Perhaps you’ve seen commercials on New England Cable News about the Northern Pass project. So far, I’ve seen two commercials – one that didn’t even say Northern Pass is an energy project, the other mentioned renewable hydro power but didn’t mention that the core of the project are massive new transmission lines. The pitch has […]
The proposed merger between NStar and Northeast Utilities will have a significant impact on the region’s energy marketplace. Whether it will be good for consumers – particularly the 500 nonprofit members of PowerOptions which form a backbone of the Massachusetts economy, depends largely on the conditions now being negotiated. For months, interested parties have been […]
While the cost of electricity has fallen dramatically over the last two years as a result of the drop in natural gas prices, the delivery part of your electric bill (transmission and distribution company charges) has been going up significantly. The distribution charges have been going up for a variety of reasons: New state mandates […]
Lots of attention has been paid to the financial subsidies the state and federal government have provided for the development of renewable energy (see last week’s blog). What the general public is much less aware of are the subsidies that come directly from ratepayers through their electric rates. These subsidies are part of a patchwork […]
Recent high-profile bankruptcy filings by solar panel manufacturers (Evergreen Solar in Massachusetts and California-based Solyndra) have caused some to wrongly question the viability of the solar industry and, indirectly, the pursuit of solar power by customers. The truth is that these events are less about the strength of the industry and more about the faulty […]
Welcome to the latest and, we think, one of the most exciting new features of our improved website – the inaugural PowerOptions blog, which we’re calling Wired In. PowerOptions was founded 15 years ago on the promise of becoming the leading energy buying consortium in Massachusetts, helping nonprofit institutions and government entities navigate the complex […]
