Commonwealth Conversations: Energy Smarts

‘Topping Off’ at a top nonprofit in Lowell

Dan Burgess

Clean Energy Fellow, Department of Energy Resources

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The United Teen Equality Center (UTEC) in Lowell is making great progress on its stimulus-funded energy efficiency renovation. Last week, Governor Patrick and community leaders gathered to celebrate the placement of the last piece of steel on the new UTEC building. Founded in 1999 as a positive response to local gang violence, UTEC is a youth-led agency that works to reduce youth violence by providing education and job training and a safe place to enjoy civic, cultural and athletic activities. The work being done at UTEC, both the community efforts and the innovative, energy-saving construction, is inspiring. I hope it serves as a national model for communities facing similar challenges.

Check out the video below to see the highlights from the day.

 

Harvesting the sun for hot water on farms

Gerry Palano

Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency Coordinator, Department of Agricultural Resources

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Jess Cook, Berkshire of Pioneer RC&D (BPRC&D), program manager for our Massachusetts Farm Energy Program and Devon Whitney-Deal of Communities Involved with Sustainable Agriculture (CISA) contributed to this post. The Farm Energy Program is a collaboration of BPRC&D and DAR helping to provide technical and financial assistance for farms across Massachusetts.

On the evening of August 22 at Crossroads Farm in Ashfield, a crowd of more than 20 neighborhood farmers and agricultural producers gathered for a solar thermal workshop hosted by the Massachusetts Farm Energy Program and CISA. This workshop highlighted the practical farm use of solar hot water, current funding opportunities for solar thermal, and what steps farmers should take to installing a solar thermal system.

Solar thermal – solar heated air or water – is a practical technology with a proven lifespan and range of applications for farms (in addition to residential and commercial uses). Depending on the system used, water heated by the sun can reach between 140-170 degrees Fahrenheit. At those temperatures the water can be used for farm facility cleaning; farm housing and kitchens; food processing; aquaculture; space heating via radiant floors in farm offices, shops, packing sheds, or milking parlors; or under-bench or soil heating in greenhouses.

 
To determine if a solar thermal system is appropriate for their needs, farmers’ learned to evaluate several factors including: the volume of water needed to heat; if the season of energy production need matches the highest production period for solar energy in the summer; and what the target temperature is for air or water.

If you’re considering solar hot water, this is a great time to move ahead! The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) launched a Commercial Solar Hot Water Program, which commits funding resources for solar thermal plans (pre-design studies) and construction rebates. The studies are useful for farms that need heat for radiant floors, greenhouse heating or yogurt-making.

Solar thermal projects are also eligible for the Federal Business Investment Tax Credit or Treasury Cash Option worth 30 percent of the solar thermal system installation cost. (The Cash Option expires this December 31, 2011.)

Here are some tips to get started. 

• Learn more about the technology and establish your current and future farm heating needs by reviewing your energy bills and speaking with installing contractors service providers.
• Talk with installers – request an on-site assessment, consider equipment options, and talk through costs and payback periods.
• Read up on MassCEC resources and funding support.
• Inquire with your public utility regarding support for efficiency upgrades for existing heating systems using electricity or natural gas.

Please contact our Massachusetts Farm Energy Program for assistance moving from project concept to implementation, and ask to be placed on our waiting list for a soon to be released copy of our guide for solar thermal use on farms, Massachusetts Farm Energy Best Management Practices!

ARRA 101

Dan Burgess

Clean Energy Fellow, Department of Energy Resources

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If you are a regular reader of this blog or a clean energy aficionado, you may know that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 created the largest clean energy investment in the history of the United States – over $80 billion. You may also know that the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) is responsible for directing and overseeing over $70 million of these funds. The DOER and its partners are working hard to ensure that the recovery dollars are creating jobs, spurring innovation, and ensuring development of clean, sustainable energy sources right here in Massachusetts.

If you weren’t aware of this, don’t worry. In the coming months, my “ARRA 101” blog posts will get you up to speed. These posts will cover everything from how projects are monitored by DOER staff, to interviews with individuals impacted by the stimulus, to clean energy project spotlights from across the Commonwealth.  

This first post in the ARRA 101 series answers a basic but important question: Where are the clean energy stimulus funds being spent in Massachusetts?

The answer: in every corner of Massachusetts. From energy monitoring at state-owned buildings, to solar installations at state parks, to innovative energy efficiency upgrades in low-income buildings, the Commonwealth has allocated stimulus funds to projects that are making a down payment on a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable energy future. The projects are all across the state, affecting hundreds of communities and tens of thousands of individuals.

To see exactly where DOER and its partners are investing stimulus funds in Massachusetts, check out the interactive ARRA map. You will be able to find projects in your neighborhood and get details on how these projects were funded.

Be sure to check back here for ARRA 101 posts and in the meantime, you can get more information on stimulus funded clean energy projects at our recently revamped Energy Recovery Dollars at Work page on the DOER site. 

Sutton students whacky over solar energy powering their school

Elise Avers

Clean Energy Fellow for Department of Energy Resources (DOER)
Guest Blogger



Just a few years ago, the staff at the Simonian Center for Early Learning in Sutton had to place buckets throughout the building to collect water that was leaking through their 20 year-old roof. Today, their new roof provides support for 897 Solon Solar PV panels with the capacity to produce 201kW of solar power. The panels also save the town as much as $25,000 annually in energy costs and will pay for the investment within four years. Since the system went online in January 2011, it has yielded $6,425 in energy savings to the town – even during the snowiest months of the year!

In celebration of their renewable energy triumph, a troupe of fifth grade students performed a solar-themed song of their own creation at the dedication ceremony held in May. Check out the YouTube video of their “Whacky Solar Song” performance.

Not only is the town saving money that can be used for other educational purposes, but students at the elementary school level are getting an up-close look at a renewable alternative source of energy. The teachers at the school have begun developing a curriculum on energy using the school’s solar PV monitoring system, which shows statistics and graphs displaying the amount of energy produced and how this equates to other non-renewable resources.

“The addition of the solar panels has turned our once deplorable roof into a model for any public municipality with green initiatives,” said Lauren Dubeau, the center’s principal, during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

This project, which is one of the larger municipally-owned PV systems in the Commonwealth, was supported by two Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and administered by the Green Communities Division of DOER. These grants funded construction and consulting services.

"I’ve been around a long time – eight decades. When I think back about when I was a youngster like these fifth graders, we were just getting electricity to my house,” said Sutton Selectman Mike Chizy, who also attended the ceremony. “If anybody had ever told me at that time that we were going to get electricity from the sun and get it for free without polluting, I would have told them they’re crazy.”

 “Whacky Solar Panel Song”
Sol, solar panels Sol-Sol Solar panels
[Do] Sometimes it takes a bit of dough
[Re] Absorbed on sunny sunny days
[Mi] We're talking green energy
[Fa] The project went very fa (r)
Sol Solar panels whoa, whoa, whoa
[La] Lots of energy for everyone
[Ti] For the world community
[Do] So we'll do some good and maybe change the world

Studying clean energy at Boston College High School

Dan Burgess

Clean Energy Fellow, Department of Energy Resources

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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is having a lasting and positive impact on education institutions and young people all across Massachusetts.  Less than a year ago, Boston College High School unveiled an 870-panel solar photovoltaic (PV) installation on a reflective white roof. By utilizing a $162,435 Commonwealth Solar Stimulus rebate administered by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and engaging in a power purchase agreement with Borrego Solar, the school was able to make its solar plans a reality. This 197 kW system will produce 40 percent of the electricity needed for the campus, saving the high school more than $500,000 over the next two decades and drastically reducing the school’s carbon footprint.

The solar panels are also being used as a visual teaching tool for students. Brian Maher, executive director of capital planning and technology at the high school, recently told me “the solar panels are being used to teach students firsthand about the importance of sustainability and renewable energy.” He explained that, as a part of the curriculum, students tour the solar PV system and then track the power being generated in real-time through an online monitoring system.

 
The monitoring system displays electricity generation in easy-to-understand numbers and equivalents. As of this writing, the system has generated over 205,000 kWh of clean, homegrown electricity - equal to the electricity needed to operate a television for over 1.4 million hours or to power 1,580 computers for a full year. This past July was Boston College High School’s highest month of electricity generation yet.

“The panels are just fantastic,” Maher said. “The system is really hitting its stride this summer and is definitely exceeding our expectations. We can’t wait to show the students the progress when the school year starts again.”

Here’s where to find more information on the Recovery Act and other similar projects in Massachusetts:

Energy Recovery Dollars at Work

Massachusetts Recovery Office

Renewable Energy in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

More summer energy saving tips

Susan S. Kaplan

Marketing & Outreach Coordinator, Department of Energy Resources

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Alas, we all feel the approach of summer’s end. But during these last warm weeks, here are some important energy-saving tips to keep in mind. Install low-flow showerheads, to reduce your water heating costs.

1. Use your ceiling fan instead of the air conditioner.
2. Use an outdoor grill for cooking. 
3. Wear lighter clothes and keep hydrated so you don’t need an air conditioner.
4. Keep lamps, T.V. sets, and other appliances away from thermostats if possible. They will make the room seem hotter and make the air conditioner run longer than necessary.
5. Turn your hot water heater temperature down; hot water heating can account for a large percentage of the energy consumed in your home.
6. Shorten showers. Simply reducing lingering time by a few minutes can save hundreds of gallons of hot water per month for a family of four. And that can save you money!

Follow our Energy Smarts Twitter account, @EnergySmarts, for frequent updates on what you can do to help conserve energy this summer. Here are more of this season’s tips.