The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) has announced grants totaling more than $1 million to support eight new wind projects under the Commonwealth Wind Community-Scale Wind Initiative.
The awards include two design and construction grants totaling more than 5 MW in capacity, and six feasibility studies for wind energy that would total roughly 17 MW in capacity if built.
The eight grants go to private and public projects in cities and towns. The initiative is a program of MassCEC's renewable energy generation division, which is funded by renewable energy charges on electric bills, generating approximately $23 million a year to support renewable energy installations and companies.
The wind projects receiving design and construction grants are in Plymouth and Cohasset. The five projects receiving feasibility awards will support efforts in the towns of Westport, Gloucester, Petersham, Blandford and Amesbury, and a Springfield Water and Sewer Commission project that will be on a combination of publicly owned land in Blandford, Russell, Tolland or Granville.
In addition, the Clean Energy States Alliance, a national nonprofit organization that works with public funds and state agencies to advance clean energy technologies, projects and markets, has awarded MassCEC's community-scale wind program a State Leader in Clean Energy award at its annual conference in Washington, D.C.
SOURCE: Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
