Patrick to unveil solar power plan

Initiative will urge large retailers to install roof panels

Governor Deval Patrick today is expected to set a new environmental goal for the state by using rooftop solar installations to improve the energy efficiency of new "big box" stores and other retail developments.

Two senior administration officials familiar with the plan say that by 2010 Patrick wants to spur the use of alternative energy at large retail buildings of at least 50,000 square feet whose flat roofs are ideal for solar installations. For now, the officials said, compliance will be voluntary, although Patrick may eventually make solar-electricity generation and related higher energy efficiency standards a requirement for such construction projects.

While generally supportive of the proposal, retail and construction executives said they have questions about how complicated and expensive it might be for some large retailers to implement.

The plan does not yet specify how much of a building's electricity would have to come from solar power.

David Begelfer, chief executive of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, a trade association, said cost will be an issue, as will municipal zoning regulations and coordination with local utility providers.

"If this thing works, it's a no-brainer," Begelfer said. "We know that this is coming, and if it's going to be out there anyway, why not get involved in it at an early stage?"

John Fish, chief executive of Suffolk Construction Co. of Boston, said, "The result will be a more competitive retail market and cleaner environment."

Already, several retailers have modest solar installations at some locations in Massachusetts, including two BJ's Wholesale Club stores, a Hannaford supermarket in Lowell, and a Shaw's supermarket in Burlington.

Staples Inc., based in Framingham, said it will have solar power systems on the roofs of 25 stores and distribution centers nationwide by the end of the year. None of the sites is in Massachusetts, but Staples said it is considering solar installations at several of its 78 locations in the Bay State.

Mark Buckley, Staples' vice president of environmental affairs, said the company has inserted a provision into all of its leases giving it the right to install solar power when the option is available. Buckley said Staples is "pretty committed to onsite solar" because managing electricity costs and reducing the company's carbon footprint are "the right thing to do."

Patrick's plan will probably also require retailers to rethink how their buildings are constructed, some said.

"There is no doubt what he's talking about is financially feasible, so the principal question is how do you make it logistically convenient," said R.J. Lyman, a partner who specializes in environmental, energy, and real estate issues at the Boston law firm Goodwin Procter LLP. "There needs to be a more detailed understanding of ways to design and locate the systems so they require the fewest number of structural additions or supplements to what would otherwise be the building design."

Patrick, according to the two senior officials, is scheduled to unveil details of the plan, as well as another building initiative, today, which is the opening day of the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo. The trade show, which runs through Friday at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, is expected to draw about 25,000 people.

The solar plan is part of Patrick's agenda to make Massachusetts a leader in energy and environmental issues, such as combating climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as working toward energy efficiency and independence. This year, he signed five green bills, including a provision to dramatically increase solar-power capacity in the state by 2017.

Lyman and others, including, James W. Hunt III, Boston's chief of environmental and energy services, lauded the governor's emphasis on solar power.

"We have our green-building zoning in the city, but we don't prescribe any technology choice," Hunt said. "Obviously, big-box retail is a smart place for the governor to target with respect to solar because of the large area of rooftops and the lack of shading that would impact solar capacity."

Erin Ailworth can be reached at eailworth@globe.com.

Correction: Because of a reporting error, a story in yesterday's Business section about Governor Deval Patrick's plan to promote solar power for retail buildings misspelled the name of Boston law firm Goodwin Procter LLP.