Commonwealth Conversations: Energy Smarts

Massachusetts Oysters Go Solar

Gerry Palano

Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency Coordinator, Department of Agricultural Resources

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Briney, buttery and firm are some words that you might want to see describing the fare on an oyster house menu, but never solarized… until now.

Mattapoisett’s Robert Field of Copper Beech Farm, with the assistance of Roger Williams University Professor Dale Leavitt, has designed and constructed a creative off-the-grid solar electric (photovoltaic or “PV”) project for aquaculture use. His invention pairs a barge containing PV panels and battery storage with a conventional floating upwelling system (FLUPSY), a device that aquaculturalists use to force feed nutrient rich water to infant shellfish.

The invention has come to Massachusetts at just the right time. As aquaculture continues to expand here in the Commonwealth, aquaculturalists using traditional land-tied technology have often found themselves competing for space with other commercial and recreational uses of littoral waters. This new and improved FLUPSY, now free from a shore-based energy source, allows siting of shellfish nurseries in more remote, less controversial areas.

The PV system consists of six, off-the-shelf 245 watt solar panels mounted on an angled wooden rack, an electrical distribution box, a charge controller that regulates the current from solar panels to the battery bank, nine 12-volt batteries in a wooden storage compartment, a 1/3 horsepower DC motor, a belt and a shaft and propeller. The two floats are pinned together to form a nearly square, articulating platform with its corners chained to mushroom anchors and oriented to face the southern sunlight. The battery bank is sized to operate for 3 days plus without recharge from the panels. To date, the system has performed better than expected, providing more than enough energy to operate the FLUPSY.

         
The project was funded in part by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) Ag-Energy Grant, an annual competitive funding program aimed at financing agricultural energy projects that improve energy efficiency and incorporate alternative clean energy technologies on Massachusetts farms. MDAR’s staff looks forward to working with Field to further promote this technology concept to the entire aquaculture industry.

High School Students Get an Introduction to Clean Energy

Stephanie Mernick

Market Development and Support Division Co-op at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

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On Friday, Feb. 1, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) was fortunate enough to have Jocelyn, Vanessa and Haqika, three bright high school students from the Boston Public Schools, visit as part of the Boston Private Industry Council’s Job Shadow Day and learn about our role in the clean energy sector.

While the girls initially weren’t very familiar with the world of clean energy, they were eager to learn about all the exciting things Massachusetts is doing.

After an introduction to renewable energy by MassCEC CEO Alicia Barton, the students were given a tour around the office and spoke with employees in different departments. They were then able to dive into a few of the projects underway in our office, learning about our solar electricity and solar hot water programs run through MassCEC, as well as the work involved in telling the Massachusetts clean energy story to the public.

One hour into the tour, one student mentioned that while she didn’t know much about the field before, “renewable energy is an interesting topic and I want to keep learning more about it.” Another's take away was that “there are a lot of different departments that go into just one business” and she could see herself working in the clean energy sector.

Following an introduction to all of the initiatives at MassCEC, the students had the
opportunity to tour the Wind Technology Testing Center, where Executive Director Rahul Yarala gave a rundown on the growth of the offshore wind industry.

For students who were completely new to clean energy at the start of the day, they sure did know a lot more by the end. We were thrilled to have them visit so we could learn from them and share our mission with these bright young students, members of our next clean energy generation.

Photo Tour of MassCEC's Wind Technology Center

Rachel Schowalter

Multimedia Intern at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)

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On Dec. 11, I was given a tour of MassCEC’s Wind Technology Testing Center in Charlestown, where engineers test wind turbine blades from all over the world. The center, which can handle blades up to 90 meters in length, is an impressive sight to see, making it a natural topic for a photo blog. I hope you enjoy these photos of the center in action!

Mass. Data Center Tees Up Innovation in Clean Energy, Sets Standard for Energy Efficiency

John Goodhue, Guest Blogger

Executive Director, Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center

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A just-completed high performance computing center in Holyoke will help Massachusetts stay at
the forefront of discovery and innovation, and demonstrate clean energy leadership through application of efficient data center design and technology.

This model of collaborative economic development, the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) was created by Boston University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts, with financial support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the federal New Markets Tax Credit Program, EMC and Cisco.

The MGHPCC is intended to meet a critical need in the research community, where computing has become the “third leg” of scientific discovery, along with theory and experimentation. High performance computing will be critical to many clean energy research and engineering activities. These include synthesis of new materials for batteries and solar cells, analysis of usage patterns for energy distribution systems, and performance modeling for new wind, gas, and water turbine designs.

In designing, building and operating the facility itself, the MGHPCC has gone to great lengths to minimize its environmental footprint and maximize energy efficiency.

To begin with, it was designed for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED influenced dozens of decisions about the design, construction, and operation of the facility, ranging from selection of the site to choice of building materials to handling of waste water.

Beyond LEED certification, the MGHPCC was built in Holyoke in great part because the local power company, Holyoke Gas & Electric, generates more than 70 percent of its power through inexpensive, sustainable hydroelectric power from the Connecticut River.

As you might imagine, data centers consume massive amounts of energy. The MGHPCC has peak power capacity of 15 megawatts – enough to support 20,000 high-powered computers. The MGHPCC, however, is setting a new standard in the industry for energy efficiency. One of the most widely used measures of efficient operation is Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), developed by the US Green Buildings Council. A recent report cites typical data center PUE at about 1.9. The MGHPCC is targeting a more efficient PUE of less than 1.3 – a 25 percent reduction.

Here are a few of the ways that the MGHPCC is achieving this level of efficiency:

• Use of outside air to remove heat from the building much of the year, reducing the need for energy-intensive chiller operations. 
• Use of major mechanical and electrical equipment that operates reliably at relatively high
  temperatures, further reducing the need for air conditioning.
• Placement of cooling and power distribution equipment directly below the computer room. This configuration allows for short pipe and cable runs, which reduce the loss of power and cooling capacity.
• Layout of the computer room itself. Heat produced by the computers is captured through a “hot aisle” containment system that efficiently transfers waste heat to a chilled water loop. 

In addition to practicing energy efficiency and minimizing its environmental footprint, the MGHPCC itself will be something of a living laboratory, outfitted with sensors and other equipment that will collect data that will help improve future building design.

As you can see, with the MGHPCC, Massachusetts is putting the “green” into high-performance computing.