Massachusetts DOER launches Solarize Mass for 17 communities
On April 12, 2012, as part of the effort to reach Governor Patrick’s goal of 250 megawatts (MW) of solar power installed by 2017, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. announced the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) selected 17 communities to participate in the 2012…
On April 12, 2012, as part of the effort to reach Governor Patrick’s goal of 250 megawatts (MW) of solar power installed by 2017, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. announced the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) selected 17 communities to participate in the 2012 Solarize Massachusetts (Solarize Mass) Program, which helps residents and business owners adopt solar photovoltaic (PV) technology.
“This month we reached 100 megawatts of installed solar, which is being used in 331 cities and towns across the state,” said Secretary Sullivan. “This program will help us achieve our renewable energy goals even faster, bring local clean energy jobs to our communities and stabilize our energy costs.”
Solarize Mass is a program that encourages the adoption of small scale solar PV by deploying a coordinated education, marketing and outreach effort, combined with a tiered pricing structure that provides increased savings as more people in the community go solar.
MassCEC, in partnership with the DOER’s Green Communities Division has selected the cities and towns of Acton, Arlington, Boston, Hopkinton, Melrose, Mendon, Millbury, Montague, Newburyport, Palmer, Pittsfield, Lenox, Shirley, Sutton, Wayland, Sudbury and Lincoln, to participate in Solarize Mass.
“By combining education and grassroots marketing with tiered pricing of solar PV Solarize Mass was able to help 162 residents go solar in 2011,” said MassCEC Chief Executive Officer Patrick Cloney. “By extending this program to 17 communities, we are confident that we can help more people in the Commonwealth use solar energy to help manage their energy costs and create a cleaner energy future.”
“These communities are leading the way in clean energy adoption and we’re pleased to honor them today for their effort to take their energy future into their own hands by investing in local sources of energy,” said DOER Commissioner Mark Sylvia.
Through Solarize Mass, MassCEC will provide education and marketing support and rebates to help the 17 communities implement a community-wide solar PV program for small-scale solar projects. MassCEC will provide technical support and host free educational meetings in the pilot communities to educate people about the benefits of installing solar and to drive interest in implementing the technology. MassCEC will also issue Request for Proposals (RFP) from solar integrators for bulk purchasing business models in which solar installation costs are based on a tiered structure that provide lower costs with increased capacity of solar installed within the community.
Source: Massachusetts DOER press release
