Marblehead Municipal Light Department in the News:
Smart Grid Grant Awarded to MMLD!
As part of President Obama's push for energy conservation, D.O.E. (US Department of Energy) awarded $3.4 billion dollars in federal stimulus money to 100 different utilities nationwide in the form of smart grid investment grants; MMLD was the recipient of some of those funds.
MMLD submitted a project proposal to the DOE worth $2.7 million. The federal government grant is worth $1.35 million or 50% of the proposal's total; MMLD has already saved its 50% share of the cost of the project. A total of $35.6 million in smart-grid grant allocations were received throughout Massachusetts. According to the DOE, the awards amount to the largest single energy grid modernization investment in the country's history.
Marblehead Municipal Light plans to use the money to switch over all of the town's 10,000 meters to new smart meters, which will allow each customer the ability to view his/her energy usage in real time through the internet. For example, the new technology will allow the Light Department to alert consumers to the price of electricity at different times (it can be higher or lower depending on the hour or season). The consumer could then make the decision on whether to change his/her electricity usage based on that information.
The smart grid will also generate benefits and savings for our customers through improved operational efficiencies and faster outage detection and restoration.
According to the DOE, an analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute estimates that the smart-grid technology could reduce electricity use by more than 4% by 2030.
MMLD expects to begin installing smart meters sometime in 2010. The department is currently working with DOE representatives to finalize implementation of the plan, which will include going out to bid on all of the different aspects of the project.
State officials praise Marblehead for wind power project initiative.
The Marblehead Municipal Light Department, as a member of the Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative (Cooperative), is at the forefront of renewable energy development in Massachusetts, according to state officials attending a recent reception at the site of the Cooperative's 15-megawatt wind project.
L-R: Chairman Philip Sweeney, Lt. Governor Timothy Murray,
State Rep. Lori Erlich, General Manager Robert Jolly
You are on the front lines and doing the hard work of implementing the state's energy policy, Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray told members of the Cooperative following the reception. Murray said the Berkshire Wind Power Project, located on Brodie Mountain in Western Massachusetts and planned for operation in 2010, exemplifies the state's initiatives to capture the energy and economic benefits of renewable energy development.
Marblehead Municipal Light Department Manager Robert Jolly said it is gratifying to receive accolades from state officials for participation in the wind project, but the reason for the light department's involvement is more fundamental.
This project represents an opportunity to add a source of clean renewable energy to our overall energy portfolio that will diversify Marblehead's power supply and help to stabilize prices by curbing our reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity, Jolly said. It also will reduce Marblehead's carbon footprint, which is important in addressing the issues associated with climate change, he said.
Philip Sweeney, Chairman of the Marblehead Municipal Light Commission, along with other members of the Cooperative, several state legislators, and a representative of the Division of Energy Resources (DOER) gathered on Sept. 10 at the site where one of the project's 10, 1.5-megawatt wind turbines will be installed. With the sky clear, attendees could see the excavated site for another turbine as well as the recently commissioned wind turbine at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort turning gracefully in the distance.
Dwayne Breger, manager of the DOER's Renewable Energy and Climate Change Group, praised the Cooperative members for recognizing the value of wind energy. Forming the Cooperative and taking outright ownership of the project has allowed the project to continue financially and provides additional and sustained economic benefits directly to Cooperative members and the people of the Commonwealth, he said.
Sen. Michael Morrissey (D-Braintree), chairman of the legislature's Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, said the Berkshire Wind Power Project is the largest wind project currently under development in Massachusetts. This project represents a significant piece of the state's renewable energy portfolio, and I commend members of the Cooperative for their initiative in purchasing and developing this important resource, Morrissey said.
Other legislators attending included Rep. Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead) and Rep. Angelo Puppolo (D-Springfield). Ludlow Selectman Aaron Saunders, chief of staff for Sen. Gale Candaras (D-Ludlow), also attended.
This event was a groundbreaking,' literally and figuratively, Ehrlich said. I'm so proud of this town and the Marblehead Light Department for being on the cutting edge in securing good clean energy for our town for years to come.
State Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian A. Bowles, while unable to attend the reception, also applauded the Cooperative's activities.
I congratulate the Cooperative and its municipal light company members for bringing the Berkshire Wind Power Project to the next stage and moving Massachusetts toward a clean energy future, Secretary Bowles said. I look forward to seeing wind turbines up and running on Brodie Mountain in 2010, he said.
Jolly said the cooperative is in the process of evaluating wind turbine proposals and that the project is on schedule to meet its planned commercial operation date.
In addition to Marblehead, members of the Cooperative are municipal utilities based in the communities of Ashburnham, Boylston, Groton, Holden, Hull, Ipswich, Paxton, Peabody, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield and West Boylston. The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), a non-profit, public corporation that provides a variety of services to municipal utilities, also is a member of the Cooperative.
The Marblehead Municipal Light Department began its association with the Berkshire Wind Project in 2002 when it and other municipal utilities formed a group to purchase the entire output of the project. In 2007, the utilities decided to pursue outright ownership of the project and completed the purchase of project assets in June 2008. The current assets include the easements, permits, agreements, engineering documents, developed property and other items that enable the Cooperative to build and operate the project.
We certainly welcome the recognition and support for the project from officials of the Commonwealth, Jolly said. Such support bodes well for the successful development and operation of the project, he said.
This project represents an opportunity to add a source of clean renewable energy to our overall energy portfolio that will diversify Marblehead's power supply and help to stabilize prices by curbing our reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity, Jolly said. It also will reduce Marblehead's carbon footprint, which is important in addressing the issues associated with climate change, he said.
Philip Sweeney, Chairman of the Marblehead Municipal Light Commission, along with other members of the Cooperative, several state legislators, and a representative of the Division of Energy Resources (DOER) gathered on Sept. 10 at the site where one of the project's 10, 1.5-megawatt wind turbines will be installed. With the sky clear, attendees could see the excavated site for another turbine as well as the recently commissioned wind turbine at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort turning gracefully in the distance.
Dwayne Breger, manager of the DOER's Renewable Energy and Climate Change Group, praised the Cooperative members for recognizing the value of wind energy. Forming the Cooperative and taking outright ownership of the project has allowed the project to continue financially and provides additional and sustained economic benefits directly to Cooperative members and the people of the Commonwealth, he said.
Sen. Michael Morrissey (D-Braintree), chairman of the legislature's Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, said the Berkshire Wind Power Project is the largest wind project currently under development in Massachusetts. This project represents a significant piece of the state's renewable energy portfolio, and I commend members of the Cooperative for their initiative in purchasing and developing this important resource, Morrissey said.
Other legislators attending included Rep. Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead) and Rep. Angelo Puppolo (D-Springfield). Ludlow Selectman Aaron Saunders, chief of staff for Sen. Gale Candaras (D-Ludlow), also attended.
This event was a groundbreaking,' literally and figuratively, Ehrlich said. I'm so proud of this town and the Marblehead Light Department for being on the cutting edge in securing good clean energy for our town for years to come.
State Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian A. Bowles, while unable to attend the reception, also applauded the Cooperative's activities.
I congratulate the Cooperative and its municipal light company members for bringing the Berkshire Wind Power Project to the next stage and moving Massachusetts toward a clean energy future, Secretary Bowles said. I look forward to seeing wind turbines up and running on Brodie Mountain in 2010, he said.
Jolly said the cooperative is in the process of evaluating wind turbine proposals and that the project is on schedule to meet its planned commercial operation date.
In addition to Marblehead, members of the Cooperative are municipal utilities based in the communities of Ashburnham, Boylston, Groton, Holden, Hull, Ipswich, Paxton, Peabody, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield and West Boylston. The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), a non-profit, public corporation that provides a variety of services to municipal utilities, also is a member of the Cooperative.
The Marblehead Municipal Light Department began its association with the Berkshire Wind Project in 2002 when it and other municipal utilities formed a group to purchase the entire output of the project. In 2007, the utilities decided to pursue outright ownership of the project and completed the purchase of project assets in June 2008. The current assets include the easements, permits, agreements, engineering documents, developed property and other items that enable the Cooperative to build and operate the project.
We certainly welcome the recognition and support for the project from officials of the Commonwealth, Jolly said. Such support bodes well for the successful development and operation of the project, he said.
Massachusetts agency to buy wind power assets
Public Power Daily, 2/14/08
Purchasing the assets of Berkshire Wind Power will give MMWEC's member utilities access to a terrific source of clean, renewable energy said Chief Operating Officer Ronald DeCurzio.
The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co. has entered into an agreement to purchase the assets of Berkshire Wind Power, LLC, in Hancock and Lanesboro, Mass.
Under the agreement, MMWEC will pay Berkshire Wind $4 million for all of its assets, including the easements, permits, agreements, engineering documents, developed property and other assets that enable the owner to build and operate the 15-MW Berkshire Wind project. An access road and some excavation work have been completed at the project site, which is being developed by Distributed Generation Systems, an affiliate of Berkshire Wind.
MMWEC's involvement in the project is funded through agreements with 15 Massachusetts municipal utilities that initially agreed to purchase all of the project's output but recently authorized MMWEC to pursue outright ownership of project assets. MMWEC expects to finance the purchase with a bank loan.
The municipal utilities participating in this initiative are based in the communities of Ashburnham, Belmont, Boylston, Groton, Holden, Hull, Ipswich, Marblehead, Paxton, Peabody, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield and West Boylston.
MMWEC is excited about this opportunity to purchase the Berkshire Wind Project, which represents a terrific source of clean, renewable energy for municipal utilities and the commonwealth as a whole, said MMWEC Chief Operating Officer Ronald C. DeCurzio.
The current project design includes 10 1.5-MW wind turbines, for a total project capacity of 15 MW. Depending on the availability of wind turbines and other factors, the project could provide additional megawatts and be in operation by 2010, MMWEC said. The joint action agency hoped to close the purchase by late May.