Category: RI_RENEWABLES

At the beginning of this year, State Governor Dan McKee announced that his FY2023 budget and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending plan would propose more than USD 150 million to fund a series of proposals to combat climate change, including the USD 95 million for port upgrades related to offshore wind.

Gov. Dan McKee is moving ahead with a plan to ramp up Rhode Island’s supply of power from offshore wind farms that would be developed off the coast of Southern New England.

Experts say that when it comes to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as required by a landmark climate change measure enacted into law last year, the conversion of Rhode Island’s electric system to a reliance on renewable sources is the logical first step.

National Grid estimates residential electric customers who use an average of 500 kilowatt-hours a month will have an increase of 57 cents on their monthly bills allocated specifically for EEP. Gas customers using 702 therms — a therm is a unit of gas measurement — can expect to see an additional charge of $32.28 spread across the next 11 months.

As the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, known as RGGI, undergoes a thorough review by participating states, environmental advocates are demanding more ambitious emission reduction targets and a mandate for equitable distribution of the revenues.

Reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions across the state’s electric, heating, and transportation sectors is integral to climate change mitigation and achieving long-term greenhouse gas reduction targets consistent with the Resilient Rhode Island Act. By accelerating our adoption of renewable electricity, Rhode Island can advance this goal, while generating new investment and job growth opportunities across the green economy.

The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER) today announced that it has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (US DOE) to help grocery stores strategically use energy in a way that reduces their costs, while lowering strain on the electrical grid during peak usage times. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) provided the funding through its Building Technologies Proving Ground awards, which aim to validate innovative building technologies for commercial buildings and the public sector.

The town’s Resilience and Energy Committee forms an off-kilter circle on the edge of the parking lot around the back of Town Hall. Seven sit in folding chairs, one on a cargo mat dragged from the car to soak up the wet of the grass.

Dana Goodman sells and her company installs residential rooftop solar systems in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In the Bay State, she said it’s an easier and simpler process. She doesn’t know why Rhode Island chose to make a straightforward climate solution “mind-numbingly” complicated. She doesn’t understand why so many Ocean State trees have been axed to install solar panels.

Gov. Dan McKee issued the first veto of his administration to block a bill aimed at moving costs from renewable energy companies to National Grid, while also possibly affecting the siting of future transmission facilities.