich of Resource Innovations said. The company works on clean energy projects and is co-leading the V2X effort. Battery-stored electricity, especially when renewably generated, can help to break a worrisome cycle. Burning fossil fuels to make energy is contributing to our heat-trapping air pollution burden, which NASA has linked to increased risks for severe weather. Those extreme storms are knocking out power lines, creating blackouts and grid strain. V2X efforts have been successful in Europe. Stateside, programs that use mostly idle electric school buses have shown promise. But ones in California and Baltimore have had mixed results. Another New England project works like a VPP — and also rewards EV owners for not charging during peak demand hours, all per Canary. If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Cost Battery range Power and speed The way it looks Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. In Massachusetts, officials plan to finish the V2X project in December 2026. The program page lists the Ford Lightning and Nissan Leaf as eligible vehicles, with more options for commercial participants. Federal tax rebates remain to help offset EV purchases, in addition to the $1,500 you can save in gas and maintenance costs when switching. It's part of a cleaner transportation strategy that can include walking and public options, regardless where you live. In New England, V2X organizers need to develop a simple payment structure for participants who supply power, among other confirmations, organizers said. The key is to "safely and reliably connect with the grid in a way that's reasonably low-cost and reliable and fast," Vehicle-Grid Integration Council Executive Director Zach Woogen said, per Canary. His group represents EV and charging makers and works with utilities across the country. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's that charge for? We're breaking down your utility bills
Many of us saw crazy high home-heating bills this winter. Massachusetts energy bills were already among the highest in the country. Now, as we approach the hottest months of the year, we know many of you are paying close attention to your utility bills. Do you ever look at those bills and wonder what all those charges are? Anchor and investigative reporter Kerry Kavanaugh is breaking down your bill to explain what you're paying for and why. We met a lot of ratepayers who don't really understand their bills. 'Sometimes I pay $350 and then this Monday came down to $146. No explanation,' said Massachusetts ratepayer, Giuseppe Guarino. 'Not everyone can understand that stuff.' 'I probably should, but I don't,' said Massachusetts ratepayer Janet Holmes. 'I think people really want to know what goes into their bills,' said Kyle Murray, Director of State Program Implementation for the Acadia Center--a non-profit focused on renewable energy. Murray agreed to sit down with Kavanaugh and go line by line through some energy bills, breaking them down, dissecting each of the charges. The first charge listed on an electric bill is the Customer Charge. 'That is basically the charge of meters,' said Murray. And the cost for utility companies to read those meters, fixed usually at $10 a month. The Distribution Charge is the cost of carrying power from substations to your home. 'The stuff that's in state that's carrying it from substation to your home. Think those smaller poles and wires,' said Murray. Murray says think of the Transmission Charge as the cost of big towers carrying power across the region. Not to be confused with the Transition Charge which allows utilities to recover assets stranded after energy restructuring decades ago. Oddly, that can appear as a negative charge. The Energy Efficiency Charge funds the Mass Save program--funding rebates and incentives to make homes more efficient. Murray says that has benefitted ratepayers whether they use the program or not. 'Because of the fact that Mass Save has been such a successful program, I believe the numbers around, we've reduced our energy build out that we would have had to do by about 20%. So that's a lot of savings that are delivered, even if you've never used the program at all,' Murray said. Next is the Renewable Energy charge. 'So, the renewable energy charge goes to a trust fund that funds the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. And they are focused on clean energy innovations,' said Murray. Don't have solar? You still have two charges associated with it. The Net Meter Recovery Charge --goes to homes with solar power producing more energy than they consume The Distributed Solar Charge--provides consumers with incentives to install solar on their homes. 'It is efficiency measures for your home,' Murray said. 'It's not generation side for your homes.' And the Electric Vehicle Charge funds the state's electric vehicle program. 'I couldn't believe that I'm getting charged for electric cars and solar panels, which I don't have neither one of them,' said Massachusetts ratepayer Carmen Lopez. Lopez echoes a sentiment of some ratepayers and that of the conservative non-profit, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, which advocates for government and fiscal transparency and accountability. 'I would slash them [charges] all,' said Paul Craney, the executive director of the alliance. 'I mean as a consumer if you want to pay for these projects, you certainly can but a lot of people don't want to play for these projects. Craney said the markets should decide whoever can produce the best product at the cheapest cost and consumers should choose what they want. Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance blames high energy bills in part on the state's push for electric energy. 'It all comes back to a bill, a law that was passed in Massachusetts, the Global Warming Solutions Act,' Craney said. 'And so, as ratepayers, people who pay these bills, we are now starting to fund these mandates. We're just in the beginning phase of how expensive this is going to become on the ratepayers.' Craney argues natural gas is a more reliable energy source, and often a cheaper one. Murray, with the Acadia Center, disputes that. 'No, it's not always the cheapest. And in many cases investing in renewables such as solar or wind or hydro come in significantly cheaper at those moments and that's why it's really important to have a mix of fuels rather than just going all in on natural gas which is what we kind of did in the past,' Murray said. 'You're subject to the whims of the market when if production is down, prices can spike. Or if demand goes up, prices spike. So, this ends up with the consumer not necessarily knowing what their bill is going to look like due to things that are largely out of their control and largely out Massachusetts' control too.' But Murray says there should be a conversation about what programs fall to the ratepayer in their monthly utility bill. 'We can't keep putting programs on the backs of rate payers. It's just not sustainable in the long-term,' Murray said. 'I think additionally we can start looking at what goes into the bill and determining should this be volumetric or should this maybe be a fixed charge or should it altogether maybe be removed from the bill, and put into the tax base somewhere.' There's not a lot of itemized charge breakdown in a gas bill. Right now, Massachusetts gas bills are just broken down by supply and delivery costs. The Supply Charge is the market price for the gas. The Delivery Charge is primarily the pipes in the ground. Many agree more transparency in gas bills is a must. 'The more information that we all have the better,' said Massachusetts ratepayer Ingrid Stobee. 'I wish she didn't have to always check this information but it's pretty tough right now.' The Healey Administration has asked the Department of Public Utilities to direct gas companies to start breaking out the renewable energy charge on gas bills. Ratepayers should start seeing that by next fall, the start of the next home heating season. The Administration told Kavanaugh some solar programs --imbedded in supply costs-- are being phased out, which should save ratepayers money. Major changes to utilities bill would require the state legislature to act. Maria Hardiman spokesperson for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs told Boston 25 News: 'We're taking action to bring down costs and make sure price spikes don't keep happening to our residents. Governor Healey's Energy Affordability Agenda delivered $220 million in immediate relief and will lead to nearly $6 billion in savings over five years. We're getting people help now, keeping costs off bills, and getting ahead of surprise price shocks. She will also soon file an energy affordability and independence bill to explore new ways we can make Massachusetts more affordable. We will use every tool we have to help make sure families and businesses can afford to heat their homes and keep the lights on.' The Healey Administration did not offer a firm timeline on when the energy-related legislation would be filed. In March, Governor Healey laid out some actions to immediately reduce costs for ratepayers, including a one-time $50 dollar bill credit. Healey also announced a $500 million dollar reduction in funding to the Mass Save Program for 2025-2027. Boston 25 News reached out to the major energy providers in our region about what ratepayers are up against the changes that have been proposed. National Grid says throughout this past winter heating season, they connected with customers through email, bill inserts and social media, as well as through targeted outreach to customers who may need additional financial assistance. National Grid told us its' web site has extensive resources on understanding both gas and electric bills as well as information on our bill assistance programs. They directed viewers to the following links: Electric: About Your Bill | National Grid Help Paying Your Bill | National Grid Gas: Help Reading Your Bill Help Paying Your Bill | National Grid A spokesperson for Eversource told Boston 25 News: 'We are committed to transparency for our customers, their bills and the costs they pay, and are constantly working to provide insight and information on this complex topic. As part of that commitment to transparency, we are currently evaluating ways to improve our bill presentation, particularly for natural gas bills, and expect to implement updates in coming cycles for rate adjustments – including, among other potential improvements, listing the energy efficiency surcharge as a separate line item on natural gas bills going forward as we already do on electric bills.' Eversource customers can get insight into their gas bills here. A spokesperson with Unitil, which serves Ashby, Fitchburg, Lunenburg, Townsend, Gardner, and Westminster, told Boston 25 News 'understanding what appears on an energy bill isn't just about knowing the charges, it's also about finding ways to take control of energy use and costs. At Unitil, we want customers to feel confident reading their bill, and to be aware there are resources, programs, and choices that can help them save.' Unitil says it is 'broadly supportive' of greater transparency in customer bills. 'The DPU recently directed Massachusetts gas companies to present the Energy Efficiency Charge as a separate line item on customer bills prior to the start of the next heating season. If the DPU moves forward with additional changes to gas bill itemization, we will work collaboratively to implement it in a way that is helpful and easy to understand for our customers.' Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Boston Globe
23-04-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
UMass President Marty Meehan focuses on climate tech in his latest address
The $4 billion legislation, the Healey administration says, represents a $1 billion investment in climate-tech over 10 years — though not all of that money is in the actual bill. Mass Leads includes $200 million over a decade in bond authorizations for offshore wind farm infrastructure, $200 million for other capital grants to help companies and nonprofits research or commercialize climate technologies, and up to $30 million a year for tax incentives for clean-tech firms that add jobs (totaling another $300 million). The administration counts another $30 million a year to support the quasi-public Massachusetts Clean Energy Center toward the total; those funds come from the state's operating budget, which needs legislative approval each year. 'UMass ... will be the engine that drives the state's economic ambitions, as we've been for 160 years,' Meehan said in the address. Advertisement Meehan talked about some specific efforts that are already underway: climate resiliency research at UMass Boston's Stone Living Lab, UMass Dartmouth's work on sustainable fisheries, and water treatment and purification research at UMass Amherst. He also mentioned the importance of global partnerships, singling out the Clean Energy & Environment Legacy Transition Initiative that UMass Lowell and Boston University are working on with university partners in Ireland, as well as UMass Boston chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco's efforts with the Vatican Climate Summit last year. In an interview, Meehan said he believes it's important for UMass to put its research and teaching efforts to work to help with the state's economic development priorities. That includes researching innovative climate solutions and preparing a workforce for the new jobs that will open up. 'There's no question that the federal government is trying to take us back with regard to climate change,' Meehan said. '[But] I would argue that climate change is the existential threat of our time. ... Our goal is to position UMass to be the partner of choice for state government, the private sector in Massachusetts, and also globally. This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston's business scene. Jon Chesto can be reached at
Boston Globe
14-04-2025
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
What to know about new statewide e-bike incentive program. Plus, how Mass. residents can apply.
Following several local pilot initiatives, MassCEC (the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center), a quasi-public agency focused on economic development, is rolling out the new statewide program. When can residents start applying? What do applicants need? Advertisement After the two-week open registration period, selected applicants will be chosen via an automated random selection process. MassCEC will notify those selected, who will then have a week to complete their application and provide proof of residency and their income or participation in an eligible income-certified program. Awarded individuals will receive a code that they can use at a participating retailer, both for an e-bike and equipment. They will have 60 days to redeem their voucher. Over the course of six months, the agency will be staggering the rollout of 3,000 vouchers, with about 500 awarded each month. Who qualifies for the vouchers, and what are the rebates offered? What e-bikes are eligible? Residents can use the voucher on both e-cargo bikes, used for carrying large loads or children, as well as adaptive e-bikes, which are designed for people with mobility challenges. Advertisement The e-bike must be Class 1: An electric bicycle or tricycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and that ceases to provide assistance at 20 miles per hour. Class 2: An electric bicycle or tricycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, but tops out at 20 miles per hour. The e-bike must have two or three wheels, fully operable pedals, and an electric motor that is 750 watts or less. It cannot be gasoline powered. Plus, it must meet UL 2849 and or EN 15194 certifications. There is a maximum purchase price of $5,000 for a standard e-bike and $8,500 for an adaptive e-bike. The voucher can only be used in-person at participating bike stores in Massachusetts. Shannon Larson can be reached at
