Renewable Energy Working Group Meeting Minutes 1/31/22
Minutes of Monterey Renewable Energy Working Group
Meeting at Monterey Community Center, 468 Main Road, Monterey MA
January 31, 2022
Present:
Chris Erickson
Rob Hoogs
Peter Murkett
John Prusinsky
Attending remotely:
Peter Grealish
Shawn Tryon
Mark Rubinsky, Mass Dept. of Energy Resources (DOER)
Agenda:
Presentation, Q & A with Mark Rabinsky, Regional Coordinator, Green Communities, DOER
Membership, tasks, schedule.
Map of existing three-phase power in Monterey.
Draft minutes of meeting on 1/19/22.
Chair Peter Murkett convened the meeting at about 6:45 after resolving tech issues with Zoom, and welcomed Mark Rubinsky, of Mass DOER, to discuss Massachusetts Green Community designation. Murkett outlined the current stage of the Group’s research into the potential for renewable energy generation in Monterey, which is to begin with rooftop or ground mount solar panels at the town hall, firehouse, pavilion, and town garage; then explore the feasibility of large-scale photovoltaic arrays elsewhere in town. Mr. Rabinsky in turn outlined the goal of the Green Community program, which is to assess a town’s overall energy use, including vehicle fuel as measured in BTUs, regardless of source (fossil fuel, electricity, propane, etc.), and reduce consumption by 20% over five years. Three programs of the state Clean Energy Center are directed at renewables: the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) program is a “long-term sustainable solar incentive program that promotes cost-effective solar development.” Solarize Mass and HeatSmart Mass both promote a “competitive solicitation process that aggregates homeowner buying power to lower installation prices for participants.” The programs are directed at solar installations and heart pumps, respectively. EmPower, another CEC program, is “an initiative to support the exploration, development, and implementation of program models or projects that provide access to the benefits of clean energy for previously underserved populations in Massachusetts.”
The funding calendar is cyclical, and although the EmPower program may dovetail with our Group’s goals, FY22 application deadlines have now passed. Mr. Rabinsky suggested we contact his colleague at DOER, Gina Bellato (gina.bellato@mass.gov.).
We mentioned our meeting with Larry Dwyer of Sandisfield, and that town’s solar installation now in the works. Mr. Rabinsky said that a few years ago, when the Sandisfield project began, Green Communities designation grants were funding solar panels, but that DOER suspended that use of funds in favor of encouraging energy efficiency as a first step. He suggested that we also contact the Green Communities of Windsor and Becket, to learn from their experience.
Mr. Rabinsky mentioned Municipal Aggregation, a state program adopted by vote of the town in 2017. MuniAgg “enables local government to combine the purchasing power of its residents and businesses so that it can provide them with an alternative electricity supply. Once in place, the local government can monitor and set its own energy related goals for the program such as savings, stability or green options.” Monterey’s consultant for Municipal Aggregation is Colonial Power Supply. Our power provider (until 2023) is Dynegy Energy Services, of Dallas, Texas; the current rate is $0.09950/kWh (the average national grid rate is currently $0.1482/kWh); and 56% of our current supply is generated from renewable sources (hydro, wind, solar); of that 56%, 5% is generated within New England.
We thanked Mr. Rabinsky for his participation, and moved on to Group membership. We now have five members at various stages of official appointment (Chris Aidun, Peter Grealish, Rob Hoogs, Peter Murkett, and John Prusinsky), seek two more appointments and a total membership of seven.
We recently learned of the high cost of running new three-phase lines to a large-scale (10kW+) PV installation, which adds proximity to existing three-phase to the short list of criteria for a large-scale array: five to ten acres of open land with a southern exposure. The town does not own land that fits these criteria, but we agreed to investigate all suitable locations, since a public-private agreement is within the scope of the Group.
Peter Grealish said he can provide a map of three-phase lines in Monterey, and Rob Hoogs volunteered to translate it to digital form. Rob, Peter Murkett, and Chris Erickson made a plan to drive along the three-phase lines to identify likely optimal large-scale PV locations.
Minutes of the meeting on 1/19/22 were unanimously approved.
The meeting adjourned about 7:45.
Respectfully Submitted,
Peter Murkett, Chairperson
Monterey RE Working Group