DOER Announces Funding for Owner’s Agents Technical Services (Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Projects)

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) recently announced $250,000 in grant funding for school districts, municipalities, and water/wastewater districts pursuing renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Entities may use these funds specifically for Owner’s Agent Technical Assistance (OATA) as they explore opportunities for solar PV projects, energy management services, building audits, and other engineering studies.

Owner’s Agents can play a significant role in the implementation of energy projects. During the pre-development phase, Owner’s Agents frequently provide a variety of technical services, including project feasibility, site selection, and technical design review. Owner’s Agents can also provide guidance through the bid and procurement process, contract negotiations, and ongoing stakeholder relations. Owner’s Agents are versed in the technical, economic, and process-related elements of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, and they often bridge the technical gap between project developers and the entities that they are doing business with.

Maximum individual awards are capped at $12,500, and are allocated for (from DOER’s Grant Application):
• Solar PV systems no less than 15 kW in size on property owned by the applicant
• Energy management services, i.e. energy savings performance contracts
• AHRAE Level 2 audits in oil or propane heated buildings only
• Engineering studies for more efficient heating systems (e.g. conversion from steam to hot water; NOT a more efficient boiler) or conversion to renewable or alternative fuel sourced heating system.

DOER will award these funds on a first come first serve basis. Applications may be submitted beginning February 4th at 9am. The application can be found on DOER’s website at http://www.mass.gov/energy/greencommunities under “Publications and Reports” and at http://www.comm-PASS.com by searching for solicitation PON-ENE-2013-019.

Cadmus has provided Owner’s Agent technical assistance services to more than 50 Massachusetts cities and towns in various stages of renewable energy project development, including solar PV, solar thermal, wind, and other technology types. For more information about Cadmus’ services and qualifications in this space, please contact Erin Sweet at 617.673.7101 or Erin.Sweet@cadmusgroup.com.

Solarize Massachusetts 2013: Round 1 RFP Available

Massachusetts cities and towns interested in community adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects are now able to submit proposals demonstrating interest and engagement in participating in Round 1 of the 2013 Solarize Massachusetts program.  This program is organized by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER).  It is designed to drive down the cost of small-scale solar PV installations within selected communities through a partnership focused on localized marketing and installation efforts and capturing economies of scale. 

There will be two rounds of the Solarize Mass program in 2013.  During each round, MassCEC and DOER will select a minimum of eight communities (or groups of communities) to participate.  Communities may apply to one or both rounds, but selected communities can only participate in the program once.

Timeline for Round 1 of the Solarize Mass

Solarize Mass RFP to Communities:   Released	January 16, 2013
DOER Solarize Mass Webinar	January 23, 2013
Community RFP Questions: Due	February 4, 2013
Community Expression of Interest: Due	February 7, 2013
Community RFP FAQ: Posted	February 11, 2013
Solarize Mass RFP to Communities:   Proposals Due	By 4:00pm on February 20, 2013.
Announce Selected Communities   (Targeted)	March 14, 2013

For more details about Solarize Mass visit www.SolarizeMass.com.  Click here to access the solicitation documents, including the Request for Proposals, and learn more about how to apply for Round 1 of the program.

DOER Clean Energy Connections: Best Practices Event

On June 15th, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) will be holding its Clean Energy Connections event at the Conference Center at Massasoit Community College in Brockton. Through this event, DOER seeks to learn from clean energy project implementers about their experiences, their leadership role in this growing sector, and areas where DOER and other clean energy stakeholders can help maintain the momentum in clean energy investment in the Commonwealth.

The agenda for this event can be found here. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

DOER is encouraging attendance for the entire day to ensure an engaging and fruitful dialogue in the morning roundtable discussions and in the afternoon interactive workshop sessions.  

The Conference Center at Massasoit is located at 770 Crescent Street (Route 27) in Brockton – on the Whitman line – and is accessible from Routes 3 and 24.  There is ample free parking and nearby accommodations for overnight guests.

New Mass DOER Technical Assistance Grants Available to Cities and Towns

Massachusetts cities and towns seeking technical assistance with their energy efficiency or solar PV projects may be interested in the Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) recent solicitation for Owner’s Agent Technical Assistance (PON-ENE-2012-014). Municipalities can apply for Owner’s Agents Technical Assistance to support their solar power purchase agreements (PPA) or energy-efficiency performance contract (ESCO) projects.

DOER anticipates awarding 10-15 municipalities up to $10,000 worth of technical assistance services. Grants are awarded on a first-come first-serve basis, and applications are due by June 29, 2012 at 5:00 PM.

DOER Releases Solar on Landfill Guidebook

The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has published a new resource for those seeking to learn more about solar PV on landfills. This publication, The Guide to Developing Solar Photovoltaics at Massachusetts Landfills, is a 40-page guide intended to  help local officials identify, evaluate, and pursue opportunities to use undeveloped landfill space to generate electricity. The guidebook speaks to the physical requirements of PV systems, project economics, landfill considerations, procurement details, and the PV development process.

For The Guide to Developing Solar Photovoltaics at Massachusetts Landfills, click here.

MassCEC and DOER Select 2012 Solarize Massachusetts Communities

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), in partnership with DOER, has selected the following 17 Green Communities to participate in the 2012 round of the Solarize Mass Program: 

• Acton
• Arlington
• Boston
• Hopkinton
• Melrose
• Mendon
• Montague
• Newburyport
• Palmer
• Pittsfield-Lenox
• Shirley
• Sutton-Millbury
• Wayland-Sudbury-Lincoln

For those interested in learning more about the Solarize Mass model or implementing a similar program in their own community, MassCEC has posted an overview of the 2011 Solarize Mass Pilot Program on their website (available here).

Solarize Massachusetts RFP for Green Communities

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) are requesting proposals from designated Green Communities interested in participating in the second round of Solarize Massachusetts. This program aims to drive community adoption of PV projects through localized marketing and installation efforts, which in turn will help reduce the installation costs of small-scale PV projects within SolarizeMass communities.

 Per MassCEC, those applicants that “demonstrate a clear and committed plan to increasing education and outreach around solar PV, as well as how to streamline the permitting processes around small-scale solar PV installations, will be highly competitive.”

MassCEC will be accepting responses until March 21, 2012, and a bidder’s conference is scheduled for February 27th.

More information about this solicitation can be found here.

NESEA Event Features Cadmus, DOER, and MA Municipalities

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) and Renewable Sales held a Building Energy-caliber session at Renewable Sales’ showroom at 35 Jeffrey Avenue in Holliston, MA on February 16, 2012.

The evening featured networking in the Renewable Sales showroom followed by a discussion facilitated by The Cadmus Group about Massachusetts municipal solar PPA projects. Meg Lusardi, Director of the Green Communities Division of the Department of Energy Resources (DOER), spoke to the Department’s support for community scale renewable energy and outlined DOER resources available to Massachusetts municipalities. The panel featured case studies from the City of Medford and Town of Natick –two of the communities that receive technical assistance services from Cadmus. Cadmus spoke to best practices and lessons learned from our efforts working with local cities and towns on their renewable energy projects. We also reviewed how developers and vendors can apply these lessons when doing business with Massachusetts cities and towns.

Read more about the February NESEA/Renewable Sales event at Medford’s blog, The Medford Patch. 

Grant Funding for Solar Hot Water Pre-design Studies

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s (MassCEC) Commonwealth Solar Hot Water Commercial Program provides funding through a non-competitive grant process for solar hot water projects. Pre-design study grants of up to $10,000 are available to help building owners, including public entities, assess the potential benefits of installing a solar hot water system on a municipal or school building (construction rebates are also available to help fund the installation of these systems).

This non-competitive grant application process requires that a municipality select a consultant to complete their pre-design study and complete the posted application documents. Cadmus is available to both help with the application process and conduct the pre-design study.

If you are interested in learning more about how your community could save money through solar hot water on a public building, visit the MassCEC Commonwealth Solar Hot Water Commercial Program website or contact Cadmus’ Erin Sweet at 617-673-7101 or erin.sweet@cadmusgroup.com.

Cadmus Speaks on Community Solar at the MMA Annual Conference

Cadmus staff presented key challenges and best practices for community renewable energy projects at the MMA annual conference and trade show on January 20^th. In a panel entitled “Making Money While the Sun Shines,” Cadmus answered specific questions from community representatives about current or planned solar PV projects.

If your community has lingering questions about solar PV or solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), the slides presented at this panel may be a great resource. A copy of the slides can be downloaded here: Cadmus_MMA 2012 Annual Conf_011912