Westborough, Massachusetts [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) auction of renewable energy certificates (RECs), administered by Evolution Markets, sold close to $400,000 worth of Massachusetts’ “New” Renewable Certificates, to benefit the state’s Renewable Energy Trust. The certificates are from the Ameresco Chicopee landfill gas-to-energy facilities 1, 2, and 3, which have been approved by the Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources as an eligible source under the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard. The auction attracted a record total of 12 bidders for the Massachusetts RECs, which sold to one successful bidder. The RECs comply to the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which mandates that companies selling electricity on the retail level in the state must “retire” a quantity of qualified RECs equivalent to a percentage of the total number of megawatt hours they sell. For 2006, that percentage is 2.5%. Plus, through voluntary choice programs, a growing number of Massachusetts consumers are choosing to pay more on their electricity bill to support renewable projects.
