by Dominic Nicholas HEET continues to act as a watchdog, verifying utilities identification and repair of their super-emitting gas leaks—these are the leaks that emit most of the greenhouse gas methane directly into the atmosphere. Our goal over the next five years is to be the first in the nation to halve methane emissions from…
By Sarah Griffith After the Department of Public Utilities rejected their first attempt, National Grid is back with a new proposal to build a GeoMicroDistrict. It’s described in Docket No. 21-24 for those of you who want to read along. Their new proposal has many good details. Their new proposal: Looks at how a GeoMicroDistrict…
By Carrie Klein Gas utilities have faced both regulatory constraints and business pressure to adapt for years. Now, new climate legislation in Massachusetts spells out that gas utilities need to adopt new practices. “An Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy,” defines more clearly the state’s goals for reducing emissions. By 2050,…
by Sarah Griffith HEET has long believed in the wisdom of the crowd, that is, the ability of a group of people to rapidly problem solve. Now that GeoMicroDistricts are going in the ground this year, HEET has begun monthly topical Community Charrettes. Our Charrettes gather stakeholders to share knowledge, anticipate needs, and reduce uncertainty…
By Sarah Griffith and Carrie Klein HEET commissioned the Applied Economics Clinic to project heating costs in Massachusetts. The results predict that by 2030, heating with gas in Massachusetts will become more expensive than heating with efficient electric heat pumps. Inflection Point: When Heating with Gas Costs More shows that rising costs mean gas customers are…
By HEET Staff Repairing gas leaks is a strategy for near-term climate action in Massachusetts. Natural gas leaks account for as much as 10% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. A new study in Environmental Science & Technology, led by Dr. Morgan Edwards, set out to determine the effectiveness of this strategy. The researchers mapped…
Massachusetts gas distribution utilities have been required since 2014 to report annually to the Department of Public Utilities the location of gas leaks and leak repairs in their territories. For five years, HEET has used the data in these reports to create detailed maps showing where gas leaks and repairs are located in over 300…