Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | October 10, 2016 | wbjournal.com F OC U S E N E R G Y BY LAURA FINALDI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer A new law passed by the legislature could send offshore wind down a simi- lar path – although those turbines won't be visible from the beach, let alone a major highway. At the Worcester Business Journal's Massachusetts Energy Forum on Sept. 21, experts and industry stakeholders discussed what the state's energy market could look like years down the line after all three branches of state government – most notably the legislature – took steps over the summer towards making Massachusetts more energy productive, in an effort to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. An energy law passed by the legisla- ture in July requires utilities to enter into 15-20 year contracts with power providers to bring 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind power and 1,200 mega- watts of hydropower and onshore wind to Massachusetts. The law also estab- lished a clean energy financing program for commercial properties, made room for fuel cells as an alternative portfolio standard fuel and put forth goals for energy storage innovation. "It seems like there's a moment right now, a moment where there's a kind of confluence and ideas and decisions that are being made through our state gov- ernment that, if grabbed on to, could be something even more game changing," said David Cash, dean of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy The At latest energy forum, experts discuss Massachusetts legislative impacts and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, who was the keynote speaker at the event. A former state energy secretary, Cash said while the legislation was historic, it wasn't comprehensive, and Massachusetts is at a clean energy crossroads. A win for wind By setting aside 1,600 megawatts exclusively for offshore wind in the energy law, the legislature launched a new industry in Massachusetts, said Matthew Morrissey, vice president of Massachusetts for Deepwater Wind, a Rhode Island offshore wind develop- ment company. It had to, because the state wasn't going to meet its greenhouse gas reduc- tion goals organically, said David O'Connor, senior vice president for energy and clean technology at Boston consulting firm ML Strategies. The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008 set a goal of an 80 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. "The reality is that we need to make future power of David Cash, former state energy secretary and dean of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the UMass Boston, gave the keynote address at the Massachusetts Energy Fourm. A bout 10 years ago, the Massachusetts solar indus- try was just an idea. But today, thanks to govern- ment programs and industry developments, the commonwealth now ranks sixth in the nation for overall installed capacity, and it's pretty much impossible to drive down a major highway without seeing a panel array. such dramatic reductions in our emis- sions to address climate change, to reach the Global Warming Solutions Act goals that Massachusetts has set for itself – 80 percent by 2050 – we have to get on a very aggressive trajectory downward," O'Connor said. "The legis- lature knew it could not sit back and rely on the wholesale marketplace in New England to deliver those kinds of reductions." That's why the legislature is banking heavily on wind and hydropower, he said. Offshore wind was isolated from competition with other power sources because it won't come close price-wise, O'Connor said, but developers will have to compete with each other. As the global offshore wind market grows, costs will go down, Morrissey said, and the wind industry will estab- Clean energy sector Installed renewable energy capacity growth in Massachusetts, 2010-2014 WBJ Editor Brad Kane (left) moderated a panel discussion with energy industry experts and stakeholders: (from left) Laura Canter, MassDevelopment; Charlie Fox, Bloom Energy; Matthew Morrissey, Deepwater Wind; David O'Connor, ML Strategies; Timothy Roughan, National Grid. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Megawatts '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 277 MW Source: 2015 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report

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