While most New Englanders are busy making summer plans, ISO New England, our regional grid operator, alongside stakeholders, is hard at work ensuring that our grid operates well in winter conditions.
As older, less efficient power generators retire and are primarily replaced by natural gas-fired generators without firm fuel contracts, grid operators warn that the lights could go out. There are solutions to this problem, including investing in winter-peaking clean energy resources such as offshore wind, and shoring up fuel supplies, but one year-round solution is often overlooked: energy efficiency.