Grant, gift help town in move to solar power

By John Laidler, Globe Correspondent, 10/2/2003

Westwood residents will soon gain first-hand exposure to the potential of harnessing the sun's rays, thanks to a recent grant and a private donation.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative awarded $71,280 to a Westborough corporation, CSGServices, to install solar electricity panels on the roofs of four Westwood buildings: the high school on Nahantan Street; the fire station on High Street; the First Parish of Westwood, United Church, on Clapboardtree Street; and St. John's Episcopal Church on Deerfield Avenue.

An anonymous donor has pledged to pick up the remaining costs of the project, estimated to total $114,000.

The two churches have agreed to the installation of the panels, which use photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity. The work is set to begin shortly.

The town has yet to formally agree to having the panels installed on the two municipal buildings. The Board of Selectmen, whose approval is needed to place the panels on the fire station, was scheduled to hold an informational hearing on the overall project Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Selectmen chairman Anthony J. Antonellis, who backs the project, said he believes the board will approve the installation at the fire station. He said the board wanted to hold a hearing first, however, because "whenever we change the aesthetics of any building, we like the neighbors to see what's happening before it happens.

"Anything we can do as a town or a community to do our part to eliminate our reliance on foreign oil and develop our own sources of energy is important," he said. "Anything we can do to protect our environment is absolutely important for future generations."

School Committee chairman Alan Macdonald said that at his request, the school administration is reviewing the proposal to place solar panels on the high school. He said he does not think a vote of his committee is needed, but that the administration may opt to seek one.

The gym is set to be renovated as part of the overall high school building project. Macdonald said the architect and the town's Permanent Building Committee are aware of the solar plan.

The town's participation in the project has been spearheaded by Peter Kane, a member of the First Parish of Westwood church.

Kane is also employed by Evergreen Solar of Marlborough, the manufacturer of the solar panels, and is a board member of Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light, a nonprofit organization that encourages communities of faith to use renewable energy and conserve energy.

CSGServices, which will install the panels, applied for the grant in partnership with the town, Kane, Evergreen Solar, and Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light. CSGServices is a for-profit affiliate of Conservation Services Group, a nonprofit that promotes renewable energy and energy efficiency.

"This kind of fell in my lap. I was at the right place at the right time," Kane said of his multiple connections to the project.

Kane said the project offers the town and the churches a chance to save money by reducing their energy costs.

The plan calls for installing 48 solar panels apiece on the south-facing wall of the high school gym and the south-facing roof of the parish hall of First Parish of Westwood, United; and 24 panels apiece on the south-facing roofs of the fire station and St. John's Episcopal Church's school wing.

At both the high school and First Parish, United, the panels would generate about 4,700 kilowatt hours of electricity, or about half of what an average home would use in a year, according to Stephen Cowell, CEO of Conservation Services Group and of CSGServices. The panels at the other two sites are designed to generate about 2,300 kilowatt hours.

Cowell estimated the high school and First Parish systems would each save $470 per year, and the other two systems, $230 per year.

In addition to the money savings, Kane said the project offers an educational value. In particular, high school students would be able to keep track of how much solar power is being generated, by accessing a CSGServices website. He said it is also "good for the environment" and would help reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil.

Lara Hoke, program director for Massachusetts Interfaith, said the participation of the two churches "is very exciting" for her group, which has 52 member congregations.

"These are our first members to actually put their own photovoltaic solar panels on their facilities," she said.

The Rev. Stephen V. Smith, pastor at St. John's Episcopal Church, said the solar project was a "modest money saver" for the church. "It really is more symbolic," he said, reflecting the church's desire to become "more energy independent and conservation-minded."

The grant money comes from the state's Renewable Energy Trust, which was created by the 1998 energy deregulation law. Funded through a surcharge on electric bills, it pays for programs that promote renewable energy. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative administers the trust.

The collaborative awarded the money through its Solar to Market initiative, which seeks to expand the production and use of solar photovoltaic technologies in the state, according to Sam Nutter, who manages the program.

"One of the things that really caught our eye with the Westwood project is that these are four buildings that are centrally located in high traffic areas within the community," all of which are used at least in part by the public. He said that would make the projects visible to the community, a goal of the program.

Cowell said his corporation saw the project as a "unique combination in a community between town facilities and churches . . . to really have a very public, community-based and visible demonstration of how photovoltaics can work."