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State working group to study peakers, CHP and demand-side solutions to decarbonize the peak
Summary
E3 and Georgetown framed a three-phase study to reduce peak fossil generation and examine alternatives—demand reduction, storage, flexible zero‑carbon resources—and to model four test facilities to inform statewide recommendations.
The advisory board authorized a focus-area working group to develop a plan for decarbonizing peak electricity demand across the commonwealth.
Presenters from E3 and the Georgetown Climate Center described why peaker plants and combined heat-and-power facilities matter: peakers run infrequently but can have disproportionately large climate and local air‑quality impacts. Presenters said peak demand is expected to grow significantly as buildings and transportation electrify, and that the system may shift toward winter peaks by the mid‑to‑late 2030s.
The group will pursue a three‑phase process: baseline the current system (including emissions and locational needs), evaluate supply- and demand-side alternatives (such as batteries, demand response and other flexible resources), and perform implementation and cost assessments that include workforce, land-use, equity and health considerations. The plan includes systemic analysis and place-based modeling at four test facilities (Pittsfield generation station, a West Springfield site, Canal Station in Sandwich, and Medford TOS CHP) to test real-world alternatives and scaling potential.
Advisory board members asked technical questions about emissions attribution, the role of oil-fired peakers vs. gas peakers, and whether winter-peaking trends are already occurring; presenters replied that oil-fired peakers run rarely but are high-emitting when used, and that modeling will examine variability and extreme-weather impacts. The board amended the high-level approach to explicitly incorporate health impacts and adopted Article 3 of the FOG bylaws for this working group.
Workshops and stakeholder webinars will be scheduled; staff said all materials and results will be public. The working group will coordinate with other FOGs because results about resource availability and timing will affect EMT transition plans and financing pathways.
