Product Renewable Content
| Year | Required MA Class I | Required Other Renewables | Voluntary MA Class I Renewables added by Milton CEA | Total Renewables | |
| Rockland Basic | 2024 | 24% | 38% | - | 62% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | – | 63% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | – | 69% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | - | 75% | |
| Rockland Local Green | 2024 | 24% | 38% | 10% | 72% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | 10% | 73% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | 10% | 79% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | 10% | 85% | |
| Rockland Local Green 100% | 2024 | 24% | 38% | 38% | 100% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | 37% | 100% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | 31% | 100% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | 25% | 100% | |
| National Grid Basic Service (if you opt out) | 2024 | 24% | 38% | - | 62% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | - | 63% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | - | 69% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | - | 75% |
Additional Product Details
From November 2024 through December 2027 meter read the program appears on utility bill as “Rockland Community Elec-Direct”.
Prices for all program options in the Rockland CEA Program include a 0.1 ¢/kWh administration fee. Program prices could increase as a result of a change in law that results in a direct, material increase in costs during the term of the electricity supply agreement. Program prices apply only to the electricity supply portion of your National Grid electric bill. Delivery charges on your National Grid electric bill are not affected by the Rockland CEA Program.
Future savings against National Grid’s fixed Basic Service rate cannot be guaranteed because National Grid’s rates change every six months for residential and commercial customers and every three months for industrial customers. For Commercial and Industrial National Grid Basic Service Rates please check out the National Grid supply rates page.
If you participate in Rockland CEA, you will be automatically enrolled at a new price at the end of the contract term unless you inform the Town otherwise. The new price may be higher or lower than the existing price, and the voluntary renewable energy content may change. The Town will contact you no later than 30 days before each automatic renewal to notify you of your supply options.
Sourcing Additional Renewable Energy
The Rockland Community Electricity Aggregation (CEA) program presents a unique opportunity for the Town to influence the development of renewable energy resources by going above and beyond the requirements of the State – this means voluntarily purchasing additional renewable energy. See the Massachusetts renewable energy requirements.
In Rockland CEA, all purchases of renewable electricity are certified by purchasing and retiring Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), the accepted legal instrument used to track renewable energy generation and to substantiate claims of renewable energy use. Read more about why we need RECs.
On Our Grid
All of the additional renewable energy in the Rockland CEA 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 Rockland CEA program 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
Rockland CEA’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. Rockland CEA 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.
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