Commonwealth Conversations: Energy Smarts

How to make the most of farm energy projects

Gerry Palano

Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency Coordinator, Department of Agricultural Resources

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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

 

 

Keep current with clean energy newsletters

Dan Burgess

Clean Energy Fellow, Department of Energy Resources

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Previously on this blog, I shared Twitter accounts you can follow to get up-to-the-minute information on clean energy in Massachusetts. In this post, I’m going to fill you in on which state agencies produce energy-related newsletters. Subscribing to these online publications will give you a better understanding of the ongoing efforts by multiple agencies to ensure a cleaner energy future for the Commonwealth. 

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Green Communities Divison 
DOER’s Green Communities Division empowers cities and towns to find innovative ways to reduce their energy use and costs. The Green Communities newsletter features a message from Director Meg Lusardi and updates on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and programs across the Commonwealth. Check out the latest newsletter from this fall  and subscribe to receive future updates.

 

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Massachusetts Department of Agriculture (DAR)
DAR produces a bimonthly newsletter, Farm and Market Report, which gives a great overview of the latest news from farms across the Commonwealth. Each report includes an ‘Energy News’ section that highlights projects and gives an update on funding and workshop opportunities for Massachusetts farmers who are interested in efficiency and renewable energy solutions.

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Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)
 MassCEC is a quasi-public agency, which serves as a clearinghouse and support center for the clean energy sector. Timely email updates cover everything from new program announcements to funding opportunities. This is a must-subscribe for anyone looking to stay up-to-date on clean energy in Massachusetts.

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Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Office (MRRO) MRRO is responsible for managing federal stimulus funds that were directed to state agencies by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. To keep residents informed and up-to-date on this progress, the MRRO typically sends out weekly updates on Friday. A recent update featured three clean energy projects directed by the DOER. 

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Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) 
MassDEP’s EnviroMatters newsletter features environmental stories from across the state and often includes clean energy updates. The most recent newsletter features a story on streamlining organic waste rules to foster clean energy.

 

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EnergySmarts   
This blog’s monthly newsletter provides a recap of timely stories. This newsletter is a great way to keep in touch if you aren’t a daily visitor. You can subscribe by e mailing join-env-maenergysmarts@listserv.state.ma.us.

 

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Do you have other favorite Massachusetts clean energy newsletters you subscribe to? Please share them by posting yours below in our comments section.

‘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.