In  This  Issue NECEC  Newsletter Summer  2014

11/14/2014
News from NECEC
In This Issue
New Members
Policy & Government
Affairs Update
Innovation &
Entrepreneurship
Upcoming NECEC
Events
7th Annual Green
Tie Gala October 30, 2014
Fairmont Copley
Hotel Boston, MA
NECEC's Strategic
Partner Workshop
(Invite Only) October 28, 2014
Boston, MA
Northeast Regional
Investor-­Corporate
Connect (Invite
Only)
October 28, 2014
Boston, MA NECEC Annual
Meeting November 12, 2014
Ernst & Young
Boston, MA
Upcoming Partner
Events
Global Cleantech
Meetup Week October 27 -­ 30,
2014
Boston, Cambridge,
Somerville, MA
Cleantech Open
Northeast 2014
Finals
NECEC Newsletter
Summer 2014
With the end of legislative sessions in all the New England states, we at
NECEC reflect on what has been one of our busiest and most active
years. From shaping clean energy policy in our region's state capitols
and influencing regulatory proceedings to grow new markets for clean
energy, to revitalizing our support for the region's clean energy
entrepreneurs, NECEC continues to make a mark on the region's clean
energy cluster in a meaningful way.
After launching this spring, our new Innovation &
Entrepreneurship program Cleantech Navigate Northeast has been
building its network of innovation program partners across New England
and New York, rolling out its suite of tools for cleantech entrepreneurs,
and helping connect companies with the opportunities, events,
programs, mentors, industry partners, and customers they need to
thrive. Read below for an overview of Cleantech Navigate Northeast
activities-­-­led by NECEC Senior Director of Innovation &
Entrepreneurship Ali Adler-­-­and learn how you can get involved.
On the policy front, the 2014 legislative session had many successes
driving forward and defending policies and regulations that will help
grow the region's clean energy industry, as well as defeating proposals
that would have dampened our industry's growth. NECEC VP of Policy
& Government Affairs Janet Gail Besser coordinates the active
involvement of our member companies and provides much needed
guidance and expertise to move new legislation and regulations forward,
taking on strong roles in committees and task forces with public officials
in New England and New York as the states dive into grid modernization
efforts. Read below for an overview of the clean energy policy activity
that took place in 2014 and the additional work ahead in 2015.
With gubernatorial elections in each of the six New England states this
November, NECEC has been engaging with and educating candidates
through our Clean Energy Candidate Education Initiative, led by NECEC
Communications Director Kate Plourd. As the campaigns heat up in
the coming months, NECEC will continue to elevate clean energy issues
with the candidates and the media with the goal to ensure that the next
New England Governors are clean energy champions.
Last but not least, we launched a redesigned NECEC website this month.
Not only does the site have a fresh new look, but we've also added new
tools for our members. As we head into fall, there are numerous events
on the horizon for our Members & Sponsors, and the general public.
NECEC's 7th Annual Green Tie Gala on October 30 is the premier
clean energy networking event of the year and not-­to-­be missed. I look
forward to seeing you at the Gala and encourage you to nominate your
company for our annual Green Tie Gala awards. The Gala is also part of
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News from NECEC
October 27-­28,
2014
Boston, MA
the Global Cleantech Meetup Week. Check out the other exciting
events taking place in the Boston area, and across the Northeast this
fall!
Forum 20/20:
Innovation and the
Future of Cleantech
October 29, 2014
Boston, MA
Read on to find out more about these and other NECEC initiatives.
Connect with us and let us know how to make our programs and your
companies more successful. Heat of the
Moment: Plans from
State Officials,
Energy Companies
and Maine's Next
Governor
September 12, 2014
Portland, ME
View More
Upcoming Industry
Events
Welcome New NECEC Members &
Sponsors!
Gold Sponsors
CohnReznick
HB Agency
Core Members
Blue Delta Energy
Brookfield
Renewable Energy
Group
Cedar Energy
Investors East Light Solar Emera, Inc.
Franklin Beach
Energy
Kearsarge Energy
mbtu-­co2 North Shore
InnoVentures
Opower
Qado Energy Solar Design
Regards,
Peter Rothstein, President
Policy & Government Affairs Update
NECEC's Policy and Advocacy team is actively engaged in five New
England states and tracks clean energy issues in Vermont. In New
England, clean energy legislation and regulations in 2014 focused on
wind siting, net metering, energy efficiency financing and standards,
renewable thermal, and regional procurement (Class I, Canadian hydro
and transmission). With these issues in mind we kicked off the year by
continuing our series of trademark Clean Energy Days with the second
annual Clean Energy Days in Connecticut (February 27), Maine (March
20) and Rhode Island (April 8), and the third annual Clean Energy Day
in Massachusetts (March 11). Approximately 60 NECEC member
companies participated in meetings with 35 legislators and policymakers
as part of the four Clean Energy Days. NECEC presented Clean Energy
Champion awards to the following state lawmakers for their exceptional
support for clean energy:
Connecticut: Senator Robert Duff and Representative Lonnie
Reed, and Senator Clark Chapin
Massachusetts: Representative Brian Dempsey and Senator
Barry Feingold
Maine: Senator James Boyle, Senator John Cleveland and
Representative Barry Hobbins
Rhode Island: Senator Susan Sosnowski, Senator William
Walaska, Representative Arthur Handy, and Representative
Deborah Ruggiero. In partnership with our state coordinators (Jeff Marks of E2Tech in
Maine, Kate Epsen of the New Hampshire Sustainable Energy
Association, Rhode Island State Coordinator Charity Pennock and
Connecticut State Coordinator Mary Phil Guinan), NECEC has had
another successful year advocating for our key legislative and policy
priorities, with numerous wins in all of the states where we were
engaged. Below are highlights of key bills that passed in the 2014
Legislative Year. Read a more detailed recap in the presentation from
our 2014 Legislative Roundup, which was held in Boston on August 6,
and keep up with the latest clean energy policy news on the NECEC
blog. In Connecticut, one of NECEC's key priorities was achieved when the
Connecticut Regulations Review Committee approved wind siting
regulations on April 22, 2014, removing Connecticut's three-­year
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News from NECEC
Associates Sunpin Solar US SolarWorks LLC NECEC Blog
Highlights
The Grid
Modernization
Challenge and
Opportunity in the
Northeast
A Year in Review at
NECEC's Legislative
Roundup
NECEC Report: Next
Governors Critical to
New England's
Clean Energy Future
New England States
Rank High in Annual
Cleantech
Leadership Index NECEC NYC
Innovation Events
Draw Hundreds of
Startups
Cleantech Shines
at Inaugural Maine
Startup and Create
Week NECEC Op-­Ed
Recommit Rhode
Island to
Renewables NECEC, Clean
Energy Companies
Applaud Obama
Administration's
Effort to Reduce
Carbon Pollution
NECEC President
Joins New York
Times Energy
Incentives Debate
NECEC Member
moratorium on siting wind projects.
Maine's legislative session included the defeat of several bills that
would have made wind siting more difficult and a bill that would have have undermined Maine's Renewable Portfolio Standard's ability to
support in-­state and in-­region renewable resources and local and
regional economic benefits. Additionally, the Maine Solar Energy Act, LD
1652 was passed, establishing solar energy goals of 40 MW by 2016,
200 MW by 2020 and 500 MW by 2030 and requiring the state to
promote solar energy development. In Massachusetts, the Legislature enacted An Act Relative to Credit for
Thermal Energy Generated with Renewable Fuels, which allows
technologies that generate energy to heat or cool buildings with
sunlight, geothermal pumps, biomass, bio-­liquids and bio-­gas to qualify
for alternative energy portfolio in Massachusetts. It also increases the
net metering cap for municipal and government projects by 2% to a
total of 5%, and the cap for private projects by 1% for a total of 4%.
Additionally, the bill creates a 17-­member task force to look at how to
"review the long-­term viability of net metering in the commonwealth and
develop recommendations on incentives and programs that will support
the deployment of 1600 MW of solar generation facilities in the
Commonwealth.
The New Hampshire Legislature passed HB 532, An Act relative to
energy efficiency and clean energy districts and the siting of wind
turbines, which increases the project size cap for Property Assessed
Clean Energy (PACE) projects from $65,000 to $1 million or about 35
percent of the property value. In Rhode Island, the General Assembly passed three important clean
energy bills this year. H7727/S2690, Renewable Energy Growth Bill, which creates a
160-­megawatt, five-­year program (four times the size of the
current program), providing up to 20-­year tariffed payments to a
variety of distributed generation technologies.
S2692/H7719 Electricians & Plumbers, which enables solar
contractors to profitably advertise, design and install solar energy
systems at an affordable rate for Rhode Island businesses and
homeowners, while maintaining a role for certified electricians in
the process.
SB 2439/ HB7991, An Act Relating to Public Utilities and Carriers,
to enable solicitation and procurement of large Canadian hydro,
renewable energy that qualifies for the RES, and gas pipeline
infrastructure. Vermont passed a law that increased its net metering cap from 4
percent to 15 percent. Additionally, in June, Vermont Governor Peter
Shumlin released the results of a state study about the clean energy
industry, showing that clean energy is a significant part of the Vermont
economy and employs 15,286 workers at 2,684 locations.
Grid Modernization & the 21st Century Electricity System
In addition to legislative policy and advocacy work, NECEC has been
playing a greater role in regulatory affairs related to grid
modernization/utility of the future/21st century electricity system, as
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News from NECEC
News Nexamp Acquires
4.4 Megawatt Solar
Asset Portfolio
Lockheed Martin
Purchases Assets Of
Sun Catalytix
Corporation EnerNOC Announces
Investment in
WeSpire NECEC Members
vCharge and
NanoSteel Win PBN
Innovation Awards Beaumont Solar
Ranks High on
Three 2014 Top
Solar Contractor
Lists, Including #2
in Massachusetts
Solar Market ReEnergy to
Resume Operations
at Biomass-­to-­
Energy Facility in
Ashland, ME NECEC Launches
New Website Visit our new website,
which has a fresh new
look and new tools for
NECEC members and
the public, including:
A members-­only
Policy Web Portal An enhanced Member
Directory & Member
News page An easy-­to-­search
Newsroom An online
Membership
such initiatives are important to many NECEC members and to the
growth of robust clean energy markets and new technology and
business model innovations across the Northeast. In early 2014,
NECEC's VP of Policy and Government Affairs Janet Gail Besser was
tapped by our national partner AEE, to work with a group of New York
utilities, AEE and NECEC members and other clean energy company
executives on a white paper on 21st century electricity system models,
which was sent to the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) at the
end of February, and has had significant impact. New York State then
opened a proceeding on April 24th called Reforming the Energy Vision
(REV), which set an ambitious timeframe for developing policy
recommendations based on a vision of a distributed energy future
enabled by distribution companies as Distributed Service Platform
Providers. NECEC has continued to drive the conversation around grid
modernization and published its own white paper, Leading the Next Era
of Electricity Innovation, outlining steps the Northeast can take to lead
on grid modernization/utility of the future/21st century electricity
system.
Candidate Education
With gubernatorial elections in each of the six New England states this
November, NECEC has been educating candidates on clean energy
issues through a new candidate education initiative, led by NECEC
Communications Director Kate Plourd. In July, NECEC published an
original report, Empowering New England with Clean Energy, which
outlines a compelling vision for the potential clean energy growth and
critical clean energy policies that the next governors must support to
ensure that the clean energy sector continues on its current path to
becoming New England's next dominant industry.
Questions about NECEC's Policy & Advocacy? contact: NECEC VP, Policy
& Advocacy, Janet Gail Besser, jbesser@necec.org.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship
At NECEC much of 2014 has been focused on rolling out components of
Cleantech Navigate Northeast, our region-­wide network to help
cleantech entrepreneurs from New York to Maine connect to the
Northeast's innovation ecosystem and its robust innovation resources.
Cleantech Navigate Northeast held its first Summit on April 28, drawing
more than 75 innovation leaders from across the Northeast, including
start-­up founders, experienced entrepreneur mentors, financiers,
corporations and directors of venture support organizations. The Summit
brought together the regional network of entrepreneurs supporters to
develop new strategies to support entrepreneurs and share best
practices.
In June, NECEC hosted a number of original events in New York City in
coordination with New York Energy Week (NYEW), including original
events to help entrepreneurs make connections with investors and other
individuals who can help accelerate their success through peer and
expert mentorship, and by providing meaningful connections.to coincide
with New York Energy Week. This fall, Cleantech Navigate Northeast will be launching the
Cleantech Navigate Explorer, a easy-­to-­use data base of cleantech
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News from NECEC
Application that
makes it easy for clean
energy companies to
join NECEC Our first-­ever Career
Opportunities page
listing open positions
at NECEC member
companies.
resources that includes a knowledge-­base and map of the regional
cleantech innovation ecosystem. The publicly available tool will help
entrepreneurs easily locate and learn about cleantech resources
available in the region.
For more information about Cleantech Navigate Northeast, visit
NECEC.org or contact the Cleantech Navigate Team: Ali Adler, Kim Herb
and Sara Jayanthi at navigate@necec.org.
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