In this issue:

The Trust’s Staff Is a Valuable Resource

Dear friends,

More than ever, Massachusetts is focused on expanding the use of renewables while building a robust clean energy industry. This a priority of Governor Patrick and the legislative leadership. The public has enthusiastically embraced it because of its importance to the future environmental and economic health of the state.

The staff at the Renewable Energy Trust is helping the state achieve its renewable energy goals not only by providing grants, loans, and rebates but also by advising many of the individuals across the state who are installing projects and building businesses. I encourage you to take advantage of our services, resources, and expertise.

Businesses, municipalities, homeowners, and private developers can often find the road to renewable energy project completion confusing and filled with unexpected barriers. Through the Renewable Energy Trust staff’s experiences over the past five years, we have learned a lot both about those barriers and about how to overcome them.

We have been fortunate to recruit top-flight professionals with extensive backgrounds in the clean energy field, as well as experts in financing and project development.  Our dedicated staff provides a wide range of services including:

  • Working with renewable energy project developers on project feasibility, economic analysis, wind monitoring, project siting and permitting issues.
  • Helping clean energy entrepreneurs develop business plans, access state and federal resources, and grow small businesses in Massachusetts.
  • Providing cities and towns guidance, grants, and technical assistance to identify the best ways to tap local renewable energy sources and adopt energy-efficiency measures to save taxpayers’ money.

Our team got even stronger this month with the addition of George Dean, as Deputy Director of the Trust.  George is a 20-year veteran in the energy policy arena with the Attorney General’s Office and in private practice at the law firm Foley Hoag. 

So please call on us when you need information or advice. We stand ready to help make your clean energy vision a reality.

Sincerely,

Warren Leon
Director
Renewable Energy Trust

Renewable Energy Trust grants and loans are a major part of the Governor's package for Evergreen's $150 million expansion in Westborough

Mitchell Adams and Governor Deval Patrick
at Evergreen Solar event in April

View slides of event

WESTBOROUGH - Gov. Deval Patrick's leadership in clean energy was among the keys to Evergreen Solar choosing Massachusetts for its expansion over other states and countries. As part of an aggressive incentive package put together by a number of agencies the Trust is providing $15 million in grants and loans for the new facility in Westborough.

The agency will continue to help Evergreen throughout the development process and provide space in Westborough to help during the construction of the new facility.  Evergreen Solar received a $2.5 million investment from the Trust in 2003. That investment helped Evergreen expand its production of solar panels at a critical time for the company.

Read release and newsclips >>

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Massachusetts Launches $15 Million Green Schools Program

BOSTON - The Trust and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) just launched a $15 million program to help all new schools in Massachusetts go green. The funding is for renewable energy systems and for design assistance and planning grants that will help schools incorporate green features into their designs.

Awards are targeted to fund solar electric and wind installations at schools that meet new guidelines for energy efficiency. The money is available through the MTC Green Schools Initiative as design and construction grants to those school districts approved for MSBA construction assistance. In addition to the MTC grants, MSBA will award qualifying communities an additional 2% of the approved, eligible project costs for certified high-performance “green” schools.

  Read full release >> and Read State House News article >>

Solar Installations Reflecting Growing Interest
in Commercial and Real Estate Sector

Bowdoin Apartments, a 226-unit affordable housing complex, fitted with Trust-funded solar panels
WESTBOROUGH - Three newly completed solar projects on commercial properties increase electricity generation, green-up older facilities, and save dollars for grant recipients. These MTC awards totaled more than $1.85 million and supply 250 kilowatts of power for residential and business users.

“The Green Building and Infrastructure initiatives continue to show strong activity," says GB&I Director Jim Christo, "in terms of awards and installations. Our project portfolio continues to expand its diversity of building types and locations as demonstrated by these recent installations and in the near future we expect to continue expansion of our technology diversity.”

WinnDevelopment completed renovations on the Bowdoin Apartments, a 226-unit affordable housing complex located in Malden with the help of a $1.1 million grant from the Trust. The multi-building complex was outfitted with Energy Star appliances and lighting. Renovations included: weatherization and a conversion from electric heat to high efficiency gas-fired hot water heat. MTC's award funded photovoltaic systems totaling 77.8-kilowatt capacity (432 Evergreen 180-W modules) and 100 AET-MSC-40 liquid flat plate solar hot water collectors designed to conserve 8,380 therms per year.  

A $250,000 Trust grant allowed Extrusion Technology, Inc. of Randolph, a leading global supplier of mechanical systems for circuit board assemblies for the electronics, networking, and telecommunications industries, to install a flat roof mounted photovoltaic system on its 60,000-square-foot facility. The new solar panels will generate 53 kilowatts of power.

Riverwalk Properties, a Lawrence business complex home to 50 tenants, received a $500,000 Trust award to add a 121-kW photovoltaic array on its historic mill building. The system consists of Massachusetts-manufactured parts and is located in an economic target area.

Two maps of more awards and installations of renewable energy projects illustrate the Trust's involvement in expanding clean energy adoption across the Commonwealth. These are just some of the 800+ projects funded by the Trust.

Diverse technologies installed
Click for enlarged static map 		Click for interactive map of same projects with details of location, etc.

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Community Leaders Will Benefit from Free Web Presentations

 
Stephen Glover Train Memorial Health Center, Brookline’s first “green” municipal building.  
WESTBOROUGH - Community leaders are encouraged to sign up for free web presentations which will help municipalities to green up their operations and to save money on their energy bills. The topics for broadcast will include technology choices, energy service companies, and more.

The Trust is excited to offer these new resources specifically designed to support communities as they address their energy needs. The program aims to help municipal leaders identify tangible and effective measures that can be undertaken at the local level.

These free web presentations will provide basic but useful information about some of the typical energy issues that confront communities, such as “Is an Energy Service Company Right for You?” and “Is Wind Energy Appropriate for My Town?”  These presentations are targeted toward municipal leaders, decision makers, energy/facilities mangers, and energy committee members, but are open to all parties.

For information on the first broadcast, visit masstech.org in the weeks ahead or contact Tyler Leeds at leeds@masstech.org.

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Fact Sheets Review the Benefits of Wind Development

WESTBOROUGH - The Union of Concerned Scientists recently published five facts sheets on wind energy which the Trust funded. These publications aim to help individuals, advocates, decision makers, and the media understand the benefits of wind development and consider them during project siting debates. Visit the UCS website to download the fact sheets.

 

 

 

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