By Meg McIntyre, Special to State House News Service February 4, 2021 Meg McIntyre, Special to State House News Service With the launch of Boston’s new Community Choice Electricity program this month, nearly half of Massachusetts municipalities are now buying electricity on behalf of their residents in an effort to provide cheaper, greener power. As of January, the state had approved 168 municipal aggregation programs, which allow local governments to procure and provide electricity at competitive rates. Advocates say the initiatives give cities and towns more control over their power sources, and often offer lower rates than utilities for consumers. Communities that have enacted such programs see them as a way to save money for residents while making progress toward carbon reduction goals - and they expect that the number of aggregation programs in Massachusetts will continue to grow.