Energy and Climate

What's at Stake

As we all now know, much of our energy is fossil fuel-based and that needs to change fast.  Whether it is electricity produced by a coal or gas-fired power plant or gas or oil used in a home's boiler/furnace, the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and other Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from the use of fossil fuels are the major contributors to global warming.

Our global economy needs to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy (solar, wind etc) if we are to avoid the catastrophic effects of global warming.  We support the rapid deployment of renewable energy systems and oppose the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure.

We oppose the construction of the Weymouth Compressor Station and the proposed expansion of interstate fracked gas pipelines. The Weymouth Compressor Station is a major step backward for our energy and climate goals and is not necessary (or even intended) for our regions energy demands. It would also emit fracked gas and other toxic pollutants in the Fore River Basin which is already overburdened with industrial pollution.

Enbridge has its eye on growth. The Compressor station was built to house multiple turbines but permitted for only one. This is a trojan horse for expansion projects like Access Northeast.

 

Pipeline survey marker near Pond Meadow Park wetlands by Route 3

To add insult to industry, the proposal in the expansion called "Access Northeast" to build an interstate fracked gas pipeline in Pond Meadow Park along Route 3 would remove the vegetative buffer with the park and trails and would help facilitate the burning of more fossil fuels and more air pollution.

Yellow Line indicates the proposed new pipeline in Pond Meadow destroying the vegitative buffer between the park and Route 3

Learn more about the opposition at www.nocompressor.com

 

Local Clean Energy Projects

• 

• 

• 

• 

Energy conservation

Energy conservation is the simplest and most cost effective means of protecting our environment, our earth and our atmosphere.

Conservation isn’t limited to just energy conscious habits like turning off lights when you are not using them but also ties into increased energy efficiency in our appliances, automobiles, buildings, power plants and distribution grid.

Habits
Changing your habits as they relate to energy and the environment is a no-brainer.  It is easy to do, it is good for the Earth and it can save you money. This type of behavioral change was the focus of our Cool Braintree program and is the subject of the workbook the Low Carbon Diet.
Carbon footprint reduction info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_footprint

Audits 
Consider getting an Energy Audit for your home.  An energy audit is a free assessment of your home that is performed by your local utility company.  All utilities offer energy efficiency rebates after an audit is performed.
If you are an oil heat customer your free audit will be performed by BELD; if  you are a natural gas customer your free audit will be performed by National Grid/MassSave.
BELD: https://www.beld.net/energysave; MassSave: https://www.masssave.com/en

Appliances
Buying energy efficiency appliances is a great way to follow-up on energy conscious habits.  When purchasing a new appliance always look for the Energy star label.  Energy Star is a system of ratings and rebates that is run by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Dept of Energy.
Energy Star: https://www.energystar.gov/products

Automobiles
MPG (Miles per Gallon) has certainly come into its own since the year 2000.  Not only are most automakers striving to increase the MPG of their vehicles but most automakers also offer gas-to-battery hybrid, battery to electric (aka plug-in) hybrids and all-electric vehicles.
Braintree Drives Electric: https://braintree-ev.ene.org/

Buildings
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Building Sector consumes nearly half (48.7%) of all energy produced in the United States.  The building developer and construction industry has a major opportunity to ensure that the design and construction of all new buildings and major renovations will reduce the amount of fossil fuel energy required to heat, cool and otherwise operate. The Green Building movement as it has come to be called is vibrant and growing larger every day.
US Green Building Council: https://www.usgbc.org/; Mass Chapter US Green Building Council: https://builtenvironmentplus.org/

Power Plants and the 'Super Grid’

Unless energy is being produced on-site in a private residence or commercial building there is a good chance that your power is coming from the enormous network of power plants that are tied together via a grid of high-tension wires that span across countries and indeed across continents. The power plants can range from fossil fuel-powered facilities like coal or gas plants, to nuclear reactors, to renewable energy power plants like concentrated solar thermal (CST) and wind farms. Obviously we need more of the latter and less of the former but we also need a smarter and more efficient grid to carry that energy.  According to the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the estimated annual cost to society due to outages and transmission losses of the outdated US grid is $206 billion per year. $206 billion in energy costs translates to a whole lot of unnecessary CO2 emissions.

Energy Production

Prior to the Scientific Revolution (in the 16th and 17th centuries) most of the energy that people used came from burning wood.

Since that time human civilization has gone through many changes including intense population growth and technological advances. The wood that was in ample supply in 1700 could no longer support our burgeoning advances and we eventually turned below ground. Today fossil fuels such as coal, oil and methane gas comprise the bulk of our energy sources. The balance of our energy comes from nuclear and renewable sources.

Fossil Fuels

According to the US Energy Information Administration, in 2019 US primary energy was 80% fossil fuel-based.
37.0% from oil, 32% from methane gas, and 11% from coal.

Similar to wood, fossil fuels are carbon-based, however, they contain much higher concentrations of carbon due to the fact that they have been formed over millions of years under intense heat and pressure within the earth’s crust. It is because of this long formation process that they are considered non-renewable energy sources.

Fossil fuels have been plentiful and indeed have played a major role in the civilization we enjoy today. These types of fuels, however, have a major drawback: the high concentrations of carbon that they contain translates to high emissions of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) when they are burned (such as in a combustion engine).  We are burning so much fossil fuel so fast that the earth cannot absorb it all, causing excess amounts of CO2 to be released into our atmosphere and contributing to Global Warming.

Renewable Energy

While in the US, renewable energy accounted for only 11% of all energy production, worldwide renewables accounted for 23% and growing of primary energy usage in 2017 (source: International Energy Agency). The major types of Renewable Energy are:

• Biofuel (biodiesel, biofuels)
• Biomass (wood, yard/crop waste, land fill gas)
• Geothermal (electrical generation, direct source heat pumps)
• Hydro (hydro-electric dams, tidal power and wave power)
• Solar (Photovoltaic (PV), solar heating, concentrated solar thermal (CST)
• Wind (turbine electrical generation)

By definition Renewable Energy comes from sources that are naturally and rapidly replenished. Most renewable energy sources have very low associated CO2 emissions and therefore have less of an impact on the Earth and our atmosphere and do not contribute to Global Warming.

Links for more information on Renewable Energy:
https://www.energy.gov/science-innovation/clean-energy
https://www.eia.gov/renewable/
https://www.iea.org/fuels-and-technologies/renewables
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/renewable-energy-clean-facts