Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., has signed legislation that transfers the state's Renewable Energy Trust (RET) to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (CEC), effectively creating a single state agency responsible for renewable energy development.
Created by the Green Jobs Act of 2008, the CEC is charged with advancing the Massachusetts green economy through support of research and development, entrepreneurship, and workforce training, funded in part by a portion of annual RET revenue.
The law makes the CEC the home agency of the RET, which was formerly housed at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.
The CEC is responsible, in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, for the development of the Wind Technology Testing Center, a state-of-the-art facility for the testing of large wind turbine blades. CEC is also the state's lead agency for working with private companies seeking competitive grants funded by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Between state programs and federal stimulus funding, the state expects to have more than 30 MW of capacity either installed or under development by the end of 2010.
SOURCE: Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
