Renewable Energy Content
| Year | Required MA Class I | Required Other Renewables | Voluntary MA Class I Renewables added by Gloucester CEA | Total Renewables | |
| Gloucester Basic | 2024 | 24% | 38% | - | 62% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | – | 63% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | – | 69% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | - | 75% | |
| Gloucester Local Green | 2024 | 24% | 38% | 10% | 72% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | 10% | 73% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | 10% | 79% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | 10% | 85% | |
| Gloucester 100% Local Green | 2024 | 24% | 38% | 38% | 100% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | 37% | 100% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | 31% | 100% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | 25% | 100% | |
| National Grid Basic Service (if you opt out) | 2024 | 24% | 38% | - | 62% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | - | 63% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | - | 69% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | - | 75% |
MA Class I renewables come from new, regional sources (i.e., generation located within, or delivered to, New England, built after 1997). For details on all required renewable resources, see www.mass.gov/service-details/program-summaries.
Additional Product Details
From December 2024 through December 2027 meter read the program appears on utility bill as “Gloucester Community Elec – Dynegy“.
Prices for all program options in the Gloucester CEA Program include a 0.1 ¢/kWh administration fee. Program prices could increase as a result of a change in law that results in a direct, material increase in costs during the term of the electricity supply agreement. Program prices apply only to the electricity supply portion of your National Grid electric bill. Delivery charges on your National Grid electric bill are not affected by the Gloucester CEA Program.
Future savings against National Grid’s fixed Basic Service rate cannot be guaranteed because National Grid’s rates change every six months for residential and commercial customers and every three months for industrial customers. For Commercial and Industrial National Grid Basic Service Rates please check out the National Grid supply rates page.
If you participate in Gloucester CEA, you will be automatically enrolled at a new price at the end of the contract term unless you inform the City otherwise. The new price may be higher or lower than the existing price, and the voluntary renewable energy content may change. The City will contact you no later than 30 days before each automatic renewal to notify you of your supply options.
Sourcing Additional Renewable Energy
The Gloucester CEA Program presents a unique opportunity for the City to influence the development of renewable energy resources by going above and beyond the requirements in Massachusetts, i.e., voluntarily purchasing additional renewable energy. See the Massachusetts’ renewable energy requirements.
In Gloucester CEA, all purchases of renewable electricity will be certified by purchasing and retiring Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), the accepted legal instrument used to track renewable energy generation and to substantiate claims of renewable energy use. Read more about why we need RECs.
All of the additional renewable energy in the Gloucester CEA Program will come from sources designated as MA Class I. These sources must be physically part of our New England electricity grid. This stands in contrast to some electricity supplies that obtain their renewable energy from national sources (e.g., Texas) that are not physically connected to our New England electricity grid. While those sources provide very cheap electricity, you get what you pay for; including them in the electricity mix does not move our region away from fossil fuels.
MA Class I is the Massachusetts term for new, local renewable energy. The renewable energy can come from the sources shown in the figure below and must:
- Have started operation after 1997
- Be located within New England, New York or Eastern Canada
A Local Option
Gloucester CEA sources the additional renewable energy, above and beyond State requirements, from Green Energy Consumers Alliance, a local non-profit that helps bring new renewable projects to New England through strategic support of development opportunities with short and long term contracts.
Helping Expand Renewable Energy
Massachusetts requires all energy suppliers to include a minimum amount of MA Class I renewable energy; that amount increases annually. This policy, called the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), provides growing demand for renewable energy and, as a result, has been the primary driver of the growth of renewable energy in our region.
By purchasing a significant quantity of extra MA Class I renewable energy, Gloucester CEA will increase demand further and incentivize even more renewable energy generation development in New England.
Recent estimates suggest that fully 10% of renewable energy purchased in the MA Class I REC market will soon be voluntarily purchased by municipal aggregations, going above and beyond state requirements, like Gloucester CEA.
What Are RECs and Why We Need Them
When electricity generated by renewable sources – such as solar and wind – is put onto our regional electricity grid, it becomes mixed in with and indistinguishable from the other electricity on the grid. It is not possible to physically separate out renewable electricity from the grid mix for your individual consumption.
As a result, a tracking system, called Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), has been created to enable the purchase and use of renewable electricity. For every one megawatt-hour of renewable electricity generated, one REC is created. In order to use renewable electricity, one must purchase a quantity of RECs equal to the amount of electricity purchased from the grid. Once used, a REC is retired so that no one else can purchase that same REC or claim to use it.
Our Impact on Renewable Energy Sources
In 2020, Gloucester CEA bought a 4,000 MWh of extra MA Class I Renewable Energy Certificates, above and beyond the requirements set by the Commonwealth. These voluntary purchases are equivalent to 1,500 homes running on 100% clean energy, or the production of 11 acres of solar or the annual output of 1 typical wind turbine (1.5 MW).
1Hydro projects that do not exceed 30 MW built after 1997 or have capacity additions or efficiency improvements made after 1997 (MA Class I eligible), and Low Impact Hydro Institute (LIHI) certified.
2Environmental Protection Agency. Understanding Global Warming Potentials. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warming-potentials