Energy aggregation plan is carbon neutral

Lowell recently became the first community in the state to win approval for a municipal aggregation plan that is carbon neutral.

Municipal aggregation enables ratepayers in a city, town or regional entity to pool their purchasing power, which typically leads to savings in electricity costs. Lowell is among a handful of cities and towns that have received approval from the Department of Public Utilities in recent years to implement such plans. Beginning in May, the city’s aggregation plan is expected to reduce electricity costs by 8 to 10 percent, saving the typical household roughly $20 per month, according to Assistant City Manager Adam Baacke.

Lowell also took a series of steps to meet its carbon-neutral goal. One was to eliminate coal from the city’s energy portfolio. Another was to ensure that at least 10 percent of the city’s energy needs are met, directly or indirectly, by solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy. A 1.5-megawatt solar array on a former city landfill recently reached full capacity.

A third step was the purchase of renewable energy credits that will offset the carbon produced by natural gas used to generate electricity, the city’s predominant source.

Baacke credited the Marlborough-based consultant Colonial Power Group with enabling the city to win approval from the DPU in a relatively timely manner.

“We appreciate the fact that the state conducted a very thorough review process, and I think they are being very careful to make sure that aggregation requests by municipalities are consistent in intent with the energy deregulation law, which is basically to provide more cost-effective power to ratepayers in Massachusetts,” Baacke said.

“On the most general level, it really seems like this is one of those rare opportunities to get a win-win,” Baacke added. “It doesn’t really have any downside to it.”