Massachusetts Green Power Purchasing Commitment

Summary

Clean Energy Standard (CES) and CES-E: The CES sets a minimum percentage of electricity sales that retail electricity suppliers must procure from new clean energy sources beyond the RPS requirements. The CES began in 2018 at 16% and increases 2% annually to 80% in 2050. The CES-E applies to clean generating resources that pre-existed the RPS and is 20% for 2021.

Solar Carve-Out (SCO) & Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART):  As part of the RPS, the SCO program, initiated in 2010 and expanded in 2014, requires electricity suppliers to meet a portion of the RPS obligation through solar energy. To further support the growth of solar and reduce ratepayer costs, Massachusetts launched the SMART program in 2018 to incentivize the development of 3,200 MW of new solar generating capacity via a declining block tariff.

Massachusetts Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS): The RPS requires retail electricity suppliers to procure an annually increasing percentage of the power they provide to end-use customers from qualified renewable sources. RPS compliance is divided into classes and sub-classes, including Class I (new renewables), Class II (existing renewables), and Class II (waste-to-energy). Beginning in 2020, the RPS obligation was modified from a 1% increase to a 2% increase per year until 2029, resulting in a minimum obligation of 35% renewables by 2030.

An Act to Promote Energy Diversity: In Chapter 188 of the Acts of 2016, An Act to Promote Energy Diversity, the Commonwealth established ambitious targets for clean energy procurement. The Act required utilities to solicit a total of 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind by 2027, which is currently under contract to be filled with the Vineyard Wind and Mayflower Wind offshore wind projects. The offshore wind procurement target was increased in 2019 to 3,200 megawatts by 2035. The Act further required the EDCs to competitively solicit 9.45 TWh per year of clean energy generation, which was successfully contracted through the New England Clean Energy Connect project for Canadian hydroelectric generation.