NEWS & MEDIA
Large New Hampshire solar projects face delays trying to connect to power grid
When conveyor belt manufacturer Wire Belt opened its new facility in Bedford, N.H., last fall, the company looked forward to saving money and fighting climate change with a 2,400-panel solar array installed on the roof.
Citizens Champions Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Through Local Grant Program
Citizens announced today seven nonprofits selected as its 2024 Champions in Action®. Each Champion in Action will receive $50,000 in unrestricted funding, as well as promotional support from local media partners and volunteers from Citizens to support their work improving energy efficiency within their own operations or expanding access to clean or renewable energy services in the communities they serve.
As NH looks to federal money to expand EV charging, losing out on grants is a blow
New Hampshire lost out on about $15 million of federal funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, according to an announcement from the federal highway administration, dealing a blow to the state's efforts to build out a more robust EV charging network.
Opinion: Utilities need a business model that’s aligned with the needs of society
or nearly twenty years electricity consumption has been pancake flat in the United States, but that era is about to end. Electrification is coming. Electric vehicles are hitting the road much faster than we ever anticipated. There are currently just over 10,000 EVs registered in New Hampshire, but by 2032 there are forecast to be more than 165,000.
Grants would help less affluent New Hampshire towns invest in public solar projects
New Hampshire’s energy department is preparing to road-test a grant program meant to help disadvantaged cities and towns access the environmental and financial benefits of solar power. The state plans to use $1.4 million from the 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Act to help fund the installation of solar projects up to 60 kilowatts on municipal buildings or land. The grant will cover up to 95% of the costs of a qualifying solar project for lower-income cities and towns and 60% for other municipalities.
Shaheen Introduces Legislation to Help Rural Communities Benefit from Investments in Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency
(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced The Energy Circuit Riders Act, legislation to help ensure communities in rural America can take advantage of historic investments in energy efficiency and clean energy. Shaheen’s bill would establish a new grant program within USDA Rural Development to help eligible entities hire local, on-the-ground experts that travel to rural communities and provide assistance on projects that can help save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
New Hampshire seeks IRA grant to help low-income residents tap the benefits of solar
New Hampshire’s Department of Energy has requested a $70 million federal grant to expand community solar programs for low-income residents, an infusion of funds that supporters said could lower energy bills, accelerate decarbonization, and perhaps even catalyze the development of much-needed affordable housing.
Advocates fear N.H. clean energy proposal would pit nuclear against solar, wind
Climate and clean energy advocates in New Hampshire say a pending proposal to define nuclear power as clean energy could undercut solar and wind power in the state.
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Though the details are still in the works, state Rep. Michael Vose, chair of the legislature’s science, technology, and energy committee, is drafting a bill that would allow nuclear power generators, such as New Hampshire’s Seabrook Station, to receive payments for contributing clean energy to the grid.
New Hampshire Delegation Welcomes Nearly $500,000 to Expand Energy Efficiency Efforts in Rural Communities
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) alongside U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced that $499,128 is heading to Clean Energy NH to support the expansion of their work to assist small businesses and agricultural producers in New Hampshire’s rural communities with energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These funds were allocated through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Technical Assistance as part of nearly $2 billion in funding provided for REAP through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
(Opinion) NHSaves is back before the PUC
Imagine you could go to the store and purchase a coupon for one dollar, and that coupon provides the recipient with two dollars and twenty-seven cents. It’s likely the stores offering these coupons wouldn’t be able to keep them in stock. Savvy shoppers would scoop up those coupons by the armload, and the staff at the store may have to limit customers from taking too many.
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This imaginary scenario is absurd, but in broad strokes it also describes the state’s energy-efficiency policies, which operate under the brand name “NHSaves.” The next iteration of the state’s three-year energy efficiency plan is set to be approved by state regulators by the end of November, and the programs as a whole are forecast to generate $2.27 in benefits for Granite Staters for every dollar invested.
How long-term procurement could help ratepayers and get clean energy projects built
A new long-term energy procurement law in the state is slated to create a market of power purchase agreements between utilities and energy generators for as long as 20 years.
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Proponents this past legislative session viewed Senate Bill 54, signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu in August, as a financial mechanism to benefit ratepayers hit hard by the price volatility of natural gas. The new law allows Eversource, Unitil, and Liberty Utilities – the three utilities regulated by the state’s Public Utilities Commission – to enter into multi-year purchase power agreements for up to 2 million megawatt-hours annually. Prior, the utilities were restricted to six-month rate contract agreements.
In unexpected move, New Hampshire utilities voice support for solar net metering
New Hampshire’s electric utilities have come out in favor of continuing the state’s current system for compensating customers who share surplus solar power on the grid.
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Eversource, Unitil, and Liberty Utilities surprised clean energy advocates by submitting joint testimony to state regulators last month endorsing the state’s current net metering structure. The program credits customers roughly 75% of the standard electricity rate for any unused solar generation that flows back onto the grid and is used by other customers.
As NH sets out to gauge energy efficiency awareness, some say education isn’t enough
CONCORD, NH – Communities and organizations in six rural counties will share $11 million in federal funds awarded through grants from the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC).
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Created by the US Congress in 2008, the NBRC is a federal-state partnership working to alleviate economic challenges in northern counties across New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. In New Hampshire, projects are eligible for the Catalyst program in all, or portions of, Belknap; Carroll; Cheshire; Coos; Grafton, and Sullivan Counties.
As NH sets out to gauge energy efficiency awareness, some say education isn’t enough
The latest triennial energy efficiency plan filed by New Hampshire’s utility companies could save consumers $675 million, prevent 2 million tons of greenhouse gases from going into the atmosphere, and support 1,718 full-time jobs.
How the Inflation Reduction Act is helping to jumpstart New Hampshire’s long-stalled climate plan
New Hampshire — long an outlier among New England states on climate action — is on its way to creating a new climate plan for the first time in 14 years.
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The state budget adopted last week includes a $3 million federal grant from a program intended to support the development of climate action plans across the country.
Sununu announces support for proposed transmission lines for Canadian hydropower
Gov. Chris Sununu expressed his support today for a proposed electric transmission project that could bring hydropower from Canada into New England through Vermont and New Hampshire. The Twin States Clean Energy Link is a proposal to move that hydropower using existing routes for power lines and new, buried power lines along state roadways.
NH regulators approve Unitil plan for Kingston solar array
New Hampshire’s Public Utilities Commission has approved a plan from the utility company Unitil to build a solar array. The company says it’s set to be the largest in the state. Unitil spokesperson Alec O’Meara said the company plans to begin construction later this year.
NH regulators approve Unitil plan for Kingston solar array
New Hampshire’s Public Utilities Commission has approved a plan from the utility company Unitil to build a solar array. The company says it’s set to be the largest in the state. Unitil spokesperson Alec O’Meara said the company plans to begin construction later this year.
More electric vehicles are coming. But NH lawmakers are split on charging infrastructure study bill.
The number of electric vehicles on New England roads is growing. But people driving EVs don’t have many charging options in New Hampshire. A bill introduced in the state Senate would create a committee to study how the state could help fund the development of more charging infrastructure. But legislators are split on the issue.
New Hampshire bill would offer new path for utilities to procure electricity
Long a proponent of allowing the free market to dictate energy sources and prices, the administration of Gov. Chris Sununu is now having second thoughts. Citing New Hampshire’s soaring electricity prices, the administration is pushing legislation that would allow electric distribution utilities to buy power directly from generators rather than solicit new energy resources from regional wholesale markets. Read the full article.
New Hampshire sits out on $3.6B Northeast clean hydrogen hub proposal
Much of the Northeast joined together last week in submitting a whopping $3.62 billion proposal to the federal government in hopes of becoming a regional clean hydrogen hub. Missing from the announcement was New Hampshire. Read the full article.
Over 2 million more electric vehicles estimated in New England over next decade
New England's grid operator says approximately 2.4 million more electric vehicles could be driving on the region's roads in the next decade. But clean energy advocates say without significant improvements to EV infrastructure and policy in New Hampshire, uptake here will lag behind. Read the full article.
PUC report spurs concerns about future of state’s energy efficiency programs
In 2021, New Hampshire’s Public Utilities Commission sent the state’s energy utilities into turmoil: It approved a plan to slash funding for the “NHSaves” energy efficiency program down to 2017 levels, sparking an outcry and legal challenges from the utilities. Read the full article.
Clean Energy NH Adds Six New Board Members
Clean Energy NH, the state’s leading advocate for a zero carbon energy system, is pleased to announce that the following individuals have joined its board of directors. Read the full article.
In N.H., frustrations and finger-pointing as Dems try again on climate legislation
For the fourth year in a row, Democratic lawmakers and their allies in New Hampshire will push for the state to join the rest of New England in codifying state-level greenhouse gas reduction goals. Read the full article.
Public Utilities Commission issues report on energy efficiency ahead of next plan deadline
New Hampshire’s Public Utilities Commission released a report earlier this month on energy efficiency, detailing their findings from an investigation launched in August assessing how those programs work. Read the full article.
New England grapples with sky-high electricity rates as Ukraine war squeezes gas supply
New Englanders are contending with some of the highest electricity rates in the country this winter as they weather the transatlantic ripple effects of a global gas crunch. Residents of New England’s six states have thus far enjoyed a relatively mild winter without rolling blackouts. Read the full article.
From Climate Exhortation to Climate Execution
There are about a hundred and forty million homes in the United States. Two-thirds, or about eighty-five million, of them are detached single-family houses; the rest are apartment units or trailer homes. Read the full article.
Evans-Brown: Yes, your electric bill just went crazy. Here’s what you can do about it
On Dec. 1, electric supply rates for Unitil customers went from 17.8 cents per kwh to 33.7 cents. When you get your next bill, it will be somewhere between $85 and $100 higher than your last one. Read the full article.
New Hampshire’s latest energy strategy: blame other states for rising costs
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu’s administration is taking aim at the five other New England states, blaming their investments in renewable energy for higher electricity costs regionwide. Read the full article.
Opinion: Don’t get left behind, New Hampshire
In 2019, author and investor Ramez Naam opined that the world had entered the “Third Phase of Clean Energy.” He concluded, based on large volumes of data, that a threshold had been crossed and it was now cheaper to build new renewable energy resources than to operate existing fossil fuel resources. Read the full release.
State regulators approve Eversource’s electric vehicle infrastructure plan
A plan from Eversource to spend about $2 million helping to build out electric vehicle charging infrastructure in New Hampshire was approved by the Public Utilities Commission late Monday. Read the full article.
Community Power Rules Finalized:
Regulators Open the Door to Revolutionary Community Electricity Programs
The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission finalized the long-awaited rules which will govern New Hampshire’s community power aggregation program. The creation of this program will help to realize the potential of market competition in New Hampshire’s electricity sector which began more than two decades ago, in 1996. Read the full press release.
Ride and Drive Expo Showcases Latest in EV Market
Unitil Corporation, a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, teamed up with Clean Energy NH for an electric vehicle Ride and Drive Expo last weekend that attracted dozens of EV enthusiasts and put some curiosity seekers behind the wheel for the first time. Read the full press release.
NH takes a step towards being serious about EV's -
But the PUC dodges a decision to incentivize public charging infrastructure
Via The NH Business Review
By: Sam Evans-Brown
Every time someone with an electric vehicle plugs it in and charges it overnight, they are saving money for their friends, neighbors and every other customer of their electric utility. Every Time. Don't believe me? Here's how it works. Read the full press release.
North Country Communities Vote For Clean Energy
Throughout the course of the past week, five Coos County communities approved funding for solar projects which
combined will result in over a half a million dollars in energy savings over their lifetimes and leverage as much as
$340 thousand dollars in grant support. Read the full press release.
Clean Energy NH and Conservation Law Foundation Appeal PUC Efficiency Decision to the NH Supreme Court
Today, in collaboration with the Conservation Law Foundation, Clean Energy NH filed an appeal challenging the Public Utilities Commission’s decision to drastically cut the state’s energy efficiency programs, which are delivered under the banner of NH Saves. The PUC struck a dramatic blow to NH Saves in a draconian order issued on November 12 of last year, and have refused to reconsider their decision. Read the full press release, or read the appeal.
Clean Energy NH Announces New Board of Directors and Slate of Officers
Clean Energy NH (CENH), a nonprofit organization advocating on behalf of clean energy policies and technologies to build a stronger economic future in New Hampshire, announces the appointment of five new members to its Board of Directors and its 2022 slate of officers. Read the full press release.
Clean Energy Champions Recognized at Annual Member Holiday Event
Clean Energy NH (CENH), the Granite State’s leading clean energy advocate and educator, has announced the winners of its annual awards. Read the full press release.
Chris Skoglund to Join Clean Energy NH
Skoglund has been a pivotal state official on energy policy for over a decade
After more than a decade leading climate mitigation efforts as a state employee, Chris Skoglund will join Clean Energy NH as the new Director of Energy Transition. Read the full press release.
Lawsuit Filed Challenging Decision Defunding NH Saves
Municipalities, Housing Authorities and Efficiency Contractors Join Forces to Challenge PUC Decision
Today Clean Energy New Hampshire and nine other energy efficiency advocates filed a lawsuit requesting an injunction that would stay an order issued by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission last month. The order would cut the funding of the popular NH Saves energy efficiency programs by more than 50 percent.
The lawsuit documents can be found here.
"The documents and testimony compiled in this lawsuit demonstrate that if not stayed, this order will result in irreparable harm to countless New Hampshire businesses," said Sam Evans-Brown Executive Director of Clean Energy NH, "We urge the Superior Court to act swiftly to provide these businesses with relief while the PUC order is reconsidered."
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View the updated EERS Legal Fight Page.
Clean Energy NH, Local Communities and Local Contractors
Sue to Block Cuts to Efficiency Programs
Clean Energy New Hampshire, in conjunction with local efficiency contractors and others that will be harmed by a November 12th order from utility regulators, announced it will file a lawsuit in the New Hampshire Superior Court.
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Read the full article Here.
Clean Energy NH Announces New Deputy Director
Stay Work Play NH Veteran Moves to Growing Clean Energy Organization
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Clean Energy New Hampshire (CENH) is adding to its team with the appointment of Beth San Soucie as Deputy Director. San Soucie most recently served as the Director of Communications at Stay Work Play New Hampshire, a nonprofit dedicated to attracting and retaining more young people to New Hampshire. Read the full press release.
Clean Energy NH Comments in Energy Storage Docket
Read them here!
NEW Solar Report & NH Specific Factsheet Released
NEW report shows small-scale solar produced wholesale energy market benefits of $1.1 billion for ALL New England ratepayers from 2014-2019. Read the report here and view the NH factsheet here
How energy efficiency could be a powerful force for economic recovery
July 2, 2020
Read it here!
Understanding the FERC net metering petition
June 10, 2019
Read it here!
Clean Energy NH welcome new board members
January 3, 2019
Read it here!
Transportation Climate Initiative Draft MOU Released
December 2019
Read it here!
Clean Energy NH Statement on HB365 Upheld Veto
September 18, 2019
Read it here!
NH hosts world's first electric vehicle relay!
September 16, 2019
Read about it here!
Proposed Fitzwilliam solar array project unveiled to Public
July 22, 2019
Read it here!
Clean Energy NH Statement on HB365 Veto
June 3, 2019
Read it here!
Clean Energy NH Welcomes Two New Board of Directors Members
April 22, 2019
Read it here!
EnBW North America Joins Clean Energy NH,
Signaling Emergence of the NH Offshore Wind Market
March 13, 2019
Read it here!
Sununu Requests State-Federal Offshore Wind Task Force
NHPR, January 7, 2019
Read it here!
NH's energy future is not a partisan issue
NH Business Review, December 7, 2018
Read it here!
NH settlement moves 'cutting edge' utility BTM storage pilot forward
Utility Dive, November 28, 2018
Read it here!