March LES Newsletter - Get Ready for Energy Week!

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MARCH 2019 NEWSLETTER

In This Issue:

Stories & News:
-Offshore wind is coming to New England
-CENH launches blog
-Dover report shows GHG, nitrogen impact
-Canterbury invites neighbors to partner in solar education
-Sugar Hill to vote on energy issues
-SolarShares low-income community solar
-Exeter to vote on LED streetlights
-Eversource proposes smart thermostat control program
Policy Updates:
-Proposed budget raids renewable energy fund
Webinars:
-4/1 Policy Update
-4/9 Clean Energy Benefits for Businesses
Events:
-Exeter, Clean Energy Outlook
-Energy Week!!!
-Keene Button Up
-Stratham Button Up
-NH Climate Conference

Jobs:
-Environment America - NH Director

See our Full Calendar of Events here.
Visit www.nhenergy.org for further resources.

LES is coordinated by

                                        Stories & News
                                    

Want to Keep Our Graduates in New England? Build A Robust Offshore Wind Industry
New England is home to some of the first and finest colleges and universities in the nation. We are also the home of the nation’s first offshore wind farm. But this small, five-turbine 30 megawatt (MW) facility off the coast of Block Island, R.I. is just the beginning. Thanks to the leadership of the New England states, hundreds, and hopefully thousands, more megawatts of offshore wind are coming soon. Read more here.

Clean Energy NH Launches New Energy Blog
Read about Grid Modernization, Time-of-Use Rates, NH's Transmission Problem, and more!

Fosters - Dover Report Shows Greenhouse Gas, Nitrogen Impact
The City Planning and Community Development Department has published its first greenhouse gas and nitrogen inventory for municipal and school operations. It is believed to be the first report in North America completing an analysis of both reactive nitrogen impacts and greenhouse gas emissions, according to a city press release. Read more here.

Canterbury Invites Neighbors to Join in Residential Solar Education
In response to a resident's request, Canterbury Energy Committee held a Solar 101 Workshop on February 21, and 44 people showed up! Strong interest was expressed in having a Solarize Canterbury campaign this summer. If other towns in area would like to participate, contact Ruth Heath at ruthmheath@comcast.net very soon. Other upcoming events they are considering: a Town Solar Home Tour; having a EV and Hybrid Car Exhibit during a Farmer's Market; educational tabling about weatherization and new technologies like mini-split heat pumps at town events or farmer's markets.

Sugar Hill Town Meeting Busy with Energy Issues
At Town Meeting, Sugar Hill will be asking the voters to create an energy efficiency capital reserve fund. The Select Board will also share a preliminary proposal for town solar. The proposal is for informational purposes only and will note be voted on. Residents will also vote on switching to LED streetlights in the regular budget. Finally, there is an article on the warrant to encourage the governor to commit NH to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

NH Solar Shares in partnership with many community partners including the NH Electric Cooperative will design and install solar PV arrays one community at a time.

Exeter to Vote on "Right to a Healthy Climate" at Town Meeting
A citizens group in Exeter, (Citizen Action for Exeter's Environment, CAEE), with support from CELDF (Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund), has crafted a Warrant Article (#30) for vote on our Town Warrant, March 12, 2019. Article #30 is a "Right to a Healthy Climate" Rights based Ordinance (RBO). It is a binding local law that establishes a bill of rights that includes: the right to a healthy climate; the right to clean air, water and soil; the right of ecosystems to exist and flourish; and the right of self-government. Exeter citizens have shown their appreciation for the natural world around them but they do not have a way to oppose certain corporate activities that have received permits from State and/or Federal authorities, (land use/development projects and fracked gas pipelines for examples), that could be harmful to the people and environment of their town. An RBO is adopted by communities to assert their right to self government as affirmed in our State Constitution's Bill of Rights.

Since 2006, 11 towns in NH and over 200 across the US have passed similar Rights Based Ordinances in their communities.

Joan Pratt, CAEE, Exeter NH, March 2, 2019

Concord Monitor - Would you let Eversource pay you to raise the temperature in your house on a hot day?

One of these summers on a really, really hot day, Eversource might present its customers with an odd-sounding proposal: Let us make your house warmer.

The state’s largest electric utility is seeking permission in New Hampshire and its other New England markets to raise the temperature on some home air conditioners by several degrees, reducing the amount of electricity being consumed during periods of peak usage, such as a hot summer afternoon. Read more here.

Policy Updates

Proposed Budget Raids Renewable Energy Fund

Governor Sununu’s proposed budget raids $2.5 million from the Renewable Energy Fund (REF) (see section 214).

Energy suppliers pay into the REF to meet state renewable energy targets under the Renewable Portfolio Standard. Funds are disseminated as rebates and grants for low income, residential, commercial, and municipal renewable energy projects.

Raiding this dedicated fund changes a legitimate fee into an unconstitutional tax.

Please reach out to your representative to let them know it's not appropriate to raid dedicated funds and that this very limited funding for renewable energy in NH is very needed!

Want exclusive access to weekly policy emails and policy calls with Clean Energy NH experts? Email Brianna Brand <brianna@cleanenergynh.org> and become a member today.

Webinars

LES Webinar: Energy Policy Update

When: Monday, April 1, 12:00 PM
Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5245714298400773644

Join Clean Energy NH as we enter crossover season to learn about the biggest energy policy issues making their way through the New Hampshire legislature. This is your opportunity to get a comprehensive view of this year's energy policy priorities including energy efficiency, expanding net metering, bolstering the Renewable Portfolio Standard, innovative energy storage proposals, municipal aggregation, and more. You will hear from:

Madeleine Mineau, Executive Director, Clean Energy NH
Jim O'Brien, Director of External Affairs, The Nature Conservancy

LES Webinar: Clean Energy Benefits for Businesses

When: Tuesday, April 9, 10:00 AM
Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2013017071832103948

Across New Hampshire, businesses are turning to clean energy options to control their energy budgets, lower energy costs, and meet their community and environmental goals. Join Local Energy Solutions and our partners at the Small Business Development Center as we share three case studies of New Hampshire businesses that are benefiting from clean energy solutions. You will hear from:

Bob Fitzpatrick, Store Manager, Vista Foods Grocery Store - Energy Efficiency
Jen Briggs, Owner, A Place to Grow - Energy Efficiency and Solar PV
Peter Hansel, President of Filtrine Manufacturing Co. & Vice-chair of Keene’s Energy and Climate Committee - Modern Wood Heating

Events

Don't Miss Out on Energy Week! March 25 - 28

Pre-Events:

Week of March 18th

Film Screening Dates – New England College: Tuesday, March 19; University of New Hampshire: Wednesday March 20; Plymouth State University: Thursday, March 21.

Energy Week:

Monday, March 25th: NH Energy Roundtable 4:30-6:00pm @ Pease Tradeport in Portsmouth | Register

Tuesday, March 26th: Emerging Energy Needs Forum 5:00-6:30pm @ OracleDyn in Manchester | Register

Wednesday, March 27th: NH Energy Roundtable 4:30-6:00pm @ Salt Hill Pub in Newport | Register

Thursday, March 28th: NH Energy Breakfast 8:00am @ Grappone Conference Center in Concord | Register

Visit the Energy Week Website here.

NHSaves Button Up Workshop - Stratham

When: March 20th, 2019 | Doors opening at 6:30 presentation starting at 7:00
Where: Stratham Library/Municipal building 10 Bunker Hill Ave, Stratham, NH 03885
Refreshments: Yes
Local partners: Stratham Energy Committee and Town of Exeter Energy Committee
Presenter: Ted Stiles
Questions: Contact Mike Ream, mream16@hotmail.com

NHSaves Button Up Workshop -
Seeking Host Communities!

Would your town, community group, or Energy Committee be interested in hosting a home energy saving workshop this winter? The Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative is looking for local hosts to bring this important workshop series to more residents in New Hampshire.

The NHSaves Button Up Workshop is a 1.5 hour presentation about how to improve the energy efficiency of your home. It covers basic building science principles as well as examples of whole house weatherization measures that will button up your home for the heating and cooling seasons. It also covers details about the energy efficiency programs offered by NH utilities to provide energy audits and weatherization, rebates on electric and gas appliances as well as new construction. The workshop series is sponsored by NHSaves, a collaboration of New Hampshire’s electric and natural gas utilities, Eversource, Liberty Utilities, NH Electric Cooperative and Unitil to provide NH customers with information, incentives, and support designed to save energy, reduce costs, and protect our environment statewide.

The Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative will work with the local host to make the arrangements for the workshop and will provide a speaker at no cost to the host and the publicity. Hosts need to find a location, date and help publicize the workshop locally. For businesses wishing to host this workshop for their employees, the workshop can be scaled back to run for one hour.

If your municipal board, energy committee, business or local organization would like to host a workshop (at no cost to you), please contact Robbin Adams, Button Up Coordinator, at the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative, 603-536-5030 or robbin@plymouthenergy.org

Sandra Jones, Co-Director, PAREI | PO Box 753 79 Highland Street | Plymouth, NH 03264 | (603) 536-5030 | www.plymouthenergy.org | www.localfoodsplymouth.org

Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change:
Impacts and Opportunities

When: Saturday, May 4th, 8:30am-1:30pm
Where: Frost Hall, SNHU, 2500 North River Road, Manchester
Registration: https://wacnh.org/event-3296208

The urgency to take action on climate change has become increasingly evident, but solutions are at hand that will improve public health, create economic opportunity, and strengthen our resilience as a state and a nation. This program will serve as a forum for discussion on current and future policy options on the local, state, federal and international levels to meet the global challenges of climate change.

Keynote Speaker: Gina McCarthy

Former Administrator of the EPA and Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Chan School of Public Health

Conference sessions will focus on public health, the business case for climate action, municipal initiatives on renewable energy, and international climate negotiations. Presenters include representatives from Clean Energy NH, CERES, NH Businesses for Social Responsibility, the City of Boston, Harvard Business School, Union of Concerned Scientists, Harvard Kennedy School, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (Click Here for Full Program).

Sponsors: World Affairs Council of New Hampshire, Global Citizens Circle, Harvard Club of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Kennedy School Network, League of Conservation Voters

Cost: $20 person, includes continental breakfast and lunch

For more information, contact Rob Werner at rob_werner@lcv.org or 603-674-9810

See full events calendar here.

Jobs

Environment America - New Hampshire Director - See Job Posting here.

About the LES Work Group

Our mission is to provide collaborative guidance and technical support to Local Energy Committees & Commissions, municipalities, schools, and other political subdivisions seeking to reduce energy use, minimize energy costs, and/or reduce fossil-fuel consumption. Consider joining our efforts: contact Henry Herndon for more information on the LES efforts and opportunities for participation.

About Our E-Newsletter: The monthly Local Energy Solutions E-newsletter is compiled and distributed by the Clean Energy NH on behalf of the LES Work Group. Learn more about Clean Energy NH.

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