Page 9 - BusinessWest October 12, 2020

The Eversource solar panel and charging station in Westwood, Mass.
“We’ve made those investments to modern- ize the electric grid and make it ready for taking distributed energy, whether it’s solar or other distributed-energy resources,” Hunt explained,
“We’ve made those investments to modernize the electric grid and make it ready for taking distributed energy, whether it’s solar or other distributed-energy resources.”
adding that the company also owns and operates some utility-scale solar operations, such as the one constructed on the brownfield site at the for- mer Chapman Valve complex in Indian Orchard, a facility that he described as a model for the state when it comes to showcasing larger-scale solar energy and forging partnerships with com- munities to make such projects happen.
Elaborating, he said Eversource is currently working with the Massachusetts legislature to expand the cap on the solar capacity the utility can develop. Currently, that cap is 70 megawatts, and Eversource is at that number through the creation of several sites across the state.
Eversource
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customer receives $3 return on that investment. And this is true across the board, whether it’s a residential customer that undertakes an energy audit and tunes up a furnace for the winter, or a commercial customer that installs more energy- efficient lighting.
Overall, Eversource invests $500 million in energy-efficiency initiatives, which yield $1.5 bil-
lion in benefits for those 4 million customers, while also contributing to sharp reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions, from more than 2.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2014 to roughly 800,000 tons in 2018.
Also contributing to those numbers are initia- tives that help customers connect solar and other distributed-generation resources to the grid.
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OCTOBER 12, 2020 9
Photo courtesy of Eversource