This is a photo from Facilities Manager, Andrew Seaman, of the new solar array going in behind the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), and going in fast. It is scheduled to be operational in January. This is the installation that will be revenue positive and make the town money from day one. THE electricity generated will supply about 40% of the WWTP’s electric needs.
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Posted in Energy Committee, Water & Sewer
This from the Medfield Press –
Construction on the 237kW solar photovoltaic array at Medfield’s Wastewater Treatment Plant began on Nov. 27. The general contractor, Greenskies Renewables LLC of Middletown, Connecticut, was awarded the contract in the amount of $492,483. Funding for this project was approved at the Special Town Meeting in March. After accounting for the planning and design costs, and receipt of the $180,000 state grant, the Town’s share will be approximately $360,000. The projected completion date is February 2016.
The array will consist of 765 panels, each rated at 310W mounted on top of a fixed tilt rack system. In the first year of operation, the panels will produce an estimated annual output of 299,600 kWh, or 40 percent of the total 750,000 kWh needed to run the plant. This will lower the operating costs of the plant by $48,000 per year and also generate annual income of an estimated $68,000 from the sale of Solar Renewable Energy Credits.
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Posted in Energy Committee, Water & Sewer
Energy Committee has a four question survey to determine level of residents’ interest in solar PV on their homes –
Below is a link to a short four-question survey that the Medfield Energy Committee has put together to help assess Medfield residents’ interest in participating in a Solarize Massachusetts program (where group purchasing of PV panels and installation result in discounts for everyone participating). Mass CEC recommends that we do one of these as part of our application process.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LJJGBXW
thanks!
Marie
Marie Zack Nolan, LEED AP BD&C
Project Manager
The Green Engineer, Inc.
O: (978) 369-8978
C: (508) 361-8786
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Posted in Energy Committee, Green
The construction of the town’s solar photovoltaic installation at the Waste Water Treatment Plant began today. This email below about it this afternoon –
I am pleased to announce that site work has started this morning. Local contractor Angelo Santucci Landscaping has begun clearing the site of vegetation. Tree removal will begin next week along with grading and seeding. If all goes well and the weather cooperates, they expect to be done by the end of next week.
As of now the structural post installation will begin November 23, with panel installation to begin early-mid December. We are still on schedule for system start-up in mid-January.
I’ll keep you all updated on the progress!
Regards,
Andrew Seaman
Energy and Facilities Manager
Town of Medfield
Posted in Energy Committee, Green, Water & Sewer
The town Energy and Facilities Manager reported that the bids were opened for the town’s solar photovoltaic installation next tot he Waste Water Treatment Plant, and the bids were at the expected levels. This was Andrew’s report –
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Posted in Energy Committee, Green
This email came Wednesday from Mike Sullivan, but I was on trial at the time so I am only now catching up. Read Mike’s email before looking at the PDF to make better sense of the PDF. 20150512-public safety & solar PV bond sales
Sale of Bonds for Public Safety and Solar Array
We opened the bids yesterday for the $18,700,000 of bonds authorized by the Special Town Meeting in March. We did well, although last week the bond market was reflecting rising interest rates, so it’s good we sold them quickly. The results were very confusing as the public safety issue was reduced to $16,375,000 and the Solar array issue was reduced to $610,000. The reason for the reduction in the public safety issue was that the low bid included about $1.8 million in premiums, so we used most of that premium to reduce the amount of bonds issued from $18 million to $16.375 million. The rest of the premium on this particular issue will be used to cover the cost of the bond issuance costs. As for the solar array issue, the cost estimates has gone down because of the falling prices for solar panels and, also, bond counsel wanted us to reflect the fact that we had already received $90,000 in grant funds from the state for this project. What really confuses this issue is that we then received a premium of about $89,000 on this issue, which is almost the same as the $90,000 reduction in the amount of bonds issued. After covering its share of the bond issuance cost, the remaining $80,000 will be used to pay a portion of the annual debt services costs for this issue or about $8,000 per year in premium amortization funds.
We received six bids, which was low and a bit of a surprise, considering the last bond sale we had. we received 11 bids. I think this reflected the uncertainty in the bond market this week. The low bidder was Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, Philadelphia PA. The interest rate on the public safety bonds (twenty years) was 3.055% and the interest rate on the solar array (ten years) was 2.015 for a combined interest rate of 3.033. These rates are below what we projected at the town meeting so we’re in good shape as far as not underestimating our borrowing costs. I’m scanning the debt schedules for the two projects, along with the bid results and sending them in a separate email.
Hopefully Georgia will make sense of all of this when she comes to the Selectmen’s meeting on the 19th.
Mike Sullivan
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Posted in Budgets, Buildings, Energy Committee, Fire Department, Police Department
Both articles passed last night at the Special Town Meeting (STM) by overwhelming majorities, that were with one close to being unanimous, and with the other was unanimous. The public safety building must still get a majority vote at the regular municipal election next Monday, March 30, to proceed.
The first STM vote, to fund the $700,000 construction costs of a money making solar photovoltaic installation behind the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), was unanimous. As soon as the town’s new Energy and Facilities Manager, Andrew Seaman, who was presenting on behalf of the Energy Committee, mentioned that the array will be revenue positive starting in its first year, the Moderator jokingly interrupted to call for a fast vote. The presentation may have continued, but the wisdom of a money making project was clear in the unanimity of the ultimate vote. The array is projected to save the town $726,509 in electricity charges at the WWTP over 20 years.
Conversations with Energy Committee member Fred Davis after the meeting disclosed that the MEC’s solar consultant is already recommending to the town to proceed as fast as possible with other installations before the state subsidies for solar end in the next couple of years, which will change the economics dramatically. The roof of the Highway Garage has already been recommended, but the old landfill is also being eyed. Few old landfills remain without solar arrays, and there is even grant money to support such an installation. Medfield never properly closed the landfill, so the closure may need to be revisited, but the economics may still make the project attractive.
Vote 2 to fund the almost $19m. construction costs of a new public safety building seemed to find the vast majority of attendees grudgingly, if realistically accepting of the need for us to pay more in property taxes to allow for the new building. This observer guesses that perhaps 20-40 people voted against proceeding. There is no disagreement over the inadequacy of the old facility, and only minor issues verbalized over the size and scope of the new building and the lack of options presented.
Selectmen meet again this evening, to hear from all three of our legislators.
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Posted in Buildings, Energy Committee, Fire Department, Police Department, Select Board matters, Town Meeting
Fred Davis of Medfield and our town Energy Committee, has organized a series of forums on how we can deal with climate change, which take place on four Sundays at 11:15am at Temple Beth David in Westwood, the first of which was yesterday. This is the email from Fred –
Acting on Climate Concerns
Climate science is alarming; some call the potential for ecological calamity “the undoing of Creation.” Jewish values guide us to a new environmentalism informed by a need for an 80% reduction in fossil-fuel use. Such a goal is radical yet feasible with changes that are ethically just and economically sound. Coordinated by efficient-lighting expert Fred Davis, this workshop-style course will review actions we can take now to ameliorate climate change. We’ll also address exciting projects happening now. A series of top experts will advise us on three action areas of the crisis:
Jan. 11: What is our responsibility as stewards of our congregational facility?
Jim Nail, President, Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light; also Medfield resident
Vincent Maraventano, Executive Director, Mass. Interfaith Power & Light
Jan. 25: How can we significantly reduce the carbon footprint of our individual households (assessing opportunities for energy conservation and solar)?
Rachel White, Performance Manager at Byggmeister Design/Build; also former Meah instructor, vice-chair of BuildingEnergy15 Conference of Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
Haskell Werlin, Director of Business Development and Government Relations, Solar Design Associates
Feb. 1: What actions can we take in the greater community (carbon tax/fee, ethical investing)?
David Schreiber, David Schreiber, Progressive Asset Management Group/FWG
Rabbi Judy Weiss, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Boston Chapter Co-leader
The task is great…but we are not free to abandon it.
Course co-sponsored by Boston Jewish Climate Action Network.
Dates: 1/11, 1/25 and 2/1. 11:15 a.m. (Optional fee for book)
All are welcome. Part of Limmud Temple Beth David, Westwood.
Simply register by emailing info@templebethdavid.net.
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Posted in Energy Committee, Environmental
The Energy Committee meets tomorrow evening at 7:30 PM. These are the notes from the last meeting –
Medfield Energy Committee Meeting Notes
Date: October 14, 2014
Attendees: Fred Davis, Fred Bunger, Michael Sullivan, Marie Nolan, Pete Peterson, Dave Fischer, Richard DeSorgher , Lee Alinsky
1. Solar Design Associates
Margaret Campbell came to discuss the findings from the Solar Design Associates (SDA) Final Report on the prioritization among three municipal sites for Solar PV in Medfield – dated October 8, 2014.
SDA Recommendations:
• Solar PV cannot be installed on the old landfill, as the landfill is not currently capped.
• Both the WWTP and the Town Garage are well suited to receive solar PV systems and these systems provide financial benefit to the town.
• Given that the Town received a grant of $200,000 to install a town-owned solar PV system at the WWTP, SDA recommends that the Town own and operate the PV system at the WWTP.
• SDA recommends that the Town also install an approximately 212 kW dc solar PV system at the Town Garage.
• SDA recommends that the town enter into a PPA agreement to purchase the energy from the system at the Town Garage and have a third party actually own and operate the PV system. This limits the amount of capital that is needed to get the 2 systems installed before the tax and other financial incentives are no longer favorable.
Next Steps:
• MEC will consider preparing an RFP for a complete price to install a PV solar array system at the WWTP and for a Power Purchase Agreement and Lease payment for a PV system on the roof of the town garage. MEC will consider hiring SDA to prepare the RFP using the funds left over from the OATA grant.
2. FY 2015 Townwide Dashboard and Energy Management System
• Alan Peterson applied for $500,000 for grant under Community Innovative Challenge Grant Program.
• Application sent in October 10, decision announced in December.
3. Energy Manager position
• Town reposted ad for the Energy Manager position, deadline October 31.
• Salary $46-48K
• Another EM training by DOER to be held in mid November
4. Solarize Massachusetts
• Application due October 15 – http://www.masscec.com/solicitations/2015-solarize-mass-community-rfp
• Dave Fischer willing to act as Community solar coach, no co-coach was found at this time. MZN contacted Medfield Green and the Board of Selectmen and both were appeared supportive.
• MEC was interested in applying to be a solarize mass community but after studying the application requirements, the committee decided that there was not enough time to adequately address all the items/forms in the application such as submitting a community outreach plan.
• Our DOER GC coordinator recommended that the new Town Energy Manager could help work on a residential solarize program in the future. Also, some towns have developed similar solarize programs on their own, without the help of the state.
5. Sustainable Event on October 20, 7:30 – 9:00 pm
• First Parish to Host Panel on Environmental Tax Reform in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts bill for a revenue-neutral carbon tax, currently before the legislature, seeks to reduce carbon emissions and slow down climate change and, if passed, will also stimulate the economy and create benefits for households and businesses.
• Location: First Parish Vestry (entrance from the parking lot behind the church), 26 North Street, Medfield.
Meeting adjourned 9:15 pm
Next meeting November 11, 2014. Meeting to be held on the second Tuesday of every month.
Respectfully submitted by Marie Nolan
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Posted in Energy Committee
Alan Peterson, the Director of Facilities for the schools, came up with the idea for and submitted, with Mike Sullivan’s help, for the town a $500,000 grant application to create and implement a centralized town building energy dashboard management system. Kudos to them for getting the application done at the last minute, as not much lead time was provided.
Today we got an email acknowledgement of the receipt of the grant application, and in December we learn if it has been successful –
10/14/2014 1:21PM
FY15 CIC Application Receipt (Town of Medfield)
cicgrants@state.ma.us
Alan Peterson; Marie Zack Nolan; Osler Peterson,
===========================================================
FY15 Community Innovation Challenge (CIC) Grant Program
Application Receipt
Application title: Town-wide Dashboard and Energy
Management System
Lead applicant: Town of Medfield
Request: $500,000
Thank you for your submission of the above referenced application.
Applications will be reviewed after the October 10th due date, and decisions will be announced in December. You will be contacted should we require additional information to complete the review process.
Thank you for your interest in the CIC program.
Tim Dodd Gregory Johnson
Director of Performance Management Performance Management and Grants Analyst
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Posted in Energy Committee
Medfield Select Board member
I started this blog to share the interesting and useful information that I saw while doing my job as a Medfield select board member. I thought that my fellow Medfield residents would also find that information interesting and useful as well. This blog is my effort to assist in creating a system to push the information out from the Town House to residents. Let me know if you have any thoughts on how it can be done better.
For information on my other job as an attorney (personal injury, civil litigation, estate planning and administration, and real estate), please feel free to contact me at 617-969-1500 or Osler.Peterson@OslerPeterson.com.
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