8/16: Come to Solar 102: Going Solar for Multi-Unit Owners, Condo-Owners, and Landlords!

Posted on August 9, 2016 by CEA

Solar 102: Going Solar for Multi-Unit Owners, Condo Owners and Landlords

Tuesday, August 16

Lesley University, 1815 Mass Ave, University Hall, Rm 2-078 (Second Floor), Cambridge

Doors open at 6 pm, event starts at 6:30 pm

Interested in going solar in Cambridge but worried that your property is too complicated? Not sure where to begin, how to finance it, or how to make sure you’re getting the best deal? Join the Sunny Cambridge & Solarize Somerville teams for Solar 102: Going Solar for Multi-Unit Owners, Condo-Owners, and Landlords.

Learn how solar is a great fit for condos and landlord-owned properties
Discuss your questions with the Multi-Family Solar Advisor
Hear about your neighbors’experience going solar with Sunny Cambridge

Visit https://www.energysage.com/sunnycambridge/ for info on the Cambridge program.

Visit www.somervillema.gov/sustainaville/solarize for more info on the Somerville program.

6/14: Come to our Sunny Cambridge event to learn about how you can go solar!

Posted on May 31, 2016 by CEA

Sunny Cambridge will be hosting a free information session at the Central Square branch of the Cambridge Public Library (45 Pearl St) from 6-7:30 pm on Tuesday, June 14!

Come learn more about…

*The Sunny Cambridge program and how you can participate

*How solar can work for you based on your property type

*How much you can reduce your carbon footprint and save money by going solar

*The Mass Solar Loan program: how to get a $0-down, low interest rate loan to help finance your solar project. Now with expanded eligibility!

We hope to see you there!

Working With Schools for the GUEP Prize

Posted on December 17, 2015 by CEA

In the course of competing for the Georgetown Energy Prize, the Cambridge Energy Alliance has made sure that outreach and cooperation with locals schools is a priority for our energy reduction strategy. Some people may ask, “Why schools?”

The reason schools are so important is that they are the single largest source of municipal energy use in Cambridge. In fact, on a country-wide basis, the EPA estimates that 25% of energy use in schools is wasted. Of the energy, most come from sources similar to many homeowners: mainly lighting and cooling.

By implementing energy efficiency measures, many K-12 schools have been able to reduce energy costs by as much as 30 percent in existing facilities. The Energy Alliance is very aware of this and has made informing schools and working with them to develop energy efficiency behavior a major priority for the Georgetown Prize Win It! Campaign. Simple behavioral and operational measures alone can achieve energy savings of up to 25 percent school-wide.

Educating K-12 students about energy efficiency is also one of the major judging criteria for the Prize. Currently, the City of Cambridge is working with Fletcher Maynard Academy, John M. Tobin Montessori School, The Peabody School, The Amigos School, and The Haggerty School to implement free energy education programs over the coming year. We are currently excited to work with environmental organizations like “e”-Inc. and Eversource, which offer classes on climate and energy along with action based projects to save energy in schools.

CEA also collaborated with Education First to host the Glocal Challenge, a contest-based program to provide students with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) experience by challenging them to solve a local challenge. This year’s prompt was to reduce energy use in the Cambridge municipal and residential buildings, and the Challenge culminated in an exciting final student competition event on Thursday, December 10. Congratulations to the five teams that won seed money and internships with the City to implement their ideas and all of the participants who have clearly been energetic, engaged, and ready to Win It!

Students and families can help save energy and win the Georgetown Prize at home as well by signing up for a no-cost home energy assessment. The assessment includes instant savings measures such as free LED lightbulbs and smart power strips, as well as recommendations to take further action to save energy such as by weatherizing and upgrading insulation. We’re trying to reach 5,000 assessments by the end of the winter, so sign up today! You can also purchase energy efficient appliances directly through the MassSave website. Also, keep an eye out for your Block Captain this spring to find out how to do more! Do your part today—we’re In It to Win It together!

Japan and Cambridge Target Renewable Energy

Posted on August 7, 2014 by CEA

During the summer of 2014 several high school students interned at the Cambridge Energy Alliance helping with canvassing and outreach across Cambridge. The interns also wrote a few blogs on topics they were interested in related to energy efficiency and solar power. The following is one of their blogs.

Renewable energy and energy efficiency may be a common topic in Cambridge, but there is still much we can learn from around the world.

In Japan, energy efficiency policies have been administered under the Energy Conservation Law since 1979, which forces manufacturers to increase the energy efficiency of their products. However, energy efficiency and renewable energy has become more essential in Japan today.

After the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which took place in Fukushima Daiichi in March 2011, Japan reconsidered its energy sources for the rest of the century. At the time, Japan was still generating 30% of its electricity from nuclear power. To replace that energy, Japan had to look elsewhere. Since Japan doesn’t have its own significant fossil fuel reserves, Japan considered a switch to solar power. According to the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Japan saw a significant increase in renewable energy generation capacity after July 2012, the nation’s renewable energy production capacity rose by 5.85 million kW. Solar power accounted for over 90 percent of the increase, at 5.6 million kW.

Another impact of the 2011 earthquake was the growth of energy efficiency and conservation. This movement is called “Setsuden” and is encouraging people and companies to save electricity by taking simple steps like changing light bulbs, or turning off big screens and exterior lighting. Also, the dress code in offices has eased up in order to reduce demand for AC. Even these small improvements have proven to have a short-term impact. Greentech Media reports that “they’ve dramatically increased the awareness of energy use and energy efficiency, and large companies are running high-profile efficiency programs.” Now demand reduction makes up a sizeable portion of Japan’s power generation.

The City of Cambridge is also taking steps to reduce energy use in its municipal buildings. The graph below demonstrates the fluctuations in energy usage and emissions from year to year, with an overall downward trend.

Looking at Japan’s achievements, a key lesson can be applied to Massachusetts: solar energy and demand reduction through efficiency can dramatically change the power generation in a short period of time. Just as in Japan, there is both great solar and efficiency potential in the state of Massachusetts and City of Cambridge.

Sources:

https://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/publicworksdepartment/greenliving/Energy%20efficiency%20presentation.ashx

http://theenergycollective.com/guayjguay/366271/how-japan-replaced-half-its-nuclear-capacity-efficiency

http://fortune.com/2013/09/23/japans-green-energy-evolution/

http://www05.abb.com/global/scot/scot316.nsf/veritydisplay/5a74498fcc9fbabbc1257864005160e4/$file/japan.pdf

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/electricity_generation.cfm/state=MA

Solar Panels in Cold Climates

Posted on August 7, 2014 by CEA

Think about this: as of now, Germany is the world leader in solar energy. It uses more solar power than any other country in the world. Now think about this: Germany is equal to Alaska in solar resources. If Germany is a good place for solar paneling, then Cambridge must be too! But can cold climate places really sustain solar paneling?

What most people don’t know is that solar panels run off of light, not heat. Many panels have the ability to track the sun’s movement and even rotate during the day. As a matter of fact, solar panels perform better in very cold weather than they do in very hot weather for two reasons: first, solar panels sometimes malfunction when they get too hot themselves; second, as temperatures go down, the system’s voltage increases. Furthermore, by combining this higher voltage with a current identical to a warm weather current, a higher wattage is produced. Therefore, more power is created.

Unfortunately, cold weather tends to come with clouds, rain, and snow. These forms of precipitation do have an effect on a solar panel system because they affect how much the panels are exposed to sunlight. However, it must be noted that estimates for the expected production of energy over the course of a solar system’s lifetime take into account the days with lower output due to weather obstacles such as snow and clouds.

On a cloudy day, not as much light can reach the panels. The amount of energy produced when there is cloud cover depends on the density of the clouds, but is usually about 10-25% of the system’s rated capacity. However, panels produce the most energy at the moment when the sun peeks across the edge of a cloud. When this happens, panels actually produce in excess of their rated capacity.

Usually clouds come with rain, and although there isn’t much daylight, rain can actually help solar paneling systems. Rain helps to keep up the maintenance of solar panels by washing away dust and dirt. Also, when the sun comes out, it reflects off of surrounding rainwater and onto the panels, increasing the amount of light being absorbed.

The biggest weather issue that solar panels seem to face is snow. When covered with snow, panels are no longer subject to sunlight, and they are not able to produce power. Nonetheless, it’s easy to resume their operation immediately by just brushing off the snow. By removing as much snow as possible, more of the dark-colored panel will be exposed to the sun, allowing a current to flow which will heat up all the panels and melt the remaining snow. It’s also common in snowy climates to install solar at a steep angle. This way, snow will slide off faster, allowing sunlight to reflect off of nearby snow and onto the panels. Imagine this working in the same way that a skier can be burned on a sunny winter day: Just like the sun reflects off of the snow and onto the skier’s skin, it will reflect off the snow and onto the panels, increasing power generation.

Now, how about our hometown? This past winter, Cambridge’s lowest temperatures averaged at about 1°F (-17°C) and the city saw approximately 40 days of snow. Therefore, for 89% of the year, roofs in Cambridge were exposed to sunlight and saw great potential for solar paneling. Just like Germany, the cold winters of Cambridge can give way to solar paneling for houses all around.

Bibliography:

“Ask a Builder: How Well Do Solar Panels Work in the Winter?” Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Extreme Winter Weather Affecting Some Solar Panels’ Energy Output, Maintenance, Officials Said.” NJ.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Solar Panel Effectiveness & Production in the Winter.” Winter Solar Panel Effectiveness & Production. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Frequently Asked Questions about Solar Panels.” Frequently Asked Questions about Solar Panels. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Winter, Snow, and Solar Panels: A Mixed Forecast – CNET.” CNET. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“2014 Winter Blasts Affecting Energy Output and Maintenance of Solar Panels — Environmental Protection.” 2014 Winter Blasts Affecting Energy Output and Maintenance of Solar Panels — Environmental Protection. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014

“Are Solar Panels Usable in Snowy Climates?” AccuWeather. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Solar Energy in Rainy Weather | Sunbridge Solar.” Sunbridge Solar. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014 “SEIA.” Solar FAQ. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

“Germany the World’s Leading Light in Solar Capacity.” Www.edmontonjournal.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 July 2014.

Bikes, Data, & A Master Plan: 3 Cambridge Announcements

Posted on June 18, 2014 by CEA

There is some great stuff happening in Cambridge that you should know about! Here are three announcements from the Cambridge Community Development Department:

1. Cambridge Conversations: Kicking off the Master Planning Process

What’s special about Cambridge? What could be better? We’re launching our citywide master planning process by collecting feedback on these questions and more. If you work or live in Cambridge, make yourself heard by adding your throughts to our brand new Co-Urbanize site:

courbanize.com/cambridge-conversations

Head to the forum page to contribute your ideas and see what others have been saying. The site will keep you updated on the whole master planning process. It has only just begun.

2. City Open Data Site Live!

See all kinds of interesting information about our fair city, from street tree identification to crime reports to waterplay park locations, and so much more. It’s all here:

data.cambridgema.gov

3. FREE Bicycle Workshops for Cambridge Residents and Employees

Our popular free bike workshop series continues this summer with these great offerings:

There you have it. Lots of great stuff to get involved in and explore. Happy Summer!

Solar Co-ops: Another Way to Go Solar

Posted on May 7, 2014 by CEA

On Earth Day, the Rocky Mountain Insitute reminded us of an effective tool for solar development: the solar co-operative. Like any co-operative, solar co-ops pool the resources of many in order to increase purchasing power, increase access to benefits, and create other efficiencies. Businesses and/or individual consumers band together to collectively purchase solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and share knowledge about best practices. Here are a few kinds of solar co-operatives that are relevant to Cambridge residents.

Community Solar

One type of co-operative concept called community solar can help bring solar to those who typically wouldn’t have access to it, such as renters or any households without enough rooftop sun exposure. Community solar allows customers to buy into an off-site system and receive credits on their utility bills. Customers can purchase as much or as little solar energy as they want, and they don’t have to worry about installation or maintenance. The Clean Energy Collective was one of the first organizations to establish this model and they now operate multiple solar gardens throughout the US.

Residential Solar Co-op

The Mt. Pleasant Solar Cooperative offers another model for co-operative solar, as the Washington, D.C. area neighborhood group has organized over 300 households in order to purchase solar PV panels in bulk. This has reduced installation costs for households getting PV panels and has ultimately brought more solar power into the community than would have otherwise been the case. In addition to increasing the affordability of solar, the co-op network fostered a supportive atmosphere that diminished other barriers to solar energy. Says Mt. Pleasant solar system owner Louise Meyer: “I felt like I was part of a team, it made much more sense, you could compare notes and not feel so stranded. It was such a new area for many people, and the paperwork is such a hassle, being part of the cooperative made it so much easier.”

The Mt. Pleasant model has spurred the creation of other neighborhood solar co-ops in the region as well. Several of the neighborhood groups are further organized under the umbrella organization DC SUN, which advocates for solar energy and serves as a regional resource for anyone interested in solar.

Conclusion

The solar co-op model is a promising tool to increase solar energy development in a range of contexts. With its variety of housing types and large multifamily housing stock, we see co-operative solar as a viable solution for Cambridge. What do you think? Would one of these models work for you?

About this Blog Post

This blog post summarizes information from a Rocky Mountain Institute blog post. You can read the original article here: http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2014_04_22_the_rise_of_solar_coops

The City of Cambridge Pledges to Compete for $5M Georgetown University Energy Prize

Posted on April 25, 2014 by CEA

Across the country, the demand for energy is rising rapidly. Yet, despite known negative implications for our environment, we still allow more than half of the total energy produced in the U.S. to go wasted due to inefficiencies. [1]

The City of Cambridge wants to help change this, and as part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, and climate change action, we have pledged our intent to compete in the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize.

The Prize kicked off at a two-day conference in Washington, D.C. on April 23, 2014. At the event—which officially opened the competition’s Application Phase— The City of Cambridge was announced as one of more than 50 communities who have signed letters of intent to compete for the Prize. Meghan Shaw, the Community Outreach Director for the Cambridge Energy Alliance, attended the launch of the competition—there she is in the Indian Treaty Room of the White House, fifth from left in the middle row, with other competitors:

As a competing community, we join other small- to medium-size towns, cities, and counties that will develop and implement creative, sustainable, and replicable strategies to save energy. Here’s a map of the other communities that have also pledged to compete:

During the current Application Phase, we will work collaboratively with local stakeholders to develop an energy-saving plan that will not only deliver financial benefits to residents, but will also help ensure the long-term sustainability of our community. Most importantly, we aim to design a plan that other communities can replicate—so that we can all do our part to increase our nation’s energy independence.

The Application Phase—which ends on June 30, 2014—will be followed by Quarterfinals, and Semifinals, and will conclude in 2017 when one winning community is awarded a $5 million prize purse for use on energy efficiency programs. More information about each of the competition’s four stages is available at www.guep.org/rules-timeline.

Stay tuned for more details on the Prize, the City of Cambridge’s energy-saving plan, and to learn how you can support our efforts. In the meantime, please stay connected with us through this blog, our Facebook page, and Twitter @CambEnergy.

We are excited to get underway in the competition and we look forward to elevating the City of Cambridge as a national leader of energy efficiency efforts in America.

Help us get there! For questions about the Prize or if you would like to get involved in the effort, please contact Meghan Shaw at outreach@cambridgeenergyalliance.org.

[1] According to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, using Department of Energy/Energy Information Administration data from August 2010, out of all energy produced, the U.S. has an energy efficiency rate of 42 percent, which means 58 percent of all the energy we produce is wasted: www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/2010/images/energy-flow-annotated.pdf.

Energy Efficiency Job Opportunity: Part-time Executive Director

Posted on October 7, 2013 by CEA

Are you looking for a job promoting energy efficiency locally? HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team) is an award-winning nonprofit that fights climate change through teaching hands-on practical skills in energy efficiency while performing “energy upgrades” in the buildings of nonprofits. HEET also implements other energy-efficiency and renewable-energy programs in the greater Boston area. HEET is hiring an Executive Director to raise funds, manage staff, report directly to the Board of Directors.

Check out the full job announcement: http://www.heetma.com/content/seeking-part-time-executive-director

Cambridge Unveils Solar Map

Posted on October 2, 2012 by lschwab

In collaboration with MIT and Modern Development Studio, the City of Cambridge has put together an incredible online tool that will help spur solar development throughout the city.

In this “solar map,” to be launched on October 3^rd, Cambridge has been overlaid with a layer of highly specific solar data. Any resident or business owner interested in installing solar on their roof can use the map to access information about their property’s potential without having to scour the Internet. You can click and drag your mouse, browse and choose rooftops at random. Alternatively you can search for a specific address and view information on the solar potential of the building’s rooftop, as well as financial, environmental, and installation details. Color-coding gives you an idea of the varying ability to catch decent sun rays at each point on a roof.

I was able to find out within seconds that my own building, for example, has a total roof area of 1,150 square feet and enough potential to host a 5-kilowatt system. The system would have a payback period of six years and could save the tenants approximately $2,847 per year in energy bills. That’s pretty convincing math. Now, if only my landlord were keen on the idea!

New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and Berkeley, CA all have solar maps up and running or in progress. Although some existing solar maps also calculate solar potential, none are quite like Cambridge’s. It is so far unique in that it uses more nuanced data to create as much accuracy as possible. For example, some solar maps assume all rooftops are flat, which can greatly alter a roof’s potential. The map’s creators also calculated solar radiation on an hourly basis, yielding more accurate and detailed information for each roof.

It is becoming more and more popular- and feasible- to power your home with solar energy. Costs have come down exponentially and they are only declining. Cambridge already has a over 110 projects installed on homes and businesses, as many residents have taken advantage of the lower electricity costs, increased property value, and reduced environmental impact that comes with generating over 1.6 MW solar power. It’s clear that there is vast solar potential in Cambridge. This map will prove to be an invaluable tool for homeowners, landlords and business owners who are interested in investing in solar but might not have the time or expertise to find all the answers themselves.

SPECIAL EVENT Launching the Cambridge Solar Map: You’ve Got (Solar) Potential!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Location:
Main Library
449 Broadway
Lecture Hall

What’s your building’s solar potential? Meet installers, hear from homeowners who have installed solar on their homes and learn from the Cambridge Energy Alliance about the resources available to you! Don’t take our word for it, listen to what the homeowners and scientists have to say. “When the numbers work in such a compelling way, it’s almost hard not to install solar,” said David Neiman, Cambridge homeowner.

Professor Christoph Reinhart of MIT will speak about the science behind the NEW Solar Map. “MIT and MoDe Studio have installed an online tool that predicts electricity yield and costs for installing a photovoltaic system on almost any rooftop in Cambridge. What’s YOUR solar potential?”

Warm Home Cool Planet

Sustainability begins at home

Category Archives: Alternative Energy