Environmental group calls for policy that embraces new technology
The authors of a new environmental report say Massachusetts is falling short of its carbon reduction goals, but could get on track by increasingly embracing emerging energy technologies.
“Massachusetts is proving that fighting global warming and growing our economy go hand-in-hand,” said Ben Hellerstein, state director for the Environment Massachusetts Research & Policy Center. “With support from our state’s leaders, we can cut carbon emissions rapidly while promoting the growth of innovative Massachusetts businesses.”
Doing more to encourage the increased adoption of energy storage technology, offshore wind power, solar energy, smart urban growth plans and revamped mass transit will help Massachusetts meet its long-term goal of reducing carbon emissions to 80 percent of 1990 levels by the year 2050, according to a report Environment Massachusetts and the Frontier Group released Aug. 12.
“Fortunately, the tools and technology to rapidly reduce carbon emissions are at our fingertips,” Hellerstein said. “As it turns out many of the technologies are being developed and used by companies here in Massachusetts.”
The report authors and other environmental advocates repeatedly discussed potential economic benefits of enacting public policy to encourage growth in the renewable energy sector.
“All these efforts will not only help Boston become a more healthy and more sustainable place to live, but will also help our economy,” said Austin Blackmon, chief of environment, energy and open space for the city of Boston.
While Massachusetts is making considerable progress in reducing carbon emissions, the state is falling short of its target for 2020, according to the report. To get back on track, Environment Massachusetts is calling for Gov. Charlie Baker to adopt a target of bringing greenhouse gas emissions to 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
Hellerstein also called for Massachusetts to remove caps on solar net metering, a mechanism that allows owners of solar arrays to essentially sell excess electricity back to the power grid. The report also calls for all new homes to be built to be “solar-ready,” meaning they could more easily be fitted for solar power.
The report advocates for Massachusetts to work to integrate energy storage systems into existing power infrastructure. As wind and solar technologies — which do not constantly produce power — become more widely used, it will become increasingly important to store energy, said Sean Becker, president of Somerville-based Sparkplug Power.
“We’re creating a transition from an old business model, like an old rotary phone or dial-up, to the newest iPhone 6 or Samsung,” Becker said. “Integrating more wind and more solar has multiple benefits … We have to find more ways to integrate this into the system. That can be assisted by building more transmission or more storage, or both.”
The report also called for wider use of energy efficiency tools, such as LED lights; renewable heating and cooling technology, such as air-source heat pumps; net zero-energy buildings, which produce as much energy as they consume over the course of a year; urban planning to encourage compact, walkable neighborhoods; an upgraded and expanded public transit system; shared transportation models such as Zipcar, Uber and Lyft; and plug-in electric vehicles.
“I firmly believe in cleaner energy, and that is why I filed Senate legislation for a greenhouse gas emissions limit between 35 and 45 percent below the 1990 emissions level by 2030,” said state Sen. Marc R. Pacheco, D-Taunton, author of the Global Warming Solutions Act and founding chair of the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change. “Within Senate Bill 458, I also included a benchmark for 2040 that limits emissions between 55 and 65 percent below the 1990 emissions level. The clean energy sector in Massachusetts is currently a $10 billion industry; our clean energy economy will be strengthened even further by meeting these interim goals. Putting these figures in place represents a political will to protect our environment and secure a clean energy future for our planet.”
Geoff Chapin, CEO of Next Step Living, a Boston-based company that specializes in energy efficient home technology, said strong environmental legislation in Massachusetts has helped his company thrive.
“It is no mistake,” he said. “You can grow your population, grow your output, reduce energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating jobs.”
According to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, clean and renewable energy companies employ more than 88,000 statewide.
“Massachusetts is a national leader in the fight against climate change, fostering a thriving clean energy economy and becoming the top state in energy efficiency,” state Rep. Frank I. Smizik, D-Brookline, chairman of the House Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, said in a statement. “Although we have made progress in reaching the goals set in the (Global Warming Solutions Act), we must continue constructing smart and targeted policies and leading the way with innovative solutions to reducing our carbon emissions.”
Gerry Tuoti is the Regional Newsbank Editor for GateHouse Media New England. Email him at email@example.com or call him at 508-967-3137.