Last year, Swampscott built on its commitment to clean energy by entering into a municipal electricity aggregation program, estimated to save more than 45,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
The 12-month contract offers residents three options:
Standard, 100 percent renewables with 5 percent new wind, Greener, 100 percent renewables with 20 percent new wind, or Basic, meets Massachusetts Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard.
Communities like Swampscott are leading the way towards a 100 percent renewable energy future. In the coming months, as state leaders grapple with decisions about where Massachusetts’ energy should come from, we hope they will follow the example of municipalities statewide and prioritize clean, local, renewable sources of power.
The costs of clean energy sources are rapidly dropping. Today, a typical solar installation costs only 23 percent of what it did in 2009.
Solar power could provide twice as much electricity as Massachusetts uses, and offshore wind projects could handle the state’s electricity demand eleven-fold.
What’s more, new technologies are enabling us to dramatically reduce our use of energy in our homes and offices. Even something as basic as switching to Light-Emitting Diode (LED) light bulbs can reduce lighting energy consumption by up to 75 percent.
There’s no question that increasing renewable energy will bring many benefits to Massachusetts. The state has already experienced the effects of a changing climate, from increasing storm frequency to rising sea levels. We must invest in clean energy sources to reduce our carbon emissions and avoid the impacts of global warming.
What’s more, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects can be a smart way for everyone to save money. For example, Swampscott will convert its streetlights to LEDs in later this year. Besides consuming much less energy, LEDs also provide brighter, longer lasting light than their traditional counterparts with reduced maintenance costs.
In Swampscott, officials have already made significant progress towards the goal of 100 percent renewable energy. Back in 2007, the Board of Selectmen signed an energy resolution that set the goal of reducing municipal emissions by 20 percent by 2020. A number of forward-thinking officials championed several key clean energy programs to reach this goal. They installed solar panels on the town’s middle and high school buildings, which generate over 450 kilowatts of clean electricity. This is the equivalent to taking 1,138 cars off the road. They also adopted a new policy for buying municipal vehicles with higher fuel-efficiency standards. The new standards tightened restrictions on fuel efficiency, vehicle size, and town fleet size.
Swampscott has also improved energy efficiency. By reducing our total energy demands, the road to 100 percent renewables becomes a much shorter one. Swampscott’s Big Blue Energy Initiative promotes free building audits for residents and businesses through Mass Save to see where energy is being wasted. The Town also contracted Johnson Controls to retrofit town buildings with updated heating systems, lighting controls, and weatherization systems. Last year, Swampscott also received a $225,000 grant from the state for converting streetlights to LED bulbs.
Studies have shown that with current technology, we can get virtually all of the energy that we need from clean, renewable sources like solar and wind.
Yet even with this technology increasingly more available, state leaders are considering steps that could delay the transition to clean energy and deepen our dependence on fossil fuels. Earlier this year, the state cut the value of a key solar program, making it harder for many families to switch to solar power. And state officials are considering proposals to expand fossil fuel pipelines.
Now is the time for bold action to repower Massachusetts with clean energy.
State leaders should say no to gas pipelines, and yes to renewable, local alternatives.
In particular, the state should restore the full value of net metering credits for community and low-income solar projects, to ensure that everyone who wants to switch to solar has the opportunity to do so. And leaders should make ambitious commitments to offshore wind and energy efficiency.
Finally, Massachusetts should commit to a goal of getting 100 percent of its energy from clean, renewable sources.
For years, communities like Swampscott have led the way towards 100 percent renewable energy. Now, it’s time for state leaders to follow their example.
Signed,
Ben Hellerstein, Environment Massachusetts
Mac McReynolds, Environment Massachusetts
Peter Kane, Swampscott Director of Community Development