Renewable Energy Content Detail

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that all electricity supply products include a minimum of 59% from renewable energy resources in 2023, 62% in 2024, 63% in 2025, and 69% in 2026. Acton Power Choice Basic meets this minimum requirement. Acton Power Choice Standard and GREEN both exceed this requirement.

	Added voluntarily by Acton	Required by the State of Massachusetts		Total
	MA Class I RECs	MA Class I RECs	Additional renewable/clean sources	Total
Acton Power Choice Standard
2023	45%	22%	37%	104%
2024	45%	24%	38%	107%
2025	45%	27%	36%	108%
2026	45%	30%	39%	114%
Acton Power Choice GREEN
2023	78%	22%	37%	137%
2024	76%	24%	38%	138%
2025	73%	27%	36%	136%
2026	70%	30%	39%	139%
Acton Power Choice Basic
2023	–	22%	37%	59%
2024	–	24%	38%	62%
2025	–	27%	36%	63%
2026	–	30%	39%	69%
Eversource’s Basic Service
2023	–	22%	37%	59%
2024	–	24%	38%	62%
2025	–	27%	36%	63%
2026	–	30%	39%	69%

What are MA Class I RECs?

MA Class I RECs are renewable energy certificates (RECs) from renewable energy projects that began commercial operation after 1997, generate electricity using any of the following technologies, and meet all other program eligibility criteria:

Solar photovoltaic
Solar thermal electric
Wind energy
Small hydropower
Landfill methane and anaerobic digester gas
Marine or hydrokinetic energy
Geothermal energy
Eligible biomass fuel

Purchasing MA Class I RECs helps to create demand for more renewable energy on the New England grid. By purchasing more MA Class I RECs than is required by state law, you can help to drive the development of new renewable energy projects in our region.

What is required by Massachusetts state law?

Massachusetts state law requires all electricity suppliers include a minimum amount of electricity from renewable and clean sources, and that minimum amount increases every year. The law includes a requirement to purchase electricity from both MA Class I-eligible sources and also additional renewable / clean sources.

What are the additional renewable / clean sources referred to in the table?

The phrase “additional renewable / clean sources” refers to the renewable energy required by state law other than MA Class I RECs. Some of these sources are renewable, but not emission free, such as waste-to-energy, which is electricity generated from burning solid waste, and some of those sources are clean but not classed as renewable, such as nuclear.

How can the total renewable content exceed 100%?

Acton is committed to purchasing 100% clean, renewable energy for the additional renewable energy that it adds voluntarily in the Acton Power Choice Standard and Acton Power Choice GREEN options.

Separately, Massachusetts state law requires the inclusion of a minimum amount of electricity from renewable or clean sources in all electricity that is sold, and that comes from a combination of MA Class I sources and other sources. However, while the MA Class I sources are both clean and renewable, some of the other required sources are clean but not renewable, and some are renewable but not clean.

To ensure participants in the Acton Power Choice GREEN option are receiving 100% of their electricity from sources that are both renewable and clean, Acton counts only the MA Class I component of the state law requirement when deciding how much additional renewable energy to buy. To state it another way, Acton buys additional renewable energy to make up the difference between the required MA Class I amount and 100%.

Because Acton’s electricity supplier is also required to buy electricity from non-MA Class I sources, the total amount of renewable / clean energy purchased is more than 100% of the amount used by participants in Acton Power Choice GREEN. By participating in Acton Power Choice GREEN, you are therefore purchasing more renewable electricity than you use, but you are taking a big step toward supporting renewable energy and toward building demand for more renewable energy on our local grid.