Stoneham CEA is committed to supporting the growth of new, local renewable energy in our region. The state of Massachusetts has progressive policies that require everyone to use more renewable energy over time, however, the pace of change needs to be faster to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. Stoneham CEA is leveraging the buying power of our community to bring more clean electricity to our residents and businesses.
A Green Option for Everyone
Stoneham’s standard product, Local Green, has five percent (5%) extra renewable energy included, above and beyond state requirements.
Participating in Local Green makes an impact on emissions and brings us closer to a renewable energy future. We also offer optional products that add 50% and 100% clean energy for those that want to be climate champions and more significantly reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
Opt Up to 100% Renewable Energy
Buying from New England, Buying Clean
On Our Grid
All of the additional renewable energy in the Hanson CCA program come from sources designated as MA Class I. These sources must be physically part of our New England electricity grid. This stands in contrast to some electricity supplies that obtain their renewable energy from national sources (e.g. Texas) that are not physically connected to our New England electricity grid. While those sources provide very cheap electricity, you get what you pay for: including them in the electricity mix does not move our region away from fossil fuels.
A Local Option
All of the extra renewable energy in the Hanson CCA program qualifies as MA Class I, and is provided through the local non-profit, Green Energy Consumers Alliance. Purchasing through Green Energy Consumers Alliance provides two important benefits for our renewable energy:
Only Zero-Emission or Methane-Destroying Sources
Hamilton CCA’s extra renewable electricity only comes from zero emission sources, such as solar, wind, low impact hydropower2, and sources that destroy methane, such as anaerobic digestion. Methane has a global warming potential (GWP) 28-36 times greater than CO2 over a 100 year period3. Combustion destroys methane and releases some CO2, resulting in a net reduction in GWP. Other forms of biomass are explicitly not purchased, due to their positive emissions of CO2 during their life cycles.
Only New England Sources
MA Class I renewable energy can come from New England or adjacent parts of Canada and New York. Hamilton CCA exclusively sources its extra renewable energy from within New England. We’re helping to keep our energy impact local, supporting New England’s clean energy economy. See below for a map of sources.
Green Energy Consumers Alliance helps bring new renewable projects to New England through strategic support of development opportunities with short and long-term contracts. The map below shows the sources from which Green Energy Consumers Alliance has been purchasing as of April 2025.
Helping to Build Clean Energy
The Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is a state requirement for electricity suppliers to include a minimum amount of MA Class I renewable energy in their mix. By increasing the percentage of electricity that is renewable every year, this policy provides growing demand for renewable energy, which in turn, incentivizes new renewables to be built. By purchasing extra MA Class I renewable energy, Stoneham is increasing demand, thereby incentivizing the development of more even renewable energy generation facilities.
How big is our impact? Between March 2019 and March 2020, Stoneham CEA bought 2,958 MWh of extra MA Class I renewable energy, above and beyond state requirements. These voluntary purchases are roughly equivalent to the output of the annual production of one typical wind turbine (1.5 MW each).
We are excited that many other cities and towns are joining with Stoneham to implement the same type of program and amplify the impact. In fact, recent estimates suggest that fully 10% of the entire MA Class I renewable electricity market is forecasted to be voluntarily purchased by municipal aggregations going above and beyond state requirements.
What Are RECs and Why We Need Them
When electricity generated by renewable sources – such as solar and wind – is put onto our regional electricity grid, it becomes mixed in with and indistinguishable from the other electricity on the grid. It is not possible to physically separate out renewable electricity from the grid mix for your individual consumption.
As a result, a tracking system, called Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), has been created to enable the purchase and use of renewable electricity. For every one megawatt-hour of renewable electricity generated, one REC is created. In order to use renewable electricity, one must purchase a quantity of RECs equal to the amount of electricity purchased from the grid. Once used, a REC is retired so that no one else can purchase that same REC or claim to use it.
1Hydro projects that do not exceed 30 MW built after 1997 or have capacity additions or efficiency improvements made after 1997 (MA Class I eligible), and Low Impact Hydro Institute (LIHI) certified.
2Environmental Protection Agency. Understanding Global Warming Potentials. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warming-potentials