Now in its fifth year, the Solarize Rhode Island Program seeks to increase the adoption of small-scale solar electricity through a competitive tiered pricing structure that provides residents and small businesses the opportunity to control over their electricity bills. By utilizing the power of group buying and neighbor to neighbor community outreach, it unlocks more savings for residents as more contracts are signed.

As a result of increased participation and interest in solar, Solarize Jamestown has officially reached Tier 2, allowing for steeper discounts for residents installing solar.

Residents are invited to attend a Solar 101 event on Wednesday, August 22, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Jamestown Art Center, to learn the requirements and the process of installing a rooftop solar system, as well as ask the experts questions pertaining to their unique situation.

Solarize Jamestown officially closes the sign-up period on Friday, September 21, 2018.

Solarize RI, is partnership between the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, the Renewable Energy Fund at Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, and the nonprofit SmartPower. For more information, please visit https://solarizejamestown.wee.green/.

With this month's release of the Clean Energy Industry Report, we take an in-depth look at one program that is helping to prepare college students to enter the clean energy economy -- the University of Rhode Island Energy Fellows Program.

This year-long cooperative program trains students interested in careers in sustainable energy management, economics and policy. Now in its 11th year, the fellows program places students in interdisciplinary fellowships with mentor organizations, in which students contribute 600 hours to a project supervised by an energy professional. Projects range from energy management, education, policy development, engineering and more. Fellows also attend required topical energy training sessions and networking events throughout the year, and complete leadership and professional development coursework that is administered by URI Cooperative Extension staff. 

Several energy fellows have worked at Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources on the Solarize and farm energy campaigns, the goal of both being to increase awareness of energy efficiency and renewable energy programs for municipalities and farmers, respectively. The fellows are responsible for direct outreach to target audiences and to develop outreach strategies that guide future work in the municipal and agricultural sectors. The remaining members of the 2018 program are working on projects with National Grid, Green Development LLC, Thielsch Engineering, Optimal Energy, and the RI Commerce Corporation mentors.

The URI Energy Fellows Program is seeking businesses, organizations and researchers to become mentors. Those who are interested may visit uri.edu/coopext/energy-fellows-program or call 401-874-4096.

Farouk Rajab, Marriott hotel general manager, recently spoke at the launch of the City of Providence’s RePowerPVD program, committing to a 20 percent reduction in energy use by 2025. The RePowerPVD program is a voluntary energy challenge designed to help large buildings in the city conserve energy, save money and gain recognition for their leadership to make Providence carbon neutral by 2050.

Marriot is embarking on $4.2 million worth of energy efficiency improvements in 2019 as part of its overall re-imagination of its building.

Recent improvements include the installation of a series of high-efficiency boilers, replacing original units from 1974. New rapid recovery water heaters also provide a consistent supply of hot water.

But that is only the beginning. Planned improvements include a new variable refrigerant flow HVAC system for all 351 rooms in its four-building complex. Function rooms will receive a computerized HVAC management system to regulate temperatures during events and minimize energy use when the rooms are not in use. Additionally, Marriot is replacing many of its incandescent bumps with energy efficiency LEDs.

Planned kitchen upgrades include installing automated fan motors on refrigeration equipment to reduce constant electric draw and changing current kitchen hood controls to vary fan speed based on heat demand.

National Grid is partnering with the hotel to help with rebates on many of these energy efficiency upgrades.

Farouk estimates that after these energy efficiency improvements are complete, the hotel will be saving $250,000 per year.

Ten schools participated in the National Energy Education Development Project 38th Annual Youth Awards for Energy Achievement. Students and teachers submitted portfolios documenting their energy activities throughout the year, such as organizing their own energy fairs/expos, implementing conservation programs, building model wind turbines, conducting school energy audits, and teaching educational workshops for their communities and peers.

The portfolios were judged at the state level, with the state winners advancing to the national competition. The National Award winners received their awards in late June in Washington D.C. Rhode Island had another banner year with four National award winners!

Congratulations to the students and teachers from the following schools:

Hope Elementary School

Clayville Elementary School

North Scituate Elementary School

Western Coventry Elementary School – RI Elementary School of the Year/National Elementary Runner-Up of the Year

Feinstein Middle School – RI Middle School Runner-Up of the Year

Gilbert Stuart Middle School

John F. Deering Middle School

Scituate Middle School – RI Middle School of the Year/ National Junior Runner-Up of the Year

Scituate High School – RI Senior School of the Year/National Senior Runner-Up of the Year

West Warwick High School – RI Rookie of the Year/National Senior Rookie of the Year

Shaidzon Beer Company, located in West Kingston, Rhode Island, was recently voted the second "favorite solar brewery” in New England and 15^th in the country in the Brews from the Sun competition.

Shaidzon is located at the Fairground Business Development Center, owned by Beth and Andy Curtis. The building, which houses two other business tenants, features a 189 kilowatt solar array which went into operation last year. The system utilized a Renewable Energy Fund grant and currently offsets about one-third to half the building’s electrical usage in the winter, and nearly 100 percent in the summer. The carbon emissions prevented from entering the atmosphere are equivalent to saving 11,573 gallons of gasoline per year.

The brewery is the creation of friends Josh Letourneau and Chip Samson who both got their start brewing beer at home and decided to team up and form Shaidzon Beer Company. The founders say they came up with the name one day when the sun was in their eyes and they put their “shades on.”

Shaidzon opened for business last fall, around the same time as the solar installation became operational. Josh and Chip say local breweries are gaining in popularity because they offer customers the ability to try the beer on the premise before they buy it and take it home, which is not possible in liquor stores or restaurants. Their products are inspired by international beers, but are all brewed locally.

Lisa Bryer has been the Jamestown Town Planner for 21 years. She lives with her husband, James, who works as the town’s fire chief. They have a son, Ian, and daughter, Rachel.

Lisa has always considered herself to be environmentally conscious and wanted to do her part to help the world by reducing her reliance on fossil fuels. Two years ago, she made the decision to equip her home with 4.57-kilowatt solar array which supplies about 40 percent of her electricity during the year. She utilized a federal tax credit, which is available to all customers who install solar.

Before getting the solar installation, she received a home energy audit from RISE Engineering. Technicians replaced all the bulbs in her home with energy efficient LEDs and insulated the basement and hot water pipes.  They then reinsulated the attic with Eco blown-in insulation. It’s important for anyone considering solar to first get an efficiency audit to lower their energy use.

Lisa is proud of Jamestown becoming a Solarize community, in which neighbors sign up for solar together and enjoy a group buying discount. Jamestown reached Tier 3 before closing on September 21, which means that all new solar customers will receive the lowest price available.

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.

One of those interns is Luke Phaneuf, who joined EcoMetric Consulting in Providence. EcoMetric provides energy conservation and efficiency consulting for utilities and government agencies. Specifically, the company designs, implements and evaluates these conservation measures to help its clients save money and reduce energy usage.

Luke graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in environmental and natural resource economics with a focus on green markets and sustainability. He started with EcoMetric’s Providence-based team at the beginning of the summer.

“When I entered the internship program, I had an open-ended interest in the renewable energy industry and net metering,” said Luke. “At EcoMetric, I gained experience in energy auditing, software tools, and making calculations to learn about a facility’s savings based on the energy efficiency improvements they’ve made to their facility. I also learned about the consulting side of the business as well as how to conduct a post-construction analysis. I came away with more knowledge of how the renewable energy industry works and the important services companies like EcoMetric provide.”

The companies that participated in the Clean Energy Internship Program have found it to be rewarding as well.

“At EcoMetric, we’ve had interns before, but we loved the idea of having a sponsored internship position,” said Salil Gogte, CEO of EcoMetric. “It’s a great way to build a young professional’s capabilities and get candidates connected with employers. Luke came in wanting to find the right direction in the growing clean energy economy, and we helped him gain national experience working with clients across the country.”

For each paid internship, the participating companies received reimbursement for up to $12 an hour for up to 40 hours a week during the 12-week summer internship, though several companies opted to pay their interns more.

Luke plans to take some time to travel over the next few months before looking for his first full-time job, but he is interested in exploring new possibilities in the residential energy efficiency sector.

The Clean Energy Internship Program will be opened again next summer.
 

Helping Hands Community Partners, a Providence-based nonprofit organization, actively works with government agencies and banks to acquire distressed properties. Using local labor, Helping Hands rehabilitates those properties so they can be sold at below-market prices to underserved populations including veterans, seniors, and low-to-moderate income families.

When the nonprofit acquired its present Elmwood Avenue headquarters, the 100-year-old property was in dire need of an update. The building had no air conditioning, very poor insulation, out-of-date wiring, and utilized three different heating systems. The building was virtually unusable during the hottest days of summer and coldest days of winter.

Helping Hands contacted the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank to inquire about the new Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (C-PACE). This program enables owners of eligible commercial and industrial buildings to finance up to 100 percent of energy efficiency improvements. In most cases, the energy cost savings exceed the monthly loan payments, allowing the building owners to maintain a positive cash flow.

“I would say that C-PACE provides a crucial piece of what can turn around distressed commercial properties in Rhode Island,” said Bill Fegley, managing director of Helping Hands Community Partners. “Often we see many dilapidated buildings in the area because there hasn’t been financing available to rehabilitate them and bring them up to code. C-PACE is the way to get back into the game.”

Helping Hands became the first organization in Rhode Island to utilize the C-PACE program for energy efficiency improvements. The nonprofit adopted water conservation measures, replaced all lighting with energy efficient LED bulbs, reinsulated the building and installed a new HVAC system. Helping Hands will save an estimated $133,000 over the life of the improvements and now the building is much more comfortable for employees and customers in all seasons.

The Town of Westerly, with its world-famous Watch Hill coastal village, is among Rhode Islanders’ favorite summer destinations. Rich in history, it has been home to Hollywood legends such as Clark Gable and business titans including Henry Ford. Today, over 22,000 residents call Westerly home, but the population nearly doubles during its peak summer season. And now, Westerly just became a little greener.

The Westerly town government is leading by example when it comes to clean energy, having completed several energy efficiency projects in the town hall, highway garage and police station. The 100-year-old town hall installed the most upgrades, receiving new insulation, weather stripping, a heating system and an efficient water heater, all which increase the warmth and comfort of the building. The three buildings also replaced their old incandescent lights with new energy efficient LEDS.

Westerly Buildings Manager Charles Sposato says the new lighting is not only energy efficient, but improves safety in the Department of Public Works garage, where mechanics have needed better visibility to do their work.

The town also replaced 2,930 streetlights with LEDs. All together, these improvements are estimated to save the town $243,000 in energy costs each year.

But that’s not all. The Department of Public Works building also received a new solar array, which will save the town another $2,000 per month on electricity bills.

To finance these projects, Westerly used the Efficient Buildings Fund, a program administered by Rhode Island Infrastructure bank in partnership with the Office of Energy Resources.

Westerly’s clean energy upgrades are to be commended and serve as a shining example for others to follow!

In October, the first electric buses were unveiled in Rhode Island, signaling the beginning of a new era of clean transportation in the state. RIPTA is testing these buses on routes with plans to purchase up to 20 more by 2021.

The new electric buses have a special connection to Rhode Island because their bodies were fabricated here. 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.

Founded in Rhode Island 50 years ago, TPI Composites now has its headquarters in Arizona with divisions located around the globe. TPI’s primary focus is on renewable energy and the company is the largest independent manufacturer of composite blades for wind turbines in the world.

Brian Lucchesi received his engineering degree at URI and started as an intern with the company in 2002. He worked his way up through engineering and design to general manager of TPI-New England and now runs two facilities with 200 workers.

“Our teams work hard every day to build components for clean energy projects all over the world, but we rarely get to see the final product when installations are completed,” says Brian. “It is an extra special treat to be able to ride in the electric buses we helped build, right here in Rhode Island.”