Energy Profiles

Built in 1989, the William E. Powers Building in Providence, Rhode Island houses over 800 state employees including the Departments of Administration and Revenue. It is the largest state-owned office building in Rhode Island and provides effective oversight, accountability and support of agency operations across state government.

RIPTA buses are now receiving a little boost from sun! Most riders won’t notice it from where they are standing, but RIPTA has installed solar panels on all 33 of its 2019 diesel fleet. While the solar panels are not designed to make the buses go, they help power many of the vehicles’ auxiliary systems, such as ignition, GPS, automated stop announcements and lighting.

A major transformation is underway at Cranston Public Schools. As one of the largest cities in Rhode Island, Cranston has 26 school buildings – many of them built between 50 and 70 years ago – and they are long overdue for an update.

This summer, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources and the Commerce Corporation placed seven interns with six companies via the Clean Energy Internship Program. Funded by the Renewable Energy Fund, this program provided these young professionals with the opportunity to work with a clean energy company to gain experience in their fields.

When the Revolution Wind project starts construction in 2022, hundreds of workers will be needed for the assembly of about 50 offshore wind turbines. However, transporting all these workers to their job sites and then back to shore at the end of the day presents a logistical challenge.

We see builders all over Rhode Island working on roads, bridges and buildings. However, there is another type of builder we never see – those working in the depths of rivers, lakes, bays and the open ocean. Nick Tanionos is CEO of Specialty Diving Services, an underwater construction company located at the Quonset Port and Commerce Park, North Kingstown, in the heart of Narragansett Bay.

TPI Composites, located in Warren, uses a special molding process to make the bus bodies lighter, stronger and last longer. The lighter body allows the bus to use less electricity and travel more miles on a single charge than a traditional diesel bus. TPI shipped the completed body to Proterra in California where the company assembled the bus.