In this issue:

Congressman James P. McGovern speaks at announcement of Trust funding for high school’s wind turbine

Ze-gen receives $500K in SEED funding for advanced biomass gasification development

Nation’s largest “brightfield” dedicated in Brockton

Trust funding helps 19 large renewable energy projects move forward

Green schools growing in Massachusetts: new funding, recent dedications, certifications,
and design contest winners

Congressman James P. McGovern speaks at announcement of Trust funding for high school’s wind turbine

Plans to harness clean energy on Vernon Hill in Worcester took a major step forward with the announcement of a $575,000 grant from the Trust to help with the design and construction of a new 600-kilowatt wind turbine. 

Photo illustration of the future 600-kilowatt wind turbine as seen from the Vernon Field on Ames street in Worcester, adjacent to Worcester Academy

The project is the result of a partnership between Holy Name Central Catholic Jr. Sr. High School, Congressman James P. McGovern, Worcester Polytechnic Institute students, state and local officials and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. 

“When Congressman McGovern brought school officials to meet with us six months ago, we were extremely excited about the prospects for a major wind energy installation in Worcester,” said Mitchell Adams, Executive Director of MTC. “The school put together a thorough application that scored very highly. This turbine will educate people throughout the region about the benefits of wind energy and help us on the path toward a cleaner energy future for our state.” 

The turbine, which will be located adjacent to the football field on the school’s campus, will generate enough clean electricity to power approximately 135 homes. The school will use approximately 54% of the power onsite, while the rest of the energy will go into the electric grid. The turbine, which could be installed as early as November 2007, will stand approximately 262 feet tall to the tip of the blade. 

Congressman James P. McGovern

“I am thrilled that this innovative project is another step closer to reality,” Congressman McGovern said.  “With this use of sustainable energy, Holy Name and the Diocese will be seen as pioneers in the effort to wean ourselves from fossil fuels.  This project will serve as a model around the state and across the country.  I want to commend the Mass. Tech Collaborative for their enthusiastic support.”

Read the entire press release >>

Read the Worcester Telegram & Gazette article on the turbine >>

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Ze-gen receives $500K in SEED funding for advanced biomass gasification development With $500,000 in assistance from the Trust's Sustainable Energy Economic Development (SEED) Initiative, Ze-gen of Boston is building a new demonstration plant in New Bedford, MA. The plant will house Ze-gen's development of its advanced biomass gasification technology that can turn organic and inorganic waste into a synthetic fuel for power generation. The company intends to build a modular, turn-key system that will allow for a range of waste management and power applications. Click on the images at right to view larger versions of: (top) a gasification furnace awaiting installation in New Bedford and (bottom) a side-view cross-section diagram of the furnace. Images courtesy of Ze-gen. Read the press release on Ze-gen's website >> << Back to top

Top row photos (L to R): Brockton Mayor James E. Harrington; some of the 1,395 solar modules manufactured by SCHOTT Solar; Brightfields coordinator Lori Ribeiro Left-hand photos (T to B): Close-up of the solar panels; Warren Leon and Rep. Lynch; overhead view of the brightfields (overhead photo courtesy of SCHOTT Solar) Nation’s largest “brightfield” dedicated in Brockton Federal, state, and local officials; solar experts; environmentalists; and community leaders recently gathered to celebrate the completion of the Brockton Brightfield, a 425-kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic (PV) solar energy system located on an 3.7 acre environmentally remediated brownfield in Brockton, Massachusetts. The Renewable Energy Trust funded more than $1 million of the $3.037 cost of constructing the Brightfield. Speakers at the event included U.S. Representative Stephen Lynch, Brockton Mayor James E. Harrington, Brightfields Coordinator Lori Ribeiro, and Renewable Energy Trust director Warren Leon. The speakers emphasized the project’s importance not only to Brockton, but to the Commonwealth as a whole. The Brockton Brightfield is the largest solar energy plant in New England, and the largest brightfield – an idle remediated “brownfield” transformed into a solar energy generating station – in the nation. ”Renewable energy is gathering tremendous momentum here in Massachusetts and in New England. And one of the important aspects of this particular project is that it’s a tremendous symbol of that momentum,” said Leon, as quoted in a story on RenewableEnergyAccess.com. “It’s a visible symbol, it’s an important symbol, and it’s one that we’re going to see have a lot of educational and public visibility ripple effects across the state.” Read the press release from SCHOTT Solar >> Listen to the podcast on renewableenergyaccess.com >> In addition to the funding provided by the Trust, the project was funded through a $1.6 million city bond and a $789,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. These organizations, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and NiSource, also provided the city of Brockton with planning and educational grants for the project. The use of solar power to produce electricity at the Brockton Brightfield, rather than fossil fuels, is estimated to result in a reduction of 589,570 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. The Brockton project will also help avoid emissions of about 1,086 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 289 pounds of nitrogen oxide. << Back to top

Trust funding helps 19 large renewable energy projects move forward

The Trust has announced 19 recipients of funding from the Large Onsite Renewables Initiative. Nine recipients were awarded funding for feasibility studies, while the remaining 10 were awarded design and construction grants. Holy Name Central Catholic Jr. Sr. High School was the only wind project awarded funding for design and construction (see previous story). This is the second round of projects funded by the Initiative. A solar array at North Coast Seafoods (pictured at right) was one of the projects funded for design and construction in Round One.

This initiative seeks to expand the production and use of distributed renewable energy technologies in Massachusetts by funding projects (and feasibility studies for potential projects) with greater than 10 kilowatts of nameplate capacity that are located at commercial, industrial, institutional, and public facilities that will consume more than 50% of the renewable energy generated by the project on-site.

Learn more about the Large Onsite Renewables Initiative >>

View recipients of funding from Round One of the Large Onsite Renewables Initiative >>

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Green schools growing in Massachusetts: new funding, recent dedications, certifications, and design contest winners

New funding
The MTC Board of Directors recently approved a new round of funding for the Green Schools Initiative. Working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the Initiative will provide public benefits services and/or grants for renewable energy systems to school districts which are planning to build new schools or undertaking major renovations or additions to existing schools.

Top: Dedham Middle School Bottom: Solar PV on the roof of the Woburn Memorial High School

Public benefits services may include educational services, engineering support, and/or “green team” support services to the design team. Renewable energy system grants for solar electric (PV) or wind electric systems may be available to school projects completed after January 1, 2007 that have been certified as Massachusetts High Performance Green Schools and are located in an investor-owned electric utility service territory.

Dedications and certifications
Two green schools that were previously funded through the Green Schools Initiative, the Dedham Middle School and Woburn Memorial High School, recently held dedication ceremonies.

Another green school supported by the Trust, the William F. Stanley School in Waltham, recently became the first public school in Massachusetts to be certified with a silver LEED rating.

Design contest winners
In the recently announced results of the MSBA’s 2006 School Building Design Awards Contest, five of the 17 winners were green schools: the Michael E. Capuano Early Childhood Center (Somerville); Williamstown Elementary School; Whitman-Hanson High School; Ashland High School; and Holten-Richmond Middle School (Danvers). Holten-Richmond Middle School received its certification as a green school with help from the Trust, while the other four green schools received Trust design and construction grants.

More than 50 schools had entered into the contest.

Learn more about the Green Schools Initiative >>

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