CommonWealth Magazine: Clean energy generators are already proving their worth

AS HAS BEEN widely reported, the arctic cold snap that swept through New England on Christmas Eve, combined with an unexpected system shortfall due to generator outages and reduced energy imports, left grid operators struggling to meet demand. For over two hours, a shortfall of over 2,000 megawatts required a swift dispatch of the grid’s peaker plants to fill the gap. Since the frigid temperatures had sent the price of natural gas soaring, many generators switched to oil, meaning our most polluting energy source accounted for 29 percent of our total fuel mix that day and 34 percent during the peak demand hour.