Jamie Dickerson

@kevinjkircher.com @roselund.bsky.social here’s what an optimized renewable mix looks like for New England in 2050, from @acadiacenter.bsky.social’s analysis last year. See part 1 of our report here:

acadiacenter.org/resource/the...

Electrification drives major RE buildout needs.

Solar power reduced New England power grid demand by 5% in 2024 - ISO Newswire Contributions from behind-all-meters solar were equivalent to the power consumed by 600,000 homes in a year.

Behind-all-meter solar reduced New England grid demand 5% in 2024.

isonewswire.com/2025/07/09/s...

Reach out to and support a federal worker today. It has been an unthinkable week.

Yes! Thanks for flagging the results from the EPCET study. Its results came out late in the cycle for our report to directly compare, but another interesting data point. Key Qs: how much did they look at EE/DR; & do SNG numbers factor in RE needs for electrolysis and DAC. Still have to read closer!

That’s my starting five. How about yours?

Join @acadiacenter.bsky.social and CATF tomorrow to hear more (seriously) about the evolving grid mix for New England and what it means for infrastructure siting, permitting, and community engagement. See you there!

us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

5. Center: ENERGY STORAGE 🔋. Duties and attributes include: i) Rebound effectively; ii) Defend the rim and block shots; iii) Create possessions and opportunities to score.

4. Power Forward: OFFSHORE WIND and Other Large-Scale Renewables 🌬️. Duties and attributes include: i) Larger physical size; ii) Often the most powerful and dependable scorer; iii) Able to dominate the post and the paint.

3. Small Forward: Distributed SOLAR and Other Distributed Energy Resources (DER) ☀️. Duties and attributes include: i) Strong two-way player; ii) Big impact despite smaller stature; iii) High versatility, quick and nimble.

2. Shooting Guard: ENERGY EFFICIENCY 💡. Duties and attributes include: i) Score points with high efficiency; ii) Provide consistent, reliable production; iii) Space the floor, find open spaces; iv) Have the hot hand.

1. Point Guard: TRANSMISSION 🔌. Duties and attributes include: i) Make assists, create shots for teammates; ii) Handle the ball, pass it around swiftly; iii) Dictate the flow of energy, control the pace of play; iv) Low turnovers.

Here’s my "starting five" of the energy transition, i.e. the five starting positions in basketball. The tie-in is that 'The Energy is About to Shift' is of course the moniker coined by the Boston Celtics's shooting guard (and NBA Finals MVP!) Jaylen Brown. Drop your quibbles in the comments! 👇

My last push to promote tomorrow's webinar on our report, THE ENERGY IS ABOUT TO SHIFT, is a gift to my fellow #basketball lovers out there. (Register for the webinar to hear more about New England's evolving grid portfolio here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Quick thread:

Many of the siting reforms included in the new MA climate law were right in the same spirit as @acadiacenter.bsky.social's new report with CATF: "The Energy is About to Shift"

Report thread: bsky.app/profile/jami...

Our press release on the law's signing: acadiacenter.org/acadia-cente...

New report finds that improved community engagement for clean infrastructure projects is critical to New England’s energy transition - Acadia Center Download the Press Release: EATS Report Press Release Full Report: The Energy is About to Shift Media Contacts: Samantha Beairsto Deputy Director, Communications and Development, Acadia Center sbeairs...

That’s a wrap! Stay tuned for more on the implications of this build-out, both re: energy system planning as well as for how New England must approach siting, permitting, and community engagement. @acadiacenter.bsky.social

THE ENERGY IS ABOUT TO SHIFT: acadiacenter.org/new-report-f...

(11/11)

Finally, the bigger #interregional #transmission context: most studies only contained limited information on transmission capacity additions as well as net imports into the region. Check out more on our cross-border work via the NGPF project: acadiacenter.org/resource/the...

(10/x)

On #solar, the studies envision tremendous further growth in the region by 2050. Models prefer the cheaper utility-scale solar by ~3:1, but as our report details, it's an open question whether siting realities on the ground will bring forth a greater share of smaller distributed solar.

(9/x)

That brings us back to supply mixes for New England. Here’s how the studies aligned on capacity deployments, annual generation totals, and capacity factor. Note the tradeoffs within the study on combustion resources (amount left online by 2050 vs. annual run-time):

(8/x)

That’s one big overall takeaway: we should work to increase models’ attention to energy efficiency, flexible loads, demand response, price-responsive demand, etc. There are other emerging areas too: #GETs, #advancedconductors; #longdurationstorage; interregional transfers, and beyond.

(7/x)

Something we noticed along the way: the level of rigor around input assumptions for projected increases in #demand is quite low relative to the #supply side. Many models included only rough/static assumptions; others included no information at all on, e.g., building shell #efficiency.

(6/x)

…and for increases to annual load for the region. We also unpacked the differing drivers for each: winter peaks driven primarily by #heatpumps, and annual load growth driven primarily by #electricvehicles.

(5/x)

But of course, the region’s supply mix is modeled in response to assumptions around growing demand, both for increases first in peak demand, which is projected to shift from summer to winter in the 2030s (note comparison to findings in ISO-NE’s 2050 Transmission Study) …

(4/x)

To answer that question, we looked at 5 recent studies modeling the evolution of the New England grid under net zero by 2050 scenarios. Short answer: potentially quite a lot (of stuff)! Led by new #solar, #wind, and #storage capacity, plus #transmission.

(3/x)

Our report is about #siting, #permitting, and #communityengagement around clean infrastructure (solar , wind, storage, transmission, grid infrastructure, etc.) in New England, so we started out by asking ‘roughly how much stuff are we going to need to build?’ Here's a preview:

(2/x)

For Thanksgiving reading pleasure, #EnergySky, here's a thread unpacking the first half of the report @acadiacenter.bsky.social and CATF released yesterday. Make sure to register for the first of two webinars on the report – taking place next week on 12/5:

us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

(1/x)

Does anyone on #EnergySky know if tariffs pre-NAFTA or any other period have been imposed on imports of *electricity* from Canada or Mexico? I’m guessing not since MWh are not a product in the same way as fuel commodities, but…better to be safe than sorry.

We dig into a number of studies conducted on deep decarbonization pathways in New England, including work done by/for groups such as @jessedjenkins.com, @ethree.bsky.social, EFI, Brattle Group, Evolved Energy Research, Massachusetts EEA, and MA DPU.

Hey #EnergySky! Are you working on siting, permitting, and community engagement around clean infrastructure? Check out @acadiacenter.bsky.social's new report out today with Clean Air Task Force, examining community-focused pathways for decarbonization in #NewEngland. Lots of good stuff to dig into!

Another cool clean energy job: #climatejobs

Okay, #energysky - @acadiacenter.bsky.social is on the search for our next Director, Energy Efficiency and Building Decarbonization, to work on policy and programs in the northeast. Let’s see if you can beat LinkedIn and help us spread the word F&W!

acadiacenter.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/u...

Today, @acadiacenter.bsky.social countered a new flawed report on energy policies/costs in New England. We push back on several dubious claims, including heavily inflated cost assumptions for #energystorage in the new MA climate bill - off by 25-30x.

acadiacenter.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/u...