In 2022, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs set sector-specific greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2025 and 2030. For the electric power sector, a 53% reduction by 2025 and a 70% reduction by 2030 (from a 1990 baseline) are required. The Commonwealth’s most recent greenhouse gas inventory for 2021 found that the electric power sector had already surpassed its 2025 target and was on track to meet its 2030 target. Today greenhouse gas emissions generated during peak demand represent only a small portion of total electric sector emissions. However, as emissions from fossil-fuel power plants in the Commonwealth decline over time due to emissions limits on in-state electric generators and the increased contribution of renewable resources attributed to the Renewable Portfolio and Clean Energy Standards, peak generation will contribute an increasingly large share of remaining emissions.
Data source: Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). 2022. Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2050. Available at: https://www.mass.gov/doc/2050-clean-energy-and-climate-plan/download
Multiple avenues exist for reducing emissions produced during peak demand, such as the Commonwealth’s Clean Peak Standard (CPS), which provides incentives for technologies that reduce peak load or provide zero-emission energy at times of peak demand. Generator owners may also replace existing fossil fuel-fired generation used to meet peak demand (known as “peaker” plants) with clean energy. The conversion of peaker plants to clean energy sources aids in reducing peak emissions and offers an opportunity to repurpose existing infrastructure. Replacing fossil-fuel power plants with clean energy resources, like battery storage and clean energy hubs, has already begun at sites such as the West Springfield Generation Station, Mount Tom Power Plant, and Salem Harbor Station, highlighting the viability of this option. As fossil-fuel generators reduce emissions and renewable sales increase, replacements of this type, alongside Massachusetts initiatives like the CPS, will be needed to ensure the Commonwealth meets its 2030 electric sector emissions limit.
