Power of the green: Eco-technologies expected to charge up local economic life

[ Originally published on: Saturday, April 28, 2007 ]

These were hardly wild-eyed idealists gathered to discuss the need to boldly conserve and retool for an energy revolution.

The 120 or so business leaders gathered Friday for a Franklin County Chamber of Commerce breakfast were reminded that renewable energy and efficiency measures can pay dividends in the possibly turbulent years ahead.

'This is really the moment for bold and courageous decisions that will help us all,' said Sandra Thomas of Greenfield-based Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, who introduced panelists. They outlined incentive programs to help businesses and homeowners invest in energy-saving and energy-generating steps.

'We need leaders in municipal government, commercial and industrial business decision makers and homeowners to help incorporate renewable energy and conservation measures into our lives in meaningful and long-lasting ways,' said Thomas, who runs NESEA's Energy Park in Greenfield.

NESEA itself, founded in 1974 when gasoline prices peaked at 24 cents a gallon, drew more than 3,000 professionals to its March 'green building' conference and trade show in Boston. It tries to encourage advanced technologies in construction. Speaker Anne Perkins of Rural Development Inc. said a key is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deal with diminishing energy supplies.

Perkins, project director for the planned Wisdom Way Solar Village in Greenfield, said that nearly half of the nation's energy use is in buildings. That's nearly twice as much as in transportation. And she emphasized, 'We've got to change the way that we are building buildings if we're going to affect climate change.'

RDI's 20 low-income and moderate-income homes, which Perkins said are expected to get final approval from the Greenfield Planning Board next week, will be 'near-zero net energy,' in which combined electricity and propane costs are estimated to be about $1,200 per year, said Perkins.

RDI will host an open house next Saturday for the prototype for the Greenfield project, a Colrain house with expected annual energy costs to be around $1,000.

Meanwhile, Greenfield Community College is gearing up to develop a program to train a workforce that is expected to emerge around a projected growing demand for renewable and energy-efficient technologies.

'In 2015,' said program developer Teresa Jones, 'the projection for photo-voltaic installations in this country will explode so much, we will not have enough technicians to do the jobs, and that will be the bottleneck in the industry. Not the silicon or solar panels, but the trained installers who will make the industry successful. That's all we needed to hear. We said, 'Yes -- now is the time to not only catch this wave, but contribute to something we cared most about.''

Working with businesses, technical schools and other community colleges, GCC is planning to roll out an array of technical courses for area trades workers, people looking for new careers and college students who want to tap into an emerging green economy.

'I've never felt more optimistic about the future of living in Franklin County,' Jones said.

Jonathan Abe, a senior project manager for Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Renewable Energy Trust, told the group about two initiatives that offer millions of dollars in rebates and grants for wind, solar, hydro, bio-mass and fuel cell projects around the state.

'The primary driver for a lot of these projects is the economic benefit of it,' said Abe, pointing to the combination of MTC's grants, federal tax credits and accelerated depreciation and 100 percent state deductions, which together can effectively provide a five-year payback. 'There's never been a better time for business to invest in solar projects. This isn't bad for something that comes with a design life of 30-plus years, has very little (operation and maintenance) requirements and serves as an excellent hedge against rising energy costs.'

Working with funds generated from surcharges on electric bills, he said, the trust tries to spur economic development in the state along with additional renewable energy generation, and has provided more than $200 million for more than 800 projects since 2001, including several in Franklin County. It increases rebates for Massachusetts-built components, and for projects in designated economic target areas.

Combined, the agency has helped develop 4.5 megawatts in 300 to 400 renewable energy projects as of 2006, with another 16 megawatts now being developed at sites like Jiminy Peak's 1.5 megawatt wind turbine in Hancock.

Ron Johnston of Western Mass. Electric Co.'s Conservation and Load Management Department described four rebate programs for businesses that install energy-efficient equipment including lighting, motors and heating and air conditioning systems. These include programs for new construction, for small businesses and in some cases up to 75 percent of the cost differential for innovative equipment that's more energy-efficient than conventional alternatives.

WMECO provides similar incentives for residential customers as well, Johnston said.

For commercial as well as residential projects, energy efficiency is a basic starting point, he said -- a point picked up by Perkins.

'You don't start with renewable energy,' she told the gathering. 'You have to get your houses green and energy efficient and water efficient. All those things come first before you do these fancy icing on the cake.'

The Friday morning gathering took place in Sunderland's Blue Heron Restaurant.

You can reach Richie Davis at: rdavis@recorder.com or (413) 772-0261 Ext. 269

 

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