Craig Putnam, Director of the Hudson Electric Aggregation Committee, outlined a range of green energy options for the general services in the Community Power Aggregation Plan set to come into effect early-to-mid March.
The Board of Selectmen voted to partner with the Community Power Coalition of NH in October of 2023, opening the town to new renewable energy options.
According to the Selectmen approved plan, “two primary goals of the intelligent use of customer energy technologies to reduce energy expenditures and carbon emissions on a voluntary basis” and to “reduce fossil fuel consumption overall.”
Different categories of rate plans will serve as the most viable factor in green energy for the average customer.
“There are four rates that apply to residential general services outdoor light,” said Putman. “Hudson has chosen to default anyone that joins Hudson Community Power at the Granite Basic level.”
While this level is the least expensive option, only around 24% of the power provided through this plan will come from renewable sources. According to the official Aggregation Plan, that number “will increase incrementally to 25.2% by 2025.”
“The other three options: Granite Plus, Clean 50, and Clean 100, are rate classes that offer higher levels of green/renewable energy,” said Putnam. “Those are a little more expensive, as you’d probably expect. “One of the things to understand is that Community Power programs have more flexibility in the purchasing of electricity. Community Power programs can go to marketing anytime they want.”
For these “opt-up” plans, Granite Plus will have 33% of its energy from carbon-free sources, with the next two plans offering 50% and 100% carbon-free sources respectively.
The standard Eversource plan has renewable power at around the Basic level.
One resident asked, “If Community Power NH decides at a later date to go Granite Plus or Clean 100, does that mean all customers will have to go with that rate?”
According to the Director, this would not happen and the choice of which rate to go with, or even to pay for a Community Plan was up to the individual, promising “you can move through any of the options at any time.”
When asked by one attendee if a higher tier plan would “get better energy or get a refrigerator working better” or if she would end up “losing anything by signing up for a higher plan,” Putman responded by joking that “the electrons are the electrons” and the only difference was price and generation source.
Putman clarified that while there is the possibility to move onto more ambitious energy plans in the future with a capital reserve fund, no taxpayer money was being allocated to the Aggregation Plan, while local generation projects like the Solar Farms West Road Landfill were “entirely separate” from Aggregation.
