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Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
Saturday, March 25, 2023
Register Now! The Transmission Challenge: Unleashing New England's Renewable Energy Potential featuring Sen. Markey
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
CommonWealth Magazine: "Wind farm developer bucks DPU, pushes approach agency previously rejected"
Baker aide urges Avangrid to stay the course
""GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S top energy aide urged the offshore wind developer Avangrid to abandon efforts to reopen its electricity contract with the state and abide by the existing terms.
Avangrid has asked the Department of Public Utilities for a one-month delay in approving the contract, saying the time is needed to work out new terms because the 1,200-megawatt Commonwealth Wind project is not viable without an adjustment in the electricity price.
The company, which has said its project has been rocked by inflation, interest rate hikes, and supply chain difficulties, is expected to file a brief on the issue with the DPU on Monday."Continue reading the article online
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/energy/baker-aide-urges-avangrid-to-stay-the-course-2/
"THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES was very clear a week ago, telling the state’s two leading offshore wind developers that they could either move forward with the pricing contracts they negotiated with the state’s utilities or withdraw from the proceedings and start over again.
Mayflower Wind quickly responded that it would honor the terms of its contract but also said it would seek to inform all parties of the cost challenges wind farm developers are facing because of the war in Ukraine, interest rate hikes, inflation, and supply chain disruptions.
Avangrid, the developer of the 1,200-megawatt Commonwealth Wind project, asked for more time to respond and then waited until the very last minute on Monday before filing a response that largely ignored the DPU’s order."Continue reading the article online
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/energy/avangrid-ignores-dpu-order-refuses-to-budge-on-pricing-changes/
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CommonWealth Magazine: "Wind farm developer bucks DPU, pushes approach agency previously rejected" |
Saturday, November 12, 2022
Department of Public Utilities Approves New Wave of Grid Modernization Investments
"The Department of Public Utilities last month approved plans from the state’s three largest electric utilities to invest more than $450 million to modernize grid technologies from 2022 through 2025.Under the three-year plans, the electric distributors will expand grid monitoring, communication and automation technologies to increase the safety and reliability of the Massachusetts electric power system, state officials said.
NSTAR Electric, National Grid and Unitil had each filed their grid modernization plans last year."
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Department of Public Utilities Approves New Wave of Grid Modernization Investments |
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
Ted & I talk microgrids and more in this 18th episode of Making Sense of Climate - 10/25/22 (audio)
This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Ted McIntyre, Franklin resident and climate activist. We recorded this via the Zoom conference bridge Tuesday, October 25, 2022.
In this episode our conversation covered the following topics:
Microgrids
South Carolina residential building auto based
DPU and municipal aggregation approval cycle
Building code, stretch code revisions pending
Offshore cable system
Mother Jones says ‘microgrids’ are good
This discussion continues our journey understanding the MA roadmap toward net zero and while it helps me “make sense of climate”, we hope it helps with your understanding as well.
If you have climate questions or Franklin specific climate questions, send them in and we’ll try to answer them in a future session.
The conversation runs about 40 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Ted
Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-870-making-sense-of-climate-18-10-25-22--------------
microgrid - Merriam Webster added the word in September
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/10/merriam-webster-we-added-370-new-words.html
teaser to come back to microgrids
South Carolina massive residential building underway in 'low country' outside of charleston.
no mass transit, while 55 housing is being built, all are hostage to the automobiles
not sustainable for net zero, or for those 55+ who as they age are going to be standed out there
municipal aggregation, we have it, others can't get it
public ownership of utilities I don't think it the answer, we need to ensure appropriate board and oversight of the utilities doesn't create/continue the fossil fuel domination
https://www.repmikeconnolly.org/public_ownership_of_public_utilities
Hard to find a good contractor.--- this will be important as we go forward in MA>
offshore cable system, rather than extending electric grid above ground
https://www.wbur.org/news/2022/10/18/offshore-wind-transmission-lines-grid
microgrids, Mother Jones article
Eversource/Framingham pilot construction updates https://www.eversource.com/content/ema-c/residential/about/transmission-distribution/projects/massachusetts-projects/geothermal-pilot-project
See the page that collects the “Making Sense of Climate” episodes -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/02/making-sense-of-climate-collection.html
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like something here, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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Eversource/Framingham pilot construction update |