New Hampshire PUC wins clean energy award for Sustainable Energy Division Renewable Thermal Program
The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission was awarded the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) 2016 State Leadership in Clean Energy Award on Wednesday for its Sustainable Energy Division’s useful thermal renewable energy certificate (T-REC) program.
The T-REC program was one of six programs recognized at the award ceremony for outstanding accomplishments in clean energy ingenuity. CESA is a nonprofit coalition of public agencies working towards the advancement of clean energy innovation. CESA Clean Energy awards are awarded biennially.
“Designing the T-REC program has been challenging, but it is truly rewarding to see the development of renewable thermal systems that support the New Hampshire economy and RPS goals,” NH PUC Sustainable Energy Division Director Karen Cramton said. “We look forward to seeing many more thermal renewable projects being built in the state and participating in the T-REC program. Our program has provided substantial economic and environmental benefits for the state and is already being used as a model by other states.”
The T-REC program is the only one of its kind in the nation. It requires electric utilities to provide a percentage of renewable thermal energy each year through solar thermal, geothermal and biomass systems. New Hampshire is the only state to add renewable thermal technologies to its energy portfolio standard. Eighteen thermal facilities have been certified through the program to date.
