Commonwealth Wind

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) CEO Alicia Barton today announced a $400,000 grant to support the City of Gardner’s development of a wind turbine in its Summit Industrial Park.

“Communities across the Commonwealth switching to clean energy are cutting municipal energy costs while protecting the environment,” said CEO Barton. “We’re thrilled to partner with the City of Gardner as they continue on their path of clean energy leadership.”

The grant will help the city further develop its turbine proposal by supporting permitting and community engagement efforts, as local officials work to find a private developer to build and own the project.

The turbine project is expected to generate revenue for the city through annual lease payments and taxes.

“This is a tremendous opportunity that will help us on our way towards energy independence,” said Gardner Mayor Mark Hawke. “It makes sense for the environment and makes financial sense for the city.”

"Congratulations to the City of Gardner on receiving this award from MassCEC," said Senator Jennifer Flanagan. "This grant will be a major benefit for the city as they work toward building the turbine. Having clean energy in this district will be of tremendous value to current residents and future generations."

Massachusetts has more than 100 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity, enough to power the equivalent of more than 32,000 average Massachusetts homes.

MassCEC’s Commonwealth Wind program, funded by the Renewable Energy Trust, assists the development of appropriately-sited wind energy projects across the Commonwealth. The program offers assistance at every stage of project development, from early-stage sight assessments to later-stage design and construction.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) Board of Directors today approved up to $1.8 million in relief funds for the Town of Falmouth to help the municipality mitigate the financial impacts associated with the reduced operations of its town-owned wind turbine project located at the Town of Falmouth Wastewater Treatment Plant.

With this funding, MassCEC seeks to help the town recover costs associated with project curtailment. To date the town has incurred unexpected costs resulting from community concerns, voluntary reductions in operation due to unanticipated sound levels and related litigation.

“The state wants to be a resource to communities to seek to balance their clean energy goals with the specific needs of their communities. We are hopeful that this settlement will help this community move forward,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan, who chairs the MassCEC Board of Directors.

“We hope this funding will help the town recover some of the unexpected financial costs associated with the reductions in operation of their wind project,” said MassCEC CEO Alicia Barton.

MassCEC will make a $500,000 contribution to the town’s wind turbine reserve account. MassCEC’s contribution is contingent on the town making a $300,000 contribution to the fund, which is designed to provide a cushion for future project costs.

MassCEC will award the town up to an additional $85,000 annually for the renewable energy produced by the project.

The agreement amends the original agreement between the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the town signed in 2009. Under that agreement MassCEC agreed to prepay the town $1 million for Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) generated by the project.

Each year, utilities are required to obtain an increasing percentage of their energy from renewable sources. For 2014, the requirement is nine percent. For 2015, the requirement is 10 percent.  Utilities may purchase RECs to fulfill those commitments.  Each REC represents one thousand kilowatt-hours of renewable energy generated and delivered.

“We are grateful for this continued collaboration and for the state’s steadfast support of the Town of Falmouth’s businesslike operation of our important wind facilities,” said Brent Putnam, chair of the Falmouth Board of Selectmen. “While this does not fully address all of the financial pressures on wind energy in Falmouth, it makes an extraordinary step in stabilizing our wind energy operations.” 

“The action of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to grant the Town of Falmouth financial assistance is a recognition of the ongoing strong partnership with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the development of wind energy and other renewable energy facilities in Falmouth,” said Falmouth Town Manager Julian M. Suso.

An independent analysis released today has found no statistically-significant evidence that proximity to a wind turbine affects home values.

The report, written by researchers from the University of Connecticut and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, examined 122,000 Massachusetts real estate transactions between 1998 and 2012. It compared transactions within a half-mile of constructed wind turbines to similar transactions between one half-mile and five miles away.

“Properly-sited renewable energy projects like wind turbines can deliver clean energy for our citizens and boost our local economy,” said Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) CEO Alicia Barton.  “This report is designed to provide fact-based research to inform decision-makers on potential impacts wind turbines could have on nearby property.”

The study, commissioned by MassCEC, was co-authored by Carol Atkinson-Palombo, assistant professor of geography at the University of Connecticut, and Ben Hoen, staff research associate of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and was peer-reviewed by a number of leading economists and appraisers before release.

It compares the relationship between wind turbines and residential home values to those of factors previously shown to affect home prices, like high-voltage transmission lines, landfills, highways, protected open space and proximity to beaches.

Of the impacts studied, landfills and transmission lines have the greatest negative impact (or disamenity) on home prices while beachfront and proximity to beaches were found to have the greatest positive impact (or amenity) on home prices.  The study found that operating turbines have a +0.5 percent amenity which falls within the study’s margin of error.

Massachusetts has expanded the number of wind energy projects in the state from just 3 MW and three turbines installed in 2007 to more than 100 MW and dozens of turbines installed now throughout the Commonwealth. This study builds upon the Patrick Administration’s focus on providing municipalities and developers with the research they need to make informed decisions on these types of projects.

To download the report, please visit www.masscec.com/content/relationship-between-wind-turbines-and-residential-property-values-massachusetts.

A webinar with the study’s authors will be held at 12:30 p.m. on January 22. For more information, or to register, visit https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/162511015.  

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center will host an informational meeting regarding the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal. 

The public meeting will include a presentation regarding construction and project updates and a question and answer session.  The meeting also will feature a presentation by the project’s engineers and contractor regarding controlled underwater blasting preparations and planning for New Bedford Harbor near the terminal site.

Once constructed, the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal will be the first facility in the nation designed to support the construction, assembly, and deployment of offshore wind projects.  The terminal will also provide the Port of New Bedford with new capacity to handle high-volume bulk cargo, as well as large specialty marine equipment.  As part of construction, the Project includes the dredging and remediation of approximately 250,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment.  The first of its kind in North America, the terminal will be engineered to sustain mobile crane and storage loads that rival the highest capacity ports in the world.

WHAT:           Informational public meeting on the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal

WHO:              The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center

                        WHEN:           Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013, 6 – 8 p.m.

                        WHERE:         New Bedford Public Library, Third Floor

                                 613 Pleasant Street

                                 New Bedford, MA 02740

Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard Sullivan today announced an inter-agency initiative for state energy and environmental agencies to provide support and guidance to municipalities, developers and stakeholders for land-based wind projects.

“Wind energy is growing fast in the Commonwealth and this inter-agency initiative will enhance our capacity to provide the best technical and policy support to the many communities across the Commonwealth hosting, reviewing, or considering wind energy projects,” said Secretary Sullivan. “As a former mayor, I understand the municipal concerns of siting wind energy projects. Our goal is to use all the tools at our disposal at the state level to help communities appropriately site wind energy.”

The Community Wind Outreach Initiative will include a coordinated community wind working group, with representatives from EEA, the Department of Energy Resource (DOER), the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB). MassDEP will also convene a technical advisory group of experts to solicit input on wind turbine sound policy.

In order to promote science-based information related to wind turbine siting decisions, the major components of the initiative include:

• Municipal Support: enhanced state-level support led by DOER’s Green Communities Division to communities that have operating wind energy projects or that are reviewing new wind development proposals.
• Acoustic Policy: a technical advisory group to consider changes to MassDEP regulations and noise policy as it applies to wind energy turbines.
• Comprehensive Siting Guidance: the state’s EFSB will research wind siting practices around the country and internationally and establish wind energy turbine siting best practices for Massachusetts.
• Monitoring: the MassCEC will continue to support assessment and reporting on the impacts of operating wind projects through its Commonwealth Wind funding program.

The acoustic advisory group process will be informed by the 2012 Wind Turbine Health Impacts Study, the ongoing MassCEC Research Study on Wind Turbine Acoustics, and other relevant data identified by MassDEP and technical advisory group members. Topics to be discussed will include potential MassDEP permitting requirements for wind projects, and technical issues related to the unique characteristics of wind turbine sound, including predicting, measuring and analyzing acoustic impacts. MassDEP anticipates that the advisory group process will identify recommended changes to MassDEP noise regulations and policy as they apply to wind turbine noise. 

DOER’s Green Community’s division will expand its already extensive outreach and ongoing engagement with communities hosting wind energy projects, and MassCEC will increase monitoring of wind projects in order to provide more valuable technical guidance on enhanced wind energy siting. The EFSB has begun collecting and reviewing siting standards and guidance from across the nation and beyond, and plans on releasing enhanced comprehensive siting guidance later this year.

In 2009, Governor Patrick announced a wind energy goal of 2,000 megawatts (MW) by 2020, assuming that land-based wind would account for approximately 25 percent of this goal. Installing wind capacity of 2,000 MW would provide enough electricity for 800,000 homes and meet an estimated 10 percent of the state’s current electric load with clean, renewable wind power. By displacing electricity generated by fossil fuels, use of wind turbines on this scale would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3.1 million tons, or roughly 12 percent of emissions from power plants today and reduce millions of gallons of water currently used to cool fossil fuel plants.

Massachusetts has experienced one of the fastest wind energy growth rates in the nation, going from just 3 MW and three turbines installed in 2007 to more than 100 MW and dozens of turbines installed now throughout the Commonwealth. This EEA Community Wind Outreach Initiative builds upon the Patrick Administration’s focus on responsibly sited wind energy projects.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, in partnership with the City of New Bedford, will host an informational meeting regarding the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal.  Once constructed, the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal will be the first facility in the nation designed to support the construction, assembly, and deployment of offshore wind projects.  The terminal will also provide the Port of New Bedford with new capacity to handle high-volume bulk cargo, as well as large specialty marine equipment.  As part of construction, the project includes the dredging and remediation of approximately 250,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment.  The first of its kind in North America, the terminal will be engineered to sustain mobile crane and storage loads that rival the highest capacity ports in the world.

The public meeting will include a presentation regarding construction and a question and answer session.

WHO:           The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, in partnership with the City of  

New Bedford and the New Bedford Economic Development Council

WHEN:         Tuesday, June 4, 2013, 6:00 - 7:30 PM

WHERE:       Alfred J. Gomes Elementary School, Forum Room

              286 So. Second Street

              New Bedford, MA 02740

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) today announced grants totaling more than $700,000 to support seven wind energy projects under the Commonwealth Wind Community Scale Wind Initiative.
“With two dozen wind turbines already in place across the state, Massachusetts communities and businesses clearly recognize the important role wind power has to play in the clean energy future Governor Patrick envisions for the Commonwealth,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard Sullivan, who serves as chairman of MassCEC’s board of directors. “I am pleased to announce the latest round of Community Scale Wind grants to help more responsibly sited wind projects get off the ground.”
The awards announced today include one design and construction grant totaling more than 3.2 megawatts (MW) in capacity, and six feasibility studies for wind energy that would total between 5.4 MW and 8.3 MW in capacity if built. The seven grants go to private and public projects, including cities and towns. The Commonwealth Wind Community Scale Wind initiative is a program of MassCEC’s Renewable Energy Generation division, which is funded by the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust Fund. 
“The Community Scale Wind program is helping cities and towns across the Commonwealth incorporate responsibly sited wind projects into plans to develop diverse sources of clean renewable energy,” said MassCEC Executive Director Patrick Cloney. “I’m proud to see these communities engaged in a process to make wind power part of their sustainable energy future.”
The wind project receiving a design and construction grant is in Dartmouth. The six projects receiving feasibility awards will support efforts in the towns of Becket, Blandford, Harwich, Hopkinton, Heath and Holden.
Following Commonwealth Solar – the first MassCEC program defined by technology type – Commonwealth Wind is MassCEC’s grant program that supports responsibly sited wind energy projects. Commonwealth Wind’s Community Scale program supports wind projects of at least 100 kilowatts in size; its Micro Wind program provides rebates for the installation of wind projects less than 100 kilowatts, typically for residential, small commercial or agricultural sites.
The goal of the Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program is to assist responsibly-sited wind energy projects of all scales in achieving successful and timely installation in support of Governor Patrick’s goal of having 2,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity installed in the Commonwealth by 2020.  
Details of the grants can be found below.
Design & Construction Awards

Dartmouth, Town of

The Town of Dartmouth plans to install two 1.6 MW wind turbines at the Town Water Division’s Well Site and Water Treatment Facility located on Chase Road. Dartmouth will work with its consultants, STV, Inc. and COWI, to obtain all final permits, update the existing acoustic study, conduct a final evaluation of financing options, complete final design and procure and install two IEC Class III turbines. Dartmouth expects to complete the installation by September 2012.

Project Type

Public

Location

Waste Water Treatment Plant  in Dartmouth, MA

Technology

Two 1.6 MW Wind Turbines

D&C Grant

$400,000

Feasibility Study Awards

Becket, Town of

The Town of Becket will explore the feasibility of a net metered 900kW community wind project on private land off of Tower Road in Becket. The town will work with its consultant Sustainable Energy Developments Inc. to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate the potential for installing a turbine at this site to serve municipal loads and offset electrical utility expenses on town-owned property. The study will include an in-depth analysis of siting, turbine performance, economics, buildability, interconnection, permitting, capital costs, financing and ownership options.

The town has partnered with the site owner, The School at Jacob’s Pillow, and Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA. These partners will share in potential energy savings and assist in the financial requirements of this project. Such an arrangement will allow the town and its partners to share the most substantial benefits of a wind energy project while balancing the costs of evaluating and identifying the most attractive development scenario(s). 

Project Type

Public

Location

Becket, MA

Technology

900 kW Wind Turbine

FS Grant

$59,940

Blandford Ski Area

BNE Energy is partnering with the Springfield Ski Club to explore the feasibility of a wind energy project at the Blandford Ski Area. The proposed project would consist of a single wind turbine of between 750 kW and 1.6 MW. Some of the power generated would be used on-site (primarily to support winter operations at the ski facility) and the remainder would be sold to the electrical grid either as wholesale or net-metered generation. The feasibility study will thoroughly investigate the potential for the project and will include a wind resource assessment, an environmental analysis, an economic analysis, an electrical engineering assessment, and acoustic and shadow flicker studies.

Project Type

Non-Profit

Location

Blandford, MA

Technology

750 - 1600 kW Wind Turbine

FS Grant

$40,000

Cape Cod Regional Technical High School

The Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, along with its consultant Sustainable Energy Developments Inc., will conduct an in-depth feasibility study to explore the possibility of installing a 900 kW wind turbine on the school’s campus. The study will include the investigation of a third party ownership structure in which the third party will sell 50 percent or more of the generated electricity to Cape Cod Tech. As the end user, Cape Cod Tech will offset electrical utility expenses at the public educational facility located at 351 Pleasant Lake Ave. in Harwich, as well as reduce natural gas consumption in its tri-generation unit, which currently provides 35 to 50 percent of Cape Cod Tech’s electricity requirements. .

Project Type

Public

Location

Harwich, MA

Technology

900 kW Wind Turbine

FS Grant

$61,750

EMC Corporation

EMC Corporation will conduct a feasibility study to explore options for wind development at the Waste Water Treatment Facility at its Hopkinton Campus. EMC is proposing to install two utility-scale wind turbines. As part of the Feasibility Study, EMC and its consultant, Beals and Thomas, plan to obtain wind data via the installation of a 50-meter temporary meteorological test tower (MET Tower). The feasibility study will include an analysis of the onsite wind monitoring data, an assessment of environmental, electrical, and economic aspects of the proposed project, as well as a detailed acoustic study.

Project Type

Private

Location

Hopkinton, MA

Technology

900 kW – 2,000 kW Wind Turbine

FS Grant

$44,000

Harvey Energy LLC

Harvey Energy LLC, in partnership with the owner of property located at 84 Hosmer Road in Heath, will study the feasibility of installing at least one land-based wind turbine in the 1.5 MW to 2.0 MW range. The feasibility study will evaluate the technical and economic viability of installing a wind turbine generator as a net-metered renewable energy facility under the Green Communities Act. Harvey Energy LLC and its consultants will confirm the overall validity of the project through an interconnection analysis, a detailed acoustic study, public outreach efforts, and the collection of onsite wind data with a meteorological tower.

Project Type

Private

Location

Heath, MA

Technology

1.5 MW – 2.0 MW Wind Turbine

FS Grant

$55,000

Massachusetts Broken Stone Company

The Massachusetts Broken Stone Company (MBS) will perform an in-depth feasibility study to investigate the possibility of installing a 450 kW to 900 kW wind turbine project at its Holden Trap Rock facility/quarry located at 2077 Main Street in Holden. MBS will explore project scenarios including the installation of a 100 percent behind the meter turbine and the installation of a larger turbine that would be partially behind the meter power and partially net metered. MBS will work with its consultant, Sustainable Energy Developments Inc., to analyze wind resources, environmental considerations, and electrical interconnection and economics.

Project Type

Private

Location

Holden, MA

Technology

450 kW – 900 kW Wind Turbine

FS Grant

$40,000