Commonwealth Conversations: Energy Smarts

A clean tech career challenge

Jim Bowen

Clean Energy Sector Development Director, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

View Jim's Complete Bio

Last month, I went to local energy storage company FastCAP Systems' Research and Development Lab in Boston's Innovation District to talk with a group of about 30 Boston Public Schools students about the clean energy industry.  The high school students were the first in a series of tours called the “Clean Tech Career Challenge" organized by FastCAP, solar inverter manufacturer Satcon, and the clean energy incubator Greentown Labs.

The goal of the tour was to get young people excited about studying technology-related disciplines by giving them an inside look at what it is like to work at a clean tech company. Governor Deval Patrick joined students on a similar event on February 3 and spoke with them about the importance of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. As part of  the Administration’s efforts to close the achievement gap, Governor Patrick made a stop at the most recent career day to talk with students and congratulate the companies for their effort to teach students about career opportunities in clean energy.

Check out some more photos of the tour by clicking here 

FastCAP’s CEO, Dr. Riccardo Signorelli, sees this as imperative to sustaining the quick paced growth the industry has experienced in the last few years, and keeping cutting-edge clean technology jobs not only in the U.S., but in Massachusetts specifically.

“We’ve got to make sure that there is an energetic, qualified and high-tech workforce available locally to fill the clean technology jobs that we are busy creating here,”said Signorelli.

From building prototypes in the machine shop, to computer modeling and performing experiments in the chemistry lab, the students learned that they could do many types of jobs at a clean technology company. The biggest hit of the tour at FastCAP was a chemical engineer named Kavya, who explained the many applications and benefits of nanotechnology, and showed the students equipment she uses to grow and analyze tiny nanoparticles in the lab. So tiny, she said “that one nanotube is equal in size to 1/10,000th of the width of a single human hair.” 

The engineers, technicians, scientists, entrepreneurs and managers the students met during the trip illustrated the broad spectrum of jobs available in the clean energy sector - from advanced manufacturing jobs to business administration and development - from engineering and product design to entrepreneurial ventures.

The clean energy sector, which currently stands at 64,000 jobs at almost 5,000 companies in Massachusetts, grew at 6.7 percent from July 2010 to July 2012, according to MassCEC’s 2011 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report. The report also found that Massachusetts' competes with other states for jobs and that even though Massachusetts’ world-class colleges and universities produce some of the best skilled workers, companies still need more well-trained workers.  

It was clear from this report that in order for Massachusetts to stay competitive, we must do more to increase the supply of skilled workers.  Part of our mission at MassCEC is to help create a workforce that is trained with the right skills that industry needs. That's why I was excited for the opportunity to meet and talk with high school students and the host companies on  this tour. Encouraging our youth to study and obtain critical skills in  STEM will not only give them a head start to landing a rewarding career in a growing industry, but it will help keep the burgeoning Massachusetts clean energy sector growing strong. 

I hope to see more schools and companies working together to expose students at an early age to the exciting clean energy industry opportunities here in Massachusetts.

2012: Time for the new (and improved!)

Mark Sylvia

Commissioner, Department of Energy Resources (DOER)

View Mark's Bio

Here we are, already in the second month of the New Year. If you were impacted by the tornadoes last year in western and central Massachusetts, you know that months later, residents of Monson, Springfield and surrounding towns are still working to restore their homes and get their lives back to normal. You’re probably relieved to turn the calendar page, make a fresh start and plan for the year ahead.

The staff at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center want to help you make 2012 a better year than last, by helping you rebuild – and rebuild keeping energy efficiency and renewable energy in mind. 

The ReBuild Western Massachusetts program offers rebates, grants and 0 percent interest loans for energy efficiency improvements and solar projects as you repair or rebuild your homes.  If you plan to install windows, doors or a new heating system this year, understand that there are a number of available incentives to reduce your costs.   Home and business owners as well as municipalities in the affected areas are eligible for up to $5,000 rebates and 0 percent interest loans for up to $100,000.  The available incentives in the ReBuild program in conjunction with many incentives offered by local utilities may make your efficient home improvements cost less than a non-efficient measure. Check out the video below to learn more.

ReBuild Western Massachusetts: wwlp.com

By installing good insulation, ENERGY STAR® qualified windows and doors, or a high efficiency heating system, you’ll improve your comfort every day while saving money on your monthly electrical bills. 

If you are installing a new water heater, keep in mind that a solar water heating system can provide up to 75 percent of your annual hot water usage and can greatly reduce bills from expensive heating fuels like oil, electricity and propane. 

Installing a new roof? This could be a great time to incorporate a solar electric system to lower your monthly electric bills.  With the additional rebate available in the recovery zones, almost 75 percent of the system is covered and the system can actually pay for itself in the first 2-3 years!

Remember – energy improvements are the only household improvements that actually pay you back. And when you are ready to sell the house, a lower utility bill can help sell the house faster.  Here’s to a new and improved year!

To find out more about the ReBuild Western Mass program, call 877-524-1325 to speak to a representative, email rebuildwma@icfi.com, or visit www.mass.gov/energy/rebuildwesternma.

How to make the most of farm energy projects

Gerry Palano

Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency Coordinator, Department of Agricultural Resources

View Gerry's Complete Bio

If you have been following this blog, you are already aware that the Patrick-Murray Administration has set ambitious renewable energy and efficiency goals for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  If you are a farmer, you may want to know where you can find more information about and assistance for becoming more energy efficient and/or producing renewable energy as part of your farm business. 

The Massachusetts Farm Energy Program (MFEP) is the one-stop shop for Massachusetts farmers who are looking to take on their own project. MFEP is a joint project of Berkshire-Pioneer Resource Conservation and Development Area RC&D and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR).  The project was developed with prior support from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. Recently, the MFEP released a set of five best energy management manuals, one for each of the major farming sectors: dairy, greenhouses, maple, orchards and vegetable farms, and a fifth for renewable energy systems.  

MFEP has worked with over 300 farmers since the project was initiated in 2008, and assisted in leveraging $4,200,000 for farm energy projects implementation, resulting in over 110 projects completed on 70 farms. In total, these projects save farmers $740,000 annually - an average of $10,500 per farm - through the reduction of energy use or replacement with renewable energy, and reduced carbon emissions from the Massachusetts agricultural sector by approximately 9,000 tons annually.

These Massachusetts Farm Energy Best Management Practices Guides include equipment specifications, costs and payback periods, and renewable energy technologies. They will help farmers identify opportunities, estimate financial savings, and find technical and funding resources to reduce energy use, minimize carbon emissions, and improve farm viability. As more information becomes available, the hope is to expand the guides for other farming sectors. 

To celebrate the release of these guides, a networking event was held last fall at Bramble Hill Farm in Amherst.  It linked farmers with energy experts and resources, including state and federal agencies, installers, vendors, and public utilities, to initiate on-farm energy projects. A similar event is being planned for the southeast Massachusetts area this year.

As more farms implement practices such as in those found in the Best Management Guides and utilize some of the energy incentives available for implementation, not only will farmers save considerable amounts of money, they will also reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions throughout the state. This will be a welcome contribution to the Commonwealth’s goals and the sustainability of agricultural in Massachusetts. 

The Massachusetts Farm Energy Best Management Practices Guides are available here and at the DAR’s Energy Program website.  For more information on the Massachusetts Farm Energy Program, visit www.berkshirepioneerrcd.org/mfep and for more information on the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, visit www.mass.gov/agr.  

A year in review…the clean energy revolution continues

Mark Sylvia

Commissioner, Department of Energy Resources (DOER)

View Mark's Bio

This week, President Obama and Governor Patrick both confirmed their visions for our clean energy future. In the State of the Union speech, the President talked about the “promise of clean energy,” and said “nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy.” In the Governor’s State of the Commonwealth address, he brought it home, reminding us that the Green Communities Act fundamentally shifted our state’s energy focus toward efficiency and renewable energy.  

Our nation-leading energy policies are producing results across the board.  Massachusetts citizens, businesses, state entities, and local governments - including 86 designated Green Communities - are taking advantage of the economic and environmental rewards of investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. We’re creating clean energy jobs, reducing municipal operating costs, using less energy and adding cleaner energy. And we’ve received national recognition for our efforts.

Take a look at the advances in our energy agenda from last year (for the best view press play, click 'More' and view 'Fullscreen'). 

You can also view the Massachusetts 2011 Clean Energy Year In Review on this site or you can download 2011 Massachusetts Clean Energy Year in Review.

Under Governor Patrick’s leadership and support of renewable energy, the clean energy industry grew nearly 7 percent in Massachusetts last year, and added thousands of jobs. We’ve added tens of thousands of kilowatts of renewable generation – enough to power over 25,000 households – since 2007.  

This past fall, Massachusetts was ranked as the No. 1 state in the nation for energy efficiency by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for “excelling in every aspect of energy efficiency” and continuing “the implementation of the 2008 Green Communities Act.” Massachusetts’ success in renewable energy was also underlined in the fall, when Governor Patrick was awarded the Solar Champion Award by the Solar Energy Industry Association. 

None of our success would be possible without the hard work of the more than 63,000 people working in 4,900 Massachusetts clean energy companies, weatherizing homes, designing energy efficient buildings, installing solar panels for electricity or heating, and tuning up high efficiency furnaces. It also wouldn’t be possible if homeowners, renters, landlords, business owners and municipal leaders didn’t see the benefit of investing in energy improvements that provide savings and value today, and well into the future.

It’s been a thrilling first year as commissioner and I look forward to continuing my work with you as we create a cleaner energy future together. 

Energy By the Numbers: 72

Dan Burgess

Clean Energy Fellow, Department of Energy Resources

View Dan's Complete Bio

Five years ago, Massachusetts had just 3.5 megawatts (MW) of solar power installed. Today, thanks to the leadership of the Patrick-Murray Administration, there are now 72 MW of solar power capacity installed in Massachusetts - enough to power 12,264 homes for a year.

The Commonwealth initiated its first program for solar PV rebates and partnerships in 2001, funded through a small renewable energy charge on electric utility bills.  But solar really took off when, in April 2007, when Governor Patrick announced a goal of 250 MW of installed solar power by 2017 and launched the Commonwealth Solar (CommSolar) program in January 2008.

With installations in 328 cities and towns across the state, this twenty fold increase in solar capacity since January of 2007 highlights the Administration’s commitment to creating a cleaner energy future for the Commonwealth. Investing in clean, healthy, and homegrown energy sources is a vital component of this future as Massachusetts is at the end of the energy pipeline.

Of the $22 billion the Commonwealth spends annually to buy the energy that runs its power plants, buildings and vehicles, 80 percent flows out of state to purchase coal from Colombia, oil from Venezuela, and natural gas and oil from the Middle East and Canada. That’s nearly $18 billion in lost economic opportunity that Massachusetts stands poised to reclaim through investments in home-grown renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Making solar a cornerstone of the Commonwealth’s clean energy economy has created a vibrant industry. In 2007, just 50 solar installers were doing business in Massachusetts, while today there are more than 250 solar installers. Solar energy is the most prominent renewable energy technology area for Massachusetts clean energy companies, with more than two in three renewable energy employers working with solar energy technologies.

For more information about solar power in Massachusetts, visit the Department of Energy Resources or the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. You can also see how the Commonwealth is progressing towards meeting its ambitious renewable energy goals on the Renewable Energy Snapshot.

ARRA 101: Old Mill, New Purpose

Dan Burgess

Clean Energy Fellow, Department of Energy Resources

View Dan's Complete Bio

Old brick mill complexes are abundant along major rivers in New England.  These historic buildings, once major hubs of manufacturing, often sit empty for years as it can be difficult for property owners to establish contemporary building uses. In Lawrence, a community-based development group called Lawrence CommunityWorks (LCW) took this issue head on. In the process, LCW is providing an example for other communities in the region and across the country to use energy efficient rebuilding methods.

LCW is a community-based development group that is working with local, state, and federal agencies, several business interests, and hundreds of community members to revitalize and repurpose a complex of 19th century textile mill buildings along the Merrimack River into housing and business space, now named Union Crossing.

The Patrick-Murray Administration has invested over $7 million in affordable housing grants and tax credits in this innovative project – including $550,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) allocated by the Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) High Performance Buildings program. Other finacial support for the project came from a Brownfields grant from MassDevelopment and from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and the Department of Housing and Community Development. ARRA funds were used by LCW to buy energy efficient windows that are historically sensitive to the mill’s original structure. 

 

Phase I of this project was just recently completed. At the ribbon cutting, stakeholders lauded the project for creating 350 construction jobs, 60 units of affordable and energy efficient family rental units, and new commercial and green space for the community. 

Union Crossing is another in a long line of projects that benefitted tremendously from the Patrick-Murray Administration’s stimulus find investments in Massachusetts. It is also a strong example of the impact committed citizens can have in their communities. Congratulations to all involved with the Union Crossing Phase I completion! 

Massachusetts Qualifies 1,000th Solar Carve-Out Project

Michael Judge, RPS Solar Carve-Out Program Coordinator

Department of Energy Resources

View Michael's Bio

This fall our Massachusetts Solar Carve-Out Program recently reached a milestone with the qualification of its 1,000th solar photovoltaic (PV) project. In the year and a half since its inception, the amount of solar capacity installed in the state more than tripled, from 20 megawatts in early 2010 to over 60 MW at the beginning of October 2011. Of the new solar installed, over 30 MW came from projects that qualified for the Solar Carve-Out, a market-based incentive program for eligible Massachusetts solar installations.  

From projects like the 1.8 MW facility owned by Western Massachusetts Electric in Pittsfield, to smaller projects located on schools, public buildings, industrial parks, small businesses, and over 800 residential installations, the program has already helped facilitate the development of a wide variety of projects in 306 towns and cities across the Commonwealth. 

As we move forward into 2012, the program continues to excite interest as Massachusetts is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing PV markets in the United States. Each day, new developers and investors from across the country and the rest of the world are inquiring about investing in PV projects in Massachusetts. In the last few months alone, DOER has spoken to investment banks from Germany, a trade commission from Spain, and met with many project developers and installers that until recently have only worked in other U.S. markets, Nearly all have expressed their enthusiasm for the program and several have already opened up offices in Massachusetts and begun hiring employees.

With over 30 MW of projects operating and another 20 MW qualified and soon to be installed, the program is well positioned to exceed the growth rate of the last year and a half. The next year promises to see continued growth in the residential and small commercial sector, with a known pipeline of over 1,000 small projects that have or will receive a rebate from the Commonwealth Solar II or Solarize Massachusetts rebate programs. We also expect continued growth in the number of mid to large scale commercial projects. Lastly, the largest growth in terms of MW installed will likely come from large scale projects (projects greater than 1 MW). Due to the increased complexity of such projects, they typically take longer to install and few have been qualified to date. However, we expect to see a number of projects in this size range become operational over the next year as they work through utility interconnection processes and set up project financing.

After the great success of the first year and a half of the Solar Carve-Out Program, the Massachusetts market sits poised to become one of the largest and fastest growing PV markets in the country. With any luck, the 2000th project is right around the corner.

Clean energy incubation, innovation, invention growing jobs in Mass.

Patrick Cloney

Executive Director, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)

View Patrick's Complete Bio

The Commonwealth has a history of incubating invention and innovation. So, it’s no surprise that we have a vibrant clean energy industry that has been churning out clean energy technologies that will create revolutionary change benefiting our economy, environment and society for years to come. Last month my staff and I at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) released a report that shows how far and wide these innovative technologies impact our economy in Massachusetts.

The report—the 2011 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report  —finds that at least 64,310 employees are working in clean energy from the Berkshires to Cape Cod, and that employment in the last year alone grew 6.7 percent. It also found that our technology strengths are in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, with more than half of the 4,909 clean energy companies in the state working in these areas.

While many people associate Massachusetts businesses with research and development, through this report, we’ve learned that clean energy companies are active in all points of the supply chain, including manufacturing, sales, and the installation of renewable energy. From New England Breeze, a local solar installer that is helping residents in its hometown of Hudson and beyond power their homes with solar energy, to FastCAP Systems, which is developing a technology that uses miniature carbon nanotubes to make energy storage devices more efficient, there are thousands of clean energy companies starting, growing and scaling here in the Commonwealth.

With this report, we have quantified how this industry—made up of a vibrant community of visionary people, world-class institutions, and a highly educated and productive workforce, working together to propel clean energy technologies from the drawing board to the global marketplace—provides one of the best opportunities for major economic and job benefits in the Commonwealth.

ARRA 101: Measuring energy, saving money

Dan Burgess

Clean Energy Fellow, Department of Energy Resources

View Dan's Complete Bio

Imagine being able to look online to see how much energy a building has been using at any point during the day or night. Did someone leave the lights or air conditioning on when they left in the morning? Is the heat turned too high in buildings that are not being used at night? Well, you can stop imagining - the future of smarter energy use is here. Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, state-owned buildings in the Commonwealth are at the forefront of energy monitoring.

Utilizing $10 million in stimulus funds, the DOER awarded a contract to Boston-based EnerNOC to implement a comprehensive Enterprise Energy Management System (EEMS), which will provide energy usage data for over 400 state-owned buildings totaling more than 17 million square feet. The near real-time meters which are being installed by EnerNoc will provide up-to-the-minute data to help building managers maximize efficiency through short-term responses and long-term building planning.

Massachusetts owns over 65 million square feet of buildings and spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year to provide energy to these sites. From correctional facilities to universities, energy is often one of the highest costs for building owners. With the EEMS program, 32 state-owned sites will have access to an online system that presents usage data on electricity, gas, steam, oil, and renewable energy.  The online system will track and trend data, provide benchmarking and reporting capabilities to compare energy usage across portfolios of buildings, and enable building managers to set alerts that will notify them of anomalies within a building, allowing for real-time reaction and savings.

Maggie McCarey, the DOER coordinator for these projects, is excited about the prospective benefits of the meters.

“Measuring energy usage at the building-level is an exciting and important step towards smarter energy use in the United States,” said McCarey. ”These meters are putting actionable information into the hands of state building operators that will lead to cost savings and greenhouse gas reductions for the state, and will inform future energy decisions at state-owned sites. We’ve already begun to see opportunities for smarter and more efficient energy use, and I’m confident as more meters are installed and data is collected, we will continue to see these types of opportunities.”

EEMS program and other stimulus-funded investments in state-owned buildings

Leading By Example

EcoBuilding Bargains: energy efficiency in Springfield

Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr.

Secretary, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

View Secretary Sullivan's Bio

The Patrick-Murray Administration has set ambitious renewable energy and energy efficiency goals for the Commonwealth.  In fact, we have adopted energy efficiency as the Commonwealth’s ‘first fuel’ to meet our energy needs. Energy efficiency locks in energy savings, reduces pollution, cuts our dependence on imported sources of energy, creates local 21st Century jobs, and is a key component for creating a cleaner and more sustainable energy future in Massachusetts.

On August 25, I was invited to Springfield to tour the EcoBuilding Bargains business center, which is a federal stimulus-funded project under construction. I was inspired by this project to transform a 100-year-old building while reducing energy costs by over 50 percent and creating local jobs. It will serve as a living example of why energy efficient building upgrades are a worthy investment.   

With community donations and $900,000 in stimulus funds allocated through the DOER’s High Performance Building initiative, this project will provide a lasting impact on energy costs and consumption. 

As a result of this upgrade, the EcoBuilding Bargains center, a branch of the Center for EcoTechnology, will double its capacity to provide low-cost recycled and surplus building materials for residential and commercial buildings. The new ‘green’ building has a committed space for training that will be used to teach residents and businesses about energy efficiency and sustainable building practices. The core mission of EcoBuilding Bargains’ staff is sustainability: they are selling it and, with these energy efficiency improvements, they are practicing it.

   

Learn more:

Energy Recovery Dollars at Work

DOER Energy Efficiency

EcoBuilding Bargains Expansion Blog