Metrowest YMCA
For more than 55 years, the MetroWest YMCA, has responded to community needs in the MetroWest area and made a significant impact throughout Framingham and the surrounding towns. Annually more than 20,000 children, adults and seniors living and working in MetroWest communities are served by the Y. Additionally, summer camps in Framingham, at the MetroWest YMCA Clearbrook Family Swim Club, and at the YMCA Family Outdoor Center in Hopkinton offer stimulating skill building, leadership and learning activities for 1,000 youth daily.
Challenge
Programs and services at the MetroWest YMCA’s Framingham location positively impact thousands of children and families each day. The Y was looking for a way to help to defray energy costs associated with temperature control and operating the indoor pool, and also reduce energy costs associated with the early education center and wellness areas.
Solution
Working closely with YMCA Shared Services, MetroWest selected PowerOptions & Solect’s solar program. Under the program, Solect Energy installs, owns, and operates the solar arrays on the YMCA’s roof, and sells the power generated at a fixed rate for a period of 20 years under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) negotiated by PowerOptions.
Results
13% reduction of electricity costs
MetroWest YMCA anticipates the array will provide up to 13 percent of its facility’s annual electricity, for a projected yearly savings of more than $10,000. The MetroWest YMCA had also been doing its part to become more environmentally sustainable by encouraging recycling, conserving energy with responsible use policies, and LED lighting initiatives. The addition of solar is a significant step forward in the organization’s sustainability commitment. In addition to this project, the MetroWest YMCA is also exploring future projects that can be powered by solar energy.
Mirak Automotive Group
The Mirak Automotive Group has served Greater Boston since 1936, and has learned a thing or two about what people want, expect and deserve from their dealership experiences during that time. The foundation of the Mirak Automotive Group is built on honesty, transparency and respect, and they’re proud of the reputation they’ve built as a customer-focused dealership.
Challenge
With a service center that is one of the largest in New England, featuring more than 60 service bays, Mirak was determined to demonstrate its leadership in sustainable practices, and investigated solar as part of its efforts to become a GM Certified Green Dealer.
Solution
A key component to earning that recognition is a commitment to using renewable energy and pursuing energy efficiency. Partnering with Solect Energy made the process of moving to solar seamless; from the outset, with a detailed financial proposal, to the installation, where there were no disruptions in the daily operations of the dealership and service center during the installation of the 540 kW solar array.
Results
100% reduction of electricity costs
Mirak will realize significant savings from its solar installation in a number of different ways. The array was designed to cover 100% of the electricity needs of the Mirak Service Center, and also to provide additional electricity to defray energy costs at other Mirak sites. By net metering its excess production Mirak expects to substantially reduce its energy bills at at its Mirak Chevrolet and Mirak Hyundai dealerships. Net metering allows customers to receive credits for any electricity that they generate but do not use. Finally, Mirak will be able to take advantage of state and federal tax and financial incentives, including SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates), which are financial incentives based on the amount of solar energy the system generates. Plus, as a GM Certified Green Dealer, Mirak is one of only 94 Chevrolet dealerships out of about 3,000 nationwide, and one of only 129 GM dealerships out of more than 4,000 across the country that have been recognized for their commitment to sustainability.
Haverhill City Hall
The City of Haverhill, located in northeastern Massachusetts on the Merrimack River, is one of the oldest historic communities in the state. It is situated in northern Essex County, is bordered by the towns of Methuen on the west, Groveland and Boxford on the south, West Newbury on the east, and the state of New Hampshire on the north. Haverhill contains almost 36 square miles of area and a wide variety of land uses, ranging from rural agricultural areas to urban areas such as the city’s historical industrial center.
Challenge
The Town of Haverhill was looking to find a way to reduce their energy costs, and open up capital to distribute across the rest of their budget. In an effort to maximize the impact of their budget, they realized that committing to solar energy would save the town money, and have a positive impact on the environment.
Solution
By partnering with Solect Energy Haverhill was able to install a 540 panel system on the roof of their city hall building.
Results
$22,000 yearly savings on electricity costs
The City of Haverhill and Solect entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) through the Solect & PowerOptions Solar Program. Haverhill’s energy costs are approximately $105,500 annually. With the installation of the rooftop arrays, the city now expects to save approximately $22,000 a year.
Fitchburg Public Schools
Fitchburg Public Schools is dedicated to providing learning experiences which engage students in achieving high academic standards, preparing them for the challenges of living in today’s world. The district’s Reingold Elementary School educates 677 students in pre-kindergarten to grade four.
Challenge
While already among the best in the country, public schools in MA still strive to get the most out of their tight budgets, and provide the best education possible for their students. With energy costs in MA also being among the highest in the country, they saw the opportunity for solar as a viable option to open up money in their budget.
Solution
Having recently replaced its roof in 2011, the elementary school became a viable candidate for solar, and began actively pursuing their options in following years. As a member of PowerOptions since 2004, Fitchburg Public Schools was able to participate in the PowerOptions Solar Program, in lieu of conducting their own RFP.
Results
$40,000 yearly savings on electricity costs
The solar arrays at Reingold Elementary and Memorial Middle School were financed and constructed through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Solect, facilitated through the PowerOptions Solar Program. Under the agreement, Solect owns and operates the solar arrays, and sells the power generated back to the school at a reduced, fixed rate for the duration of the 20-year agreement. With the array installed, the Reingold Elementary School’s energy costs have been reduced by more than $40,000 per year.
Lawrence Family Development Charter School
Lawrence Family Development, Inc. is dedicated to educating students ages four through adults of all ages in the City of Lawrence. LFD’s charter school has 720 students from early kindergarten through grade eight.
Challenge
The school launched its new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Center in the fall of 2015, initiating its exploration into solar energy. Installing solar made sense on a number of levels for LFDCS, being a Non-Profit taking advantage of the PowerOptions program with Solect allowed them to go solar without needing to spend time or money on an RFP while still knowing they were getting an excellent rate on their system.
Solution
The solar array at LFDCS was financed and constructed through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Solect and PowerOptions. Solect owns and operates the solar array, and sells the power generated back to the nonprofit at a reduced, fixed rate for the duration of the 20-year agreement. PowerOptions Members pay for the power generated from the array at a cost far below their current delivered price.
Results
25% reduction of electricity costs
With three separate arrays installed on campus, Lawrence committed to deploying as much solar energy as possible under the Solect & PowerOptions solar program. The arrays installed with cover a quarter of their campus’ energy demand, while saving them close to $30,000 a year in the process! Their arrays supplement their commitment to sustainability, with active gardens on campus and a program where the school helps to build energy efficient housing in neighborhoods across the city of Lawrence.
McNiff Company
The McNiff Company is a property ownership group headquartered in Gloucester, MA run by Jay McNiff, with properties across the state, the Gloucester location is close to home.
Challenge
Jay was looking for a way to reduce the energy costs for his current tenants, the Cape Ann Beer Co, as brewing is an energy intensive business. Furthermore, he saw solar as an opportunity to increase the value of their property while helping the environment.
Solution
Having recently seen the advantages of going solar firsthand after being involved in a smaller solar project at Glen Urquhart, his son’s school in Beverly, MA Jay decided it was time to make the jump. He turned to Solect to manage the installation of the 111 kW array.
Results
100% reduction of electricity costs
Cape Ann Brewing Co. a client of The McNiff Company is an off-taker of a significant portion of the energy produced by the array, with it covering 100% of their energy needs. By installing the solar program under the SREC 2 program, the McNiff Co. realized that sustainable energy sources can be good for the environment, good for business partners—in this case, their tenants—and finally, good for their bottom line.
Upper Cape Cod Tech
Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School (UCT) is a public vocational-technical high school in Bourne, MA. UCT has 725 students with thirteen areas of vocational study. The school offers traditional vocational programs in the areas of plumbing, electrical, carpentry, health careers, information technology, marine services, automotive technology, collision repair and cosmetology
Challenge
Local energy development company Green Seal Environmental had worked with Upper Cape Tech to design their solar canopy, but didn’t have the capacity to execute the project and see it through to installation. Furthermore, UCT needed a company willing to install the project under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) due to their inability to take advantage of the tax breaks that help make the installation more affordable. As a technical school, UCCT had a variety of major contributing factors for their energy costs and needed a way to get them under control.
Solution
Solect stepped up to the plate willing to purchase the rights to install the project and make the canopy a reality under a PPA agreement for UCT. The massive canopy is 663 kW and will see a portion of its energy distributed to the town’s Recreational Authority during the school’s relatively inactive months through the summer.
Results
The resulting canopy is among the biggest carport style solar installations at a high school in the entire state. The structure can be seen from the infamous Bourne Bridge that is the gateway to Cape Cod. The array will serve as an educational component for the school over the next 20 years and beyond as the school has engineering technology, environmental sciences, and electrical programs that can benefit from having the canopy readily available.
North Atlantic Corporation
North Atlantic Corp (NAC) is one of the largest millwork distributors and custom manufacturer of windows, doors, kitchens and stairs to the residential and commercial markets in New England.
Challenge
As a millwork and manufacturing facility NAC’s energy costs are a huge component of their balance sheet. Factor in a new expansion building and they were primed to see their spending on energy increase even further.
Solution
North Atlantic Corporation turned to Solect Energy to help them manage the installation of a solar array in conjunction with their planned expansion. Given the massive footprint of NAC’s building they had tremendous potential for a solar array, and their desire to also install on the roof of their new 45,000 sq. ft. building increased that even further. The overall planned installation clocked in at over 1.5 MW after factoring in the new rooftop.
Results
90% reduction of electricity costs
After over a year of work the project culminated in a 1.55 MW array that covers up to 90% of the company’s energy costs, tremendously reducing their monthly energy bill. The benefits are palpable, as NAC’s savings will help them pay for their investment in a new building and more. Factor in the avoided instability and price hikes of the energy market and the array is working for North Atlantic Corp on a number of levels.
