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What a load of crap. The REAL reason for the increase has to do with an Executive Order Governor Chafee enacted into law called ResillientRI. From the website under Smart Energy Strategies:

"Smart Energy Strategies

Rhode Islanders spend over $3 billion per year on energy to light their homes, keep the heat on, and fuel their vehicles. Fossil fuels such as natural gas, fuel oil, and gasoline supply the vast majority of these energy needs. Reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is central to addressing climate change. Rhode Island will build from its leadership in energy policy as it builds smart energy strategies for the 21st century.

RI Office of Energy Resources is the state agency responsible for helping Rhode Island achieve a reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable energy future and is responsible for implementing programs including:

Renewable Energy: Rhode Island has a Renewable Energy Standard (RES), a state law that sets targets for how much of the electricity sold by utilities must be generated from renewable resources. The first target mandated that renewable energies make up 3% of retail electricity sales in 2007. The standard gets higher each year, for a final goal of 16% by 2019.

Electricity distribution companies such as National Grid can meet this requirement in one of two ways. National Grid can purchase electricity generated from renewable energy, such as from a wind farm, to put in the mix that it sells to its customers. However, if there is not enough cost-effective renewable energy available to buy in order to meet the targets, the utility can make an Alternative Compliance Payment to the Renewable Energy Development Fund, which is put toward making more renewable energy accessible in Rhode Island."

One of the big supporters? Gina Raimondo