Western Massachusetts Commercial Solar Seminar Set for May 5

If you are a Massachusetts business owner, you may find this $20 investment to be the most valuable one you’ve ever made.

On Wednesday, May 5, the Center for Ecological Technology (CET) will host a commercial solar energy workshop at Hancock Shaker Village in Hancock, Massachusetts. Chris Vreeland, a renewable energy consultant, and James Barry, of the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, will be on hand to help business owners and community leaders determine whether a solar energy system is a sound investment, both financially and environmentally. The discussion will center on commercial and government-owned systems ranging between 15 kilowatts (kW) and one megawatt (mW) in size.

Also on the class schedule is a fitting case study, given the seminar’s location. In January, Hancock Shaker Village joined forces with six other entities  – including businesses, schools and non-profits — to create a venture that could provide a model for future large-scale solar endeavors in Massachusetts. Dubbed the “Berkshire Bundle,” the various entities were together able, with leadership from EOS Ventures, a Massachusetts renewable energy company, to complete solar installations that would have otherwise been unfeasible if pursued individually. According to this article from iBerkshires.com:

EOS owns and operates the arrays set up at each entity, then sells the power back to the host at a contracted rate over 20 years with signifcant savings. The array at Hancock Shaker Village will produce more than a third of its energy and save an estimated $4,500 annually.

Taken together, the bundle represents 811 kilowatts (kW) of solar energy capacity, or 4,000 ground- and roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels. The system is expected to save over 4.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide over the next 25 years. Seminar attendees will be able to tour the village and get a close look at the new solar energy system.

For those interested, the seminar will also include information about solar hot water systems for commercial use and solar financing options in Massachusetts. Act now and register for the seminar before it fills up. Registration is $20.