Commonwealth Conversations: Energy Smarts

Red Sox Pitch In to Combat Climate Change on Earth Day

Bram Claeys

Deputy Director of the Renewables Division, Department of Energy Resources

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As part of their plans to celebrate Earth Day and support clean energy, the Boston Red Sox purchased Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to offset the greenhouse gas emissions from this year’s Earth Day game. The RECs offset the carbon emissions from energy used at Fenway Park for the game, as well as fan, employee and team transportation. All told, the Red Sox will be offsetting 500 tons of greenhouse gases, equivalent to the annual emissions from 104 cars.

For those unfamiliar with it, the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) was one of the first programs in the nation that required a certain percentage of the state's electricity to come from renewable energy.

Electricity suppliers meet their RPS obligations - a specific percentage each year - by acquiring a sufficient quantity of RECs. For each megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity, one serial-numbered electronic certificate is created. Certificates that represent renewable generation are coded accordingly and known as RECs. DOER calculates how much greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by one megawatt hour of clean energy generation, or one REC.

The Red Sox don’t have solar photovoltaic panels for electricity at Fenway, so the team calculated how much greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the Earth Day game, and then bought enough RECs to compensate for those emissions.

To support clean energy sources in New England, the Red Sox are purchasing their RECs from facilities in New England: 140 Massachusetts RECs from solar installations (at Falmouth Academy, North Coast Seafood, and Country Curtains) and 1,175 Maine RECs from hydropower installations. The Mass. RECs cover energy consumption within Fenway Park and the Maine RECs cover fan, employee, and team transportation emissions.

We’re thrilled that the Red Sox continue to hit it out of the park in their support for clean energy.

Agriculture — A Canary in the Coal Mine for Climate Change

Greg Watson

Commissioner, Department of Agricultural Resources

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An often overlooked culprit, the agricultural sector accounts for fourteen percent — or as much as twenty-five percent if you include agriculture-driven deforestation — of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, agriculture may be one of the greatest tools we have for mitigating climate change, and Massachusetts can lead that charge.

Since 2007, over 100 farms in the Commonwealth have installed renewable energy or implemented energy efficiency projects. For example, the Jordan Dairy Farm in Rutland, Massachusetts installed an anaerobic digester that combines manure with commercial food waste to generate electricity and produce fertilizer that can be used to increase farm productivity. It’s a win-win-win-win situation: clean energy, reduced need for chemical fertilizers that generate greenhouse gases and runoff that pollutes our waterways, reduced pressure on landfills, and more productive soil.

As demand for locally grown food in Massachusetts increases, efforts to build a sustainable supply infrastructure are growing as well. It’s been estimated that the average distance food travels from the farm to your dinner plate is 1,500 miles. By shortening the distance between farm and consumer, we’re reducing the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted by transporting food. Further, selling directly to the consumer at farmers’ markets, farm stands, and through CSA (community supported agriculture) shares, farmers get a bigger share of the profits than they would by going through wholesale markets.

Finally, interest in urban agriculture is exploding. Our cities have acres of vacant, flat rooftops that could be used for both rooftop farms and for greenhouses. In March, the first annual conference on urban agriculture, organized by the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture and held at Roxbury Community College, attracted 350 people – maximum capacity. Another 180 people wanted in.

We have a new generation of farmers in Massachusetts and across America — young people who understand there’s a promising future in agriculture, one in which farming plays a critical role in meeting the challenges of climate change. They are joining forces with and learning from our experienced farmers to ensure that agriculture will continue to play a pivotal role on Massachusetts’ physical, economic and environmental landscapes. I’m thrilled to be part of the solution.

(Adapted from Commissioner Watson’s WBUR’s Cognosenti submission.)

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.

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.

Putting Clean Energy Interns to Work

Tamika Jacques

Director of Workforce Development at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)

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The 2013 Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) Internship Program will again provide opportunities this spring for college students and recent graduates to intern with interested clean energy companies based in Massachusetts.

Not only do interns earn a paycheck but they gain meaningful employment experiences including networking opportunities, mentoring, and hands-on training. For companies – including early-stage companies without the resources to employ a large staff – the students provide a steady and engaged workforce to help them get their projects off the ground.

I was lucky enough to join Governor Deval Patrick when he spoke last month at the 2012 Global Cleantech Meet-up and announced the expansion of the program to include 10-week internship sessions in the fall and spring, as well as traditional the 10-week summer program.

University of Massachusetts Amherst chemical engineering graduate student QuynhAnh Tran and Boston University energy and environmental analysis major Amanda Colby were there too (pictured left to right with the governor). Both of them were hired as full-time employees after their internships.

They are two of the 38 students who gained full-time and part-time employment over the past two summers when the program placed more than 262 students and recent graduates at more than 77 clean energy companies across the state.

This program, co-sponsored by the New England Clean Energy Council, is a natural fit for us at MassCEC’s Workforce Development Program, which is dedicated to connecting Massachusetts’ talented workers with emerging and established Massachusetts clean energy companies, growing Massachusetts’ clean energy ecosystem.

Space in this program is limited, so we invite you to apply today.

Seven Clean Tech Bay State Companies Hit The Top 100

Alicia Barton McDevitt

CEO and Executive Director at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)

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Earlier this month we received independent confirmation for something we’ve known around these parts for some time – Massachusetts’ clean technology firms are among the best in the world.

Seven firms headquartered right here in Massachusetts were named to the 2012 Global Cleantech 100 list put out the San Francisco-based think tank The Cleantech Group.

These companies – Joule in Bedford, Digital Lumens in Boston, FRX Polymers in Chelmsford, FirstFuel Software in Lexington, 1366 Technologies in North Lexington, Harvest Power in Waltham and Boston-Power in Westborough – have demonstrated that they are among the most successful private clean tech firms in the nation.

I’m very excited to see so many local firms represented on this prestigious list, which is compiled through judging from hundreds of individuals in the clean tech community who know exactly what makes a company successful.

Sitting at the end of the traditional energy pipeline, Massachusetts lacks indigenous supplies of coal, natural gas and oil. Of the $22 billion Massachusetts spends annually on energy, $18 billion of that goes to out-of-state and foreign sources.

There are firms across our state developing new technology every day to increase our energy independence, keep our energy dollars at home and create local jobs in the process.

The success of Massachusetts firms on this independent list also shows that the investments the state has made in the clean energy sector are paying off on a global scale. As Governor Deval Patrick has said before, Massachusetts is the heart of the clean energy revolution and if Massachusetts gets it right, the world will be our customer; and seeing local firms among the best in the world solidifies this belief.

The ranking is further proof Massachusetts clean tech firms are among the best in the world.

One Month Left to “Go Solar” at Discounted Rates

Alicia Barton McDevitt

CEO and Executive Director at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)

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With a couple of weeks left before this program’s new October 31 deadline, I’m excited to tell you that our solar bulk purchasing program – Solarize Mass – is already a huge success.
Residents from 17 communities across Massachusetts have signed contracts for more than 288 roof-top solar systems that will produce 1.9 megawatts of clean, renewable energy and cut energy costs below traditional sources of electricity. This is enough to power the equivalent of 312 homes each year and cut the greenhouse gas emissions equal to those of 212 cars.

These numbers are incredible.

My favorite part of the Solarize Mass program is the way it brings so many people together.
Our dedicated solar coaches, who are community volunteers, are working with municipal officials, residents, and businesses in their cities and towns to make sure people have the information and tools they need to participate in the program. Our program partners in the private sector – eight solar installers across the state – are working with communities and individuals to adopt this renewable source and drive down the cost of energy.

Administered by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and funded by the state Department of Energy Resources’ Green Communities Division, Solarize Mass builds on the enthusiasm and local know-how of these community representatives, residents, and businesses.

The hard work by all of these players has paid off; more than 4,000 residents have already expressed interest in the program, leading to more than 1,700 site visits completed. There are hundreds more scheduled for the coming days and weeks.

This interest is no small thing. Solar power will help the state decrease its dependence on outside energy sources and create local jobs in the process. Massachusetts spends $22 billion a year on energy, whether it’s to heat our homes or power our vehicles. Of that total, $18 billion is sent out of the state, out of the region, and out of the country.

Programs like Solarize Mass and others that promote the expansion of renewable energy are already keeping more of these dollars here in the Commonwealth, improving the state’s economy as a whole.

But we’re not done yet.

There’s still time for residents of the 17 Solarize communities – Acton, Arlington, Boston, Hopkinton, Melrose, Mendon, Millbury, Montague, Newburyport, Palmer, Pittsfield, Lenox, Shirley, Sutton, Wayland, Sudbury and Lincoln – to sign up to take part in this exciting program.

Interested? Head to the Solarize Mass website and get started!

Meet me at the Meet-Up

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 strength of the Massachusetts clean energy ecosystem is a testament to the work we’ve done together from town to town and business to business and in homes across the Commonwealth to adopt and champion clean energy.

The number of clean energy workers in Massachusetts – 72,000 and counting – has increased 11.2 percent over the past year. It’s a remarkable development that’s due to deliberate, progressive state clean energy policy, Massachusetts’ high-quality workforce, healthy investment environment, and innovation communities.

This strength is apparent from one end of the clean energy economy to the other. Clean energy firms forge partnerships among innovators, researchers, and utilities to grow business relationships. International clean tech companies look here for leadership.  Companies from abroad simply want to do business here, and emerging companies want to grow here.

In Massachusetts, opportunities abound for businesses that want to lower energy bills by working with companies right in the same zip code – and many of our corporations and institutions with energy-intensive facilities are entering into these partnerships. More and more homeowners recognize that not only is clean energy good for the environment, it’s a good home improvement investment.

We are dedicated to maintaining this momentum by fostering new connections that expand markets, push technology forward, and forge meaningful partnerships from our own backyard to across the nation and around the globe.

Now is your chance to join us in celebrating this growth and advancing the clean energy economy at the Global Cleantech Meet-up held in Boston and Cambridge from October 15 to 18.  The event is brought to you by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center, Fraunhofer Ventures, and the New England Clean Energy Council. (Early bird discounts end Thursday, September 6.)

Representatives from the Commonwealth’s clean energy team look forward to meeting you at the Meet-up – let’s grow your clean energy business in Massachusetts!

We hope to see you there.

Wood is Heating Homes Again - But Cleaner and More Efficiently

Daniel Hubbell

Marketing & outreach intern, Department of Energy Resources (DOER)

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Some of my earliest memories revolve around standing in front of the cast iron stove in my living room, or helping my father find the wood to fill it on autumn days. Of course, as much fun as toasting myself in front of a roaring wood fire could be, it did not come anywhere close to heating our whole house for the winter. To do that would have required something a little more advanced, such as a wood pellet boiler. The concept isn’t a new one; more than a million pellet boilers have been installed in nations all across Europe. 

Sandri of Greenfield, MA, is providing this kind of clean energy heating in New England. Utilizing a $3.2 million High Performance Building Grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and administered by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), the company launched a wood pellet sales and distribution pilot in 2011. It installed wood pellet boilers in six energy efficient residential homes and eight businesses and purchased two trucks to transport the pellets. In practical terms, the grant provided a $10,000 discount on the pellet boiler itself, as well as the added convenience of pellets delivered in bulk straight to the homeowner’s doorstep. Homeowners interested in financing the boiler could also qualify for the Mass Save zero interest HEAT loan to keep out of pocket costs down.

So how do the boilers actually work? The principle is similar to my old wood stove - as it relies on locally sourced wood grown right here in New England - but is more automated, has much cleaner emissions,  and doesn’t require hunting around for kindling. In this case, the wood is mostly sawdust, taken from already harvested lumber and capable of burning at 90% efficiency or more. The pellets are fed automatically into the boiler. Ultimately, all the homeowner has to do is set the thermostat and remove a bit of ash from the boiler, usually every other week. The end result is far more impressive than a bit of ash however; one ton of wood pellets is the equivalent of a hundred and twenty gallons of heating oil, for roughly half the price. Sandri’s commitment to providing an alternative to oil based heating shows another glimpse into Massachusetts' bright clean energy future. Anyone interested in Sandri’s work or the boilers themselves can check out the company’s projects here.

Hats off to Massachusetts’ 103 Green Communities!

Mark Sylvia

Commissioner, Department of Energy Resources (DOER)

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Coming to the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) in 2009 after more than a decade in Plymouth town government, including four years as town manager, I saw great promise in the budding new Green Communities Designation and Grant Program.  I believed then as I do now that the best decisions are made at the local level, and saw the Green Communities program as a catalyst for energy leadership by cities and towns.  But, appointed as the first Director of the DOER’s newly-minted Green Communities Division, I consciously tempered my expectations – aware that the mandatory benchmarks spelled out in the Green Communities Act of 2008 set a high bar for municipalities seeking the designation. How many would be able to meet these benchmarks?

As it turned out, the cities and towns of Massachusetts were more than up to the challenge.  An impressive 35 cities and towns applied for and earned Green Communities status in our first designation round in 2010 – compelling many of us in state government to revise our expectations of the program.  Fast forward two years and we have just surpassed the 100 mark, with the designation of 17 new Green Communities and a celebration with Governor Patrick and Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary.  With 103 cities and towns designated, 44 percent of Massachusetts residents now reside in a community that decided to buck the energy status quo and embrace energy efficiency and renewable power. 

All told, the 103 Green Communities have committed to reduce the energy they use by an amount equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 13,358 homes. In greenhouse gas emission reduction terms, this equates to taking 22,556 cars off the road.

 

EEA Secretary Rick Sullivan, officials from the Town of Scituate, and DOER Commissioner Mark Sylvia

Becoming a Green Community requires bold vision and hard work. The milestone reached this week is a testament to the eagerness with which cities and towns, large and small, have rolled up their sleeves in support of a clean energy future. By investing in home-grown renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, the 103 Green Communities are supporting local jobs and growing local economies, while ensuring steady progress toward the Commonwealth’s nation-leading clean energy goals.  As a former municipal official, the former director of this program, and a member of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s clean energy team, I could not be prouder of this diverse set of cities and towns.

 

Visit our flickr page to view more Green Communites photos.