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Energy & Climate Counsel

Your one-stop resource for timely analysis of legal and policy developments affecting the energy and climate sectors. We focus on the issues that matter most to you, from federal and state policy and judicial decisions to business trends and financing news.

Massachusetts DPU Opens Docket on DG Interconnection
Blog June 10, 2019
Massachusetts DPU Opens Docket on DG Interconnection
On May 22, 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) opened a new docket (D.P.U. 19-55) to investigate the interconnection of distributed generation (DG) in Massachusetts.  (And yes, the DPU intends to include energy storage interconnection in this docket despite defining DG as technologies that generate electricity.) While complaints about costs, delays, and increased volume of interconnection applications have been growing…
SMART is Open!
Blog November 30, 2018
SMART is Open!
November 26th was a big day for solar energy in Massachusetts. As promised, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) opened the application portal for the long-anticipated SMART Program.  Applications received between November 26th and November 30th will be considered to have been received at the same time.  Starting on December 1st, applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served, basis. Also on November 26th…
Massachusetts Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change Releases Far-Reaching Draft Legislation
Blog February 13, 2018
Massachusetts Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change Releases Far-Reaching Draft Legislation
Yesterday, February 12, 2018, the Massachusetts Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change released a Proposed Draft of legislation staking out an ambitious and far-reaching set of policies across a wide range of sectors. There is a lot in the proposal and we are still reviewing the details, including the differences among mandates, targets, goals and discretionary authority. For now…
DOER Releases Results of SMART Procurement
Blog January 11, 2018
DOER Releases Results of SMART Procurement
This afternoon, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) released the much-anticipated results of the competitive procurement that will set the base compensation rates for the SMART program.  The base compensation rates range from $0.17 in the NSTAR and Nantucket Electric territories to about $0.14 in WMECO.  In Massachusetts Electric territory, the non-Nantucket territory served under the National Grid umbrella, the base compensation rate is about $0.16.  A DOER summary…
SMART Moves to a New Forum: Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to Consider a SMART Tariff
Blog October 10, 2017
SMART Moves to a New Forum: Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to Consider a SMART Tariff
Stakeholders have been following the development of “SMART” as a successor to the SREC program in Massachusetts for more than a year.  (See our previous posts on the development process here, here, and here.)  As it stands, SMART reflects a determined effort by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to craft a program that balances multiple interests and sets a sustainable path for solar development in Massachusetts…

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Foley Hoag’s Energy & Climate Counsel blog aims to be your one-stop resource for timely analysis of legal and policy developments affecting the energy and climate sectors. We focus on the issues that matter most to our readers, from federal and state policy and judicial decisions to business trends and financing news.

Our authors, comprised of attorneys from the firm’s Energy & Climate practice, have been active in the energy and climate space for decades, counseling clients across the spectrum – from new, innovative technology companies to large utility-scale power projects. Recognizing early on the common concerns of the renewable and traditional energy fields, we established one of the first integrated practices to serve all segments of the energy and clean technology sectors. We believe this tight integration provides us with the insight to analyze the pressing issues, trends and opportunities that those in this industry have come to expect.

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