To the Editor:

The cost of our electricity is broken into two separate and distinct parts, supplier charges (around 15 cents) plus delivery charges (around 10 cents), costing us 25 cents for every kilowatt-hour of electricity we use. NSTAR delivers electricity from the Cape Light Compact (CLC), the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative (CVEC), and Viridian, three of the many electricity suppliers in Massachusetts.

On Jan. 29, 2015, Vineyard Power Cooperative (VPC), along with its partner OffshoreMV, bid on, and won a lease to develop, offshore wind-generated electricity in federal waters 14 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. VPC’s portion is 5 megawatts (MW). Within two or three years NSTAR will also be delivering this electricity to its customers.

By the end of 2014, CVEC successfully installed 28 MW of clean solar-generated electricity for many towns on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. One of those towns, Tisbury, locked in a supply rate of 9.13 cents per kilowatt-hour for its electricity for 20 years.

The way the law currently reads, CVEC can only supply electricity to towns and municipalities, not individuals.

Unlike the spike in my supplier charge to a little over 15 cents per kilowatt-hour caused by an increased cost of natural gas, Tisbury’s supply charge will never go up due to an increase in the cost of the fuel.

Massachusetts has over 7,000 MW of installed fossil-generated electricity.

CVEC’s current 18 MWs supplied to its member towns/municipalities, and VPC’s future 5 MW for supply to its individual members on Martha’s Vineyard, is but a drop in the bucket needed to replace Massachusetts’s 7,000 MW of installed fossil.

Massachusetts private suppliers have not stepped up to the plate in developing large solar or wind projects. It appears they’re leaving this challenge up to cooperatives. Others in Massachusetts should be allowed to expeditiously form cooperatives and produce as much unencumbered clean electricity as possible, and not be delayed in getting their electricity connected to the grid.

The best way to accomplish this is with revised legislation.

I therefore urge each and every one of you make your voice heard by contacting state Senator Dan Wolf (daniel.wolf@masssenate.gov, 617-722-1570) and Rep. Timothy Madden (Timothy.Madden@masshouse.gov, 617-722-2810).

“We the people” must speak out if we are to effect change.

Peter Cabana

Vineyard Haven

Mr. Cabana represents Dukes County on the boards of the Cape Light Compact and the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative. – Ed.