Commonwealth Conversations: Energy Smarts

Cities & Towns at the Forefront of Massachusetts Energy Leadership

Aimee Powelka

Member of the DOER Green Communities Division

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The word is out that Massachusetts is a national leader in clean energy.The Commonwealth has been number one in energy efficiency since 2011 and the state met the Governor's goal for 250 megawatts of installed solar electric (photovoltaic or "PV") capacity four years early. The lesser known story is that leadership at local levels -- in cities and towns -- has been central to that success.

As recently as 2009, only a small percentage of Massachusetts cities and towns were keeping an eye on municipal energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Fewer still were pursuing renewable energy. For example:

• Fifty-nine of Massachusetts' 351 municipalities participated in EPA's Community Energy Challenge to use efficiency improvements to reduce by 10 percent their "energy use intensity" (total energy consumed in one year divided by the total building floor space).
• A small portion tracked energy consumption through EPA's ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager system or other energy-tracking software tools.
• Residential solar was a rarity; in 2007 there were only 3 MWs of solar PV capacity installed statewide in all sectors.

Today, the municipal energy landscape is vastly different. Guidance and incentives from Patrick-Murray Administration policies and programs, together with the expanded Mass Save® programs, has energized municipal and school officials to take action. The results have been dramatic.

• 110 cities and towns, covering almost half the Commonwealth's population, went through a rigorous, five step process -- which includes adopting a formal 20 percent energy reduction plan -- to be designated as one of the "Green Communities," eligible for state grants and other programs. Further, over a third of municipalities have adopted the "Stretch Code," which requires new buildings -- public or private -- within a city or town to be 20 percent more efficient than required by the existing "base energy code."
• Sixty-eight percent of cities and towns, representing 80 percent of Massachusetts residents, now measure and benchmark energy consumption of municipal, school and regional entities' buildings within the municipality. Through MassEnergyInsight®, a no-cost, web-based tool offered through the Department of Energy Resources, it's now easier to make sound decisions and take actions to maximize energy efficiency.
• The power of local clean energy leadership inspired SolarizeMass®, a partnership between cities and towns, DOER and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, to increase adoption of solar electric power by home and business owners. In 2012, 748 residents and business owners in seventeen communities signed contracts to install over 4.8 MW of solar electricity. The number of small-scale solar electricity projects in each community will more than double as a direct result of the program. That success led to 2013 SolarizeMass, just launched.

Growing involvement in clean energy by cities, towns and schools is contributing to an ever-increasing portion of Massachusetts' march to a clean energy future.

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.

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.

Deer Island Tour

Rachel Schowalter

Multimedia Intern at Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)

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On December 3, 2012, I was given a tour of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority's (MWRA) facilities at Deer Island. Kristen Patneaude, my tour guide and project manager for the MWRA, showed me their various renewable energy installations around the island. It was an unexpectedly gorgeous day for December, making it the perfect time to take pictures of wind turbines and solar panels!

Click the picture to go to Flickr and select <12-3-12 Deer Island> under the header: "This photo also appears in."

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.

Leading By Example Awards Winners Contribute To Clean Energy Goals

Mark Sylvia

Commissioner, Department of Energy Resources (DOER)

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The 2012 Leading by Example (LBE) Awards showcased the wide spectrum of government organizations and individuals contributing to the fulfillment of the Patrick-Murray Administration's clean energy goals. This year's nine recipients ranged from small and medium-size towns, to a regional planning authority, to a community college and UMass campus, to state agencies, to committed individuals.

The award-winning efforts underlie broad LBE accomplishments. The program has increased the installations of solar electric power (photovoltaics or "PV") at state facilities to more than 6 MW in 2012 from a mere 100 kW in 2007. Installed wind power at state sites -- now 11 MW -- has grown 18-fold from 2007 to 2012. At the same time, oil usage dropped over 9 million gallons between 2002 and 2011. The drop in electricity use at 480 state-owned buildings from installation of the Enterprise Energy Management System managed by LBE is projected to be in the five-to-fifteen percent range.

But these dramatic totals are not the result of a single state program or initiative. Rather, they represent the aggregate of individual projects, driven by impassioned people and dedicated organizations, across diverse segments of the public sector. Reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions that flowed from actions taken by this year's award winners were enabled by Massachusetts' policies and initiatives, such as the Leading by Example Program. The projects that made up the reductions, however, were very much local, even those executed by large state agencies. Here is a sample of the projects from all nine 2012 award winners:

State Agencies: The Massachusetts Department of Correction installed two commercial wind turbines, totaling 3.3 MW capacity at its Gardner facility. A community swimming pool rehab project in Waltham opened by the Department of Conservation and Recreation incorporates solar PV for electricity and solar thermal for hot water, and is expected to supply nearly all of its own energy needs (zero-net energy).

Colleges: North Shore Community College opened the first state-owned zero net energy pilot project and UMass Lowell increased its recycling rate by more than 376 percent since 2008.

Municipal: The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission procured services for its fifteen member communities to pursue the development of PV on closed landfills. Scituate’s 1.5 MW wind turbine is expected to generate about 50 percent of the town’s electrical needs for 15 years, while Sutton used ARRA funding to install a 201 kW solar PV system on its Early Learning Center, projected to save the town $25,340 a year.

Individuals: Betty Ann Learned led Massasoit Community College to implement a comprehensive energy and water conservation project that will save around $12 million over 20 years with a 40 percent reduction in annual energy use. In Sudbury, Jim Kelly oversaw the installation of solar thermal and solar PV systems on the town community center and managed a streetlight conversion project that will save an estimated $21,000 a year.

The Leading by Example award winners demonstrate the impact that a "think globally, act locally" clean energy mind-set can have on achieving Massachusetts' clean energy goals.

Step-by-Step Guide to Solarize

Alicia Barton McDevitt

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

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You only have until October 31 to take advantage of the economic and environmental benefits of the Solarize Massachusetts Program. 

Solarize Massachusetts allows residents and small businesses to access discounts on rooftop solar installations through a group-buying program. It is simple for residents and businesses in the 17 Green Communities participating in the program.

Just follow the steps detailed in these photos and you too can get your home Solarized.

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.

Back to School - SAGEE and NEED bring energy and environmental education to students

Tom Witkin

Marketing and Collaboration, Department of Energy Resources (DOER) 

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Schools across the Commonwealth have designed programs that include energy and environment-related themes ranging from energy efficiency to recycling to renewable energy.  These initiatives − which include extensions to mandatory K-12 science curricula – are making students an increasingly important part of Massachusetts’ clean energy initiatives.

Last May, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Sullivan, on behalf of the Secretary's Advisory Group on Energy and Environmental Education (SAGEE), honored Massachusetts schools, students, and nonprofit organizations from 24 communities across the Commonwealth for their outstanding achievements. Later in May, another group of students and teachers were recognized as Massachusetts and national winners of the NEED (National Energy Education Development Project) Youth Awards. This time EEA Undersecretary for Environment Phillip Griffiths did the honors.

Here’s a sampling of the NEED projects undertaken by these students and their advisors:

• Energy saving lighting retrofit that saves $33,000 annually, an energy jobs program, and elementary school student mentoring program  – Boston Latin School
• Outreach and education about solar power for municipalities – Sandwich High School
• “Power-Down” program to raise awareness about energy conservation within the school, which led to a 5.5% reduction in energy consumption – Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
• “Energy Savers” education for school staff, students, and the community about ways to conserve energy – Bourne Middle School
• Energy experiments, poems and essays shared with other students, the Sandwich School Committee and community (via local TV) – The Forestdale School, Sandwich MA
• Energy carnival that included a challenge to families to create an energy efficient house from a box , a club for first grader energy education, and an engineering club that built a solar oven – Eastham Elementary School
• ”Energize for Our Environment” to raise energy awareness: turning the school parking lot into an idle-free zone and selling CFL’s to town citizens – Harwich Community Learning Center

These projects and programs certainly raise literacy among young people. Our hope is that these students will also share this message with their parents and communities: responsible energy use is critical to Massachusetts’ future. The SAGEE and NEED youth programs can help spawn a new generation of forward thinking clean energy movers and shakers.

With the new school year beginning, we look forward to seeing what clean energy initiatives students create this year!