Eversource announces Massachusetts grid modernization plans to enable more clean energy
Utility Scale

Eversource announces Massachusetts grid modernization plans to enable more clean energy

As part of its commitment to help the commonwealth of Massachusetts achieve its net-zero and decarbonization goals, Eversource has filed its draft long-term plan to modernize the electric distribution system and usher in a transition to a clean energy future.

The energy company’s Electric Sector Modernization Plan (ESMP) is a plan to proactively upgrade the electric distribution system over the next decade with a holistic look forward to 2050 to provide direct, equitable benefits to all customers – including those in environmental justice communities.

Eversource says its ESMP shows the need for significant upgrades to existing equipment and the addition of strategically placed clean energy infrastructure to improve the reliability and resiliency of the electric grid in Massachusetts while meeting the inevitable increase in electric demand as more customers adopt technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps. Additionally, this plan identifies specific initiatives to build a more resilient grid.

“We’re excited to lay out our plans to realistically transition to the clean energy future we all desire in lockstep with the commonwealth’s nation-leading decarbonization goals, while also ensuring that we continue delivering safe and reliable service in a cost-effective way for all of our customers in Massachusetts,” said Eversource vice president for system planning Digaunto Chatterjee. “Achieving this will take a collective effort from our customers, stakeholders and regulatory agencies as we undertake the important work of siting and building critical clean energy infrastructure – like new substations – to meet growing demand for electricity and allow for the integration of more distributed energy resources like solar.”

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Eversource’s ESMP is directly linked to state-specific mandates laid out in the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2035 and 2050. The energy company developed the plan to serve as a fully transparent look at electric infrastructure needs and how those needs will drastically increase over the next two decades as Massachusetts leads efforts toward its net-zero greenhouse gas limit by 2050.

Eversource system engineers predict an approximately 20% increase in electric demand in the next decade driven primarily by imminent economic growth and a 150% electric demand increase by 2050, driven by electrification of heating systems (50%) and transportation (25%), as well as normal load growth (25%). To safely and reliably meet the needs of its customers and the commonwealth’s clean energy goals, the energy company has proposed building new clean energy substations and conducting significant upgrades on existing substations. These investments will be complemented by improvements to the grid to better withstand the impacts of major storms, flooding, and other threats increasing due to climate change.

These proposed investments over the next decade will increase grid capacity by 180% (3.4 GW), enabling full electrification for customers who choose to adopt electric vehicles or heat pumps in Eversource’s Metro-Boston and Western Mass regions, while also providing opportunities for customers in the company’s MetroWest and South regions to choose electrification. In all, Eversource said these clean energy investments will allow for the adoption of 2.5 million electric vehicles and 1 million heat pumps across the Eversource service territory in Massachusetts. Additionally, these investments will enable 2.2 GW of solar.

“Some areas of the electric system have already exceeded their electric capacity limits while others are reaching those limits, and we anticipate that trend will accelerate even more as we look at the next 10-25 years with the push for electrification and more widespread adoption of technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps,” said Eversource vice president for grid modernization Jen Schilling. “As we transition to this cleaner future, proposed clean energy infrastructure investments must achieve both equity and clean energy objectives.”

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The energy company is proposing the establishment of a community engagement advisory group dedicated to ensuring communities are engaged early and often in project development and have a seat at the table as key decisions are being made over the next two decades. This commitment requires Eversource to build and maintain partnerships through community engagement and incorporate feedback in the decision-making processes, especially from those who are burdened with existing negative environmental circumstances and justice disparities, the company said.

Additionally, Eversource has placed a strategic focus within the ESMP on the integration of more solar, battery storage facilities, and electrification technologies for buildings and transportation, as well as innovative emerging technologies like virtual power plants to drive decarbonization efforts. Moreover, the energy company has proposed policy enhancements to help cost-effectively make the grid upgrades necessary to enable an increase in solar interconnections. These new clean energy infrastructure investments paired with its already approved and pending projects would enable 2.2 GW of solar, exceeding the commonwealth’s 2040 solar goal and reaching 72% of its 2050 goals.

In addition to allowing for quicker interconnection of distributed energy resources like solar through capital investment projects, Eversource is also proposing a low-income ownership program for solar generation.

The ESMP is another step on the path to net-zero, building on Eversource’s existing decarbonization efforts like its Geothermal Pilot Program in Framingham, Battery Energy Storage System in Provincetown, Make Ready Electric Vehicle Charging Program, advanced metering infrastructure, and other system upgrades to facilitate the interconnection of more clean energy to the electric grid.

The Grid Mod Advisory Council (GMAC) will host two listening sessions this fall in the consideration of the draft ESMP. These sessions, which will be announced at a later date, will include translation services and additional opportunities for customers to provide public comments and feedback. Eversource will incorporate feedback received from the GMAC, stakeholders, and customers in its final ESMP that will be submitted to the Department of Public Utilities in January 2024.

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