Category: Energy

Wilbraham native Marcy Reed, president of National Grid in Massachusetts, was honored on Jan. 26 with a prestigious 2012 Pinnacle Award from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

“Many of our employees live in Holyoke, and that means they quickly identified the storm’s problem areas and knew how to reach them,” said Holyoke Gas & Electric Department manager James M. Lavelle.

State leaders on Wednesday unveiled a landmark agreement with NStar and Northeast Utilities that would permit the two electric utilities to merge in return for purchasing a certain amount of power from the Cape Wind project and for freezing rates for four years including for 200,000 customers in Western Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., February 14, 2012 - Medium and large commercial and industrial (C&I) customers who take basic service from Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo) will see their electric supply rates decline beginning in April.

Town Manager John P. Musante said this week, “We’re getting closer to an agreement.” He said they are trying “to get the best possible price for the town” and should have something settled soon.

NESFI has partnered with Amherst-based solar company Hyperion Systems to install a 3-acre dual-use array on a 5.5-acre hay field. The panels would be elevated several feet and spaced out to allow crops to grow and animals to graze.

But, burying those power lines would probably result in trading one set of maintenance headaches for another, all at considerable expense, according to utilities and engineers.

“Massachusetts continues to be a leader in energy efficiency and grants like these allow our farmers to save energy and protect the environment,” Patrick said.

Other phases of the $2 billion effort include the Greater Springfield Reliability Project, which includes parts of northern Connecticut; the Central Connecticut Reliability Project; and the Rhode Island Reliability Project.

The second and final piece of an $18 million to $20 million project that includes nearly 18,400 ground-mounted solar panels in two locations in the city was ready to generate, said James M. Lavelle, manager of the Holyoke Gas & Electric Department, the city-owned utility.

Rivermoor-Citizens LLC expects to break ground this spring on two solar panel parks here at a cost of $4.4 million and $4.5 million each that will generate electricity to be fed into the Northeast Utilities power grid.

Western Massachusetts Electric Co. electricity bills could go up about $5 a month for an average residential customers assuming a pair of rate adjustments go into force in early 2012.

Earlier this year, the Western Massachusetts Electric Co. installed two free charging stations in the Pioneer Valley, one at its Springfield headquarters on Federal Street and the other at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Hadley, as part of a study to see how the stations are used, according to Sandra Ahearn, a spokeswoman for the utility.

Commissioner Steven T. Desilets said the building permit allows construction of the foundation of a 275-foot high smokestack for the project. Palmer Renewable Energy is planning the project at Page Boulevard and Cadwell Drive.

Holyoke clean energy workshop,held on Nov 9/10, gathered engineers,entrepreneurs,policy makers,researchers,and educators to discuss  and identify test bed opportunities in Holyoke, and look for collaborations and connections for federal funding partnerships, investment,entrepreneurial activity and research in clean energy.