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Winter Solar Update: Commonwealth Solar's 1-Year Anniversary Through this newsletter, you will be notified of developments in the Commonwealth Solar initiative, learn about featured solar projects, and receive the latest updates on the state of solar in the Commonwealth. In this issue: Commonwealth Solar Anniversary Letter from Secretary Ian Bowles
I am pleased to report that 2008 was a banner year for solar energy in Massachusetts, due in large part to the success of this new, easy-to-use rebate program, and we expect CommSolar to take solar power to new heights in 2009! Launched in January 2008, the Commonwealth Solar rebate program seeks to facilitate installation of 22 megawatts of new solar power by 2012, bringing the total installed statewide to 27 megawatts and taking the first step toward fulfilling Governor Patrick’s pledge of 250 megawatts by 2017. Backed by $68 million in dedicated funds, it was an instant hit with businesses, homeowners, and municipalities. The rebate program features a straightforward approach designed to get solar energy systems up and running with as little red tape as possible, and has quickly exceeded its projected benchmarks, surpassing first-year capacity goals for all types of installations (residential, business, and public sector) by 50 percent. Drawing from existing ratepayer funds for renewable energy – $40 million from the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust and $28 million from the Department of Energy Resources’ Alternative Compliance Fund – the Commonwealth Solar rebate program allocated the first of four $17 million blocks of rebate funding before its one-year anniversary, and a second $17 million was approved in December. By providing cash back to owners of commercial, industrial, municipal and residential property who put up solar panels, Commonwealth Solar rebates have doubled the amount of installed solar power that existed in Massachusetts when the program opened for business. The CommSolar rebate program has also proven to be a catalyst for growing the state’s clean energy sector, tripling the number of companies providing solar installation services during its first year, from 51 to 154. With numbers like these, the future for solar energy in the Commonwealth is bright. That’s good news for the economy and the environment. I urge you to explore this site and learn more about Commonwealth Solar rebates and how they can put this important clean energy choice within reach for everyone – including you. Sincerely,
Ian A. Bowles
As described in Secretary Bowles's letter, this has been a great first year for Commonwealth Solar. Since the launch of CommSolar, the Renewable Energy Trust has approved awards for 539 projects totaling 7.2 megawatts in capacity. 203 of these projects with a combined 1.2 megawatts in capacity have been installed, and once the remaining projects in the pipeline are installed, CommSolar will have more than doubled the amount of solar PV capacity installed in the state at the end of 2007. View the press release on CommSolar's successful first year here. Based on the 7.2 megawatts in capacity CommSolar has awarded to date, the clean solar electricity generated once all projects are installed is equivalent to:
each year Featured Solar Project: Boston Sand & Gravel
Boston Sand & Gravel Company—a 95-year-old Boston firm best known for its flagship plant seen from Interstate 93 and the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge—has installed a 109-kW solar PV system on the roof of its Charlestown maintenance facility. Financed with help from the state’s Commonwealth Solar rebate program, the more than 550-panel PV system covers 22,000 square feet and will produce 75% (120,000 kWh) of the power used by the maintenance facility each year. The project is estimated to eliminate over 94 tons of carbon dioxide annually from the environment. Combined with other energy savings initiatives, the solar installation will move the maintenance facility toward becoming energy neutral, and augments an established corporate environmental program that includes a focus on reducing the company’s carbon footprint through fuel conservation and energy reduction. Boston Sand & Gravel’s solar project was the first system greater than100 KW installed under Commonwealth Solar. “The Patrick Administration congratulates Boston Sand & Gravel on completion of its solar energy system, which we were pleased to assist through Commonwealth Solar,” said Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles. “Visible from the Orange Line and the HOV lane of Route 93 South, Boston Sand & Gravel’s solar array is a billboard for renewable energy that will inspire other Massachusetts companies to go solar.”
Established in 1914, Boston Sand & Gravel has literally built a city. The company supplies ready mix concrete, sand, stone and landscape materials throughout eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire. As member of the US Green Building Council, Boston Sand & Gravel is supplying materials to “green” construction projects: LEED certified buildings such as Genzyme’s World Headquarters, MIT Sloan School, Quincy High School, Harvard Law School, and the Cambridge Library. The Company has also embarked on a “Green Plan,” to develop a strategy for environmentally sustainable operations. Working with contractors and owners, Boston Sand & Gravel designs and supplies recycled products that will increase the sustainable nature of construction projects. The Green Plan builds on the Company’s history of environmental conservation from land reclamation and hydro-seeding in mining facilities to storm water collection and reuse in ready mix concrete production. “Boston Sand & Gravel is excited and pleased to complete our solar installation,” Dean Boylan, President of Boston Sand & Gravel said. “It is a cornerstone of our Green Plan through which we will support our customers with materials for green construction while reducing our energy consumption in the production of those materials. We are proud to be part of the public initiatives for renewable energy—Commonwealth Solar and Solar Boston.” Boston Sand & Gravel is proud of the solar installation, not only for its environmental value, but also because the design, labor and components all have local origin. Nexamp, the system designer and installer, is a veteran-owned North Andover based company that uses local labor for its turnkey installations. The solar panels were manufactured by Evergreen Solar, Inc., a Marlborough company. PanelClaw of North Andover invented and manufactured the solar panel mounting system. The photovoltaic inverter, the critical component which converts solar energy to usable electrical power, was assembled by Solectria Renewables in Lawrence, MA. For more information on the company, visit www.bostonsand.com.
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