Energy

House lawmakers voted near unanimously on Wednesday to require utilities to solicit and enter into long-term contracts for large-scale hydroelectric and offshore wind power.

Lawmakers dealt a blow last week to a bill that sought to rein in rising prescription drug costs through pricing disclosure mandates, issuing an order calling for further study on the matter.

A new inclusion to the energy bill would allow utilities to charge ratepayers some of the costs associated with bringing more renewable energy sources into their distribution networks.

Energy efficiency and renewable energy company Ameresco has secured a foothold in Britain and will be able to go after government contracts in the country.

Hudson-based Avidia Bank announced Monday that it has dropped its solar loan rate down to 1.89 percent for Massachusetts residents seeking to finance their residential solar systems.

An energy bill seeking to steer 2,400 megawatts of wind and hydro energy into Massachusetts began moving through the House Ways and Means Committee on Monday afternoon ahead of a planned floor vote Wednesday.

The Department of Energy Resources is hoping to catalyze storage initiatives across the state with a new report and a a $10 million pilot.

A plan that would require utility companies to solicit and purchase a combined 2,400 megawatts of renewable hydro and offshore wind power through long-term contracts will be discussed this week.

The controversial Kinder Morgan pipeline that was supposed to give Massachusetts relief from a constrained natural gas supply has been cancelled but concerns about energy constraints remain.

Protonex, the Southborough-based subsidiary of Ballard Power Systems, has received its largest order to date to supply U.S. Special Operations Command with a power system to recharge important electronic devices.