Technicians from Northern Power Systems install one of eighty-eight ASE Americas 300W photovoltaic panels on a roof surface.

Grant summary at MRET (Round 2).

Woods Hole Research Center Receives Grant from Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust

The Woods Hole Research Center has received a grant of $226,308 from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Green Buildings Program for the purchase and installation of a photovoltaic array and energy monitoring system at its new Ordway Campus. The photovoltaic array, to be located on the roof of the building, will provide approximately 41 percent of the building's power or 37,000 kWh of electricity annually. The energy monitoring system will measure the usage of energy throughout the building and electricity production by the photovoltaic array and other renewable energy technologies. The monitoring system will serve as the centerpiece of the Center's educational efforts on renewable energy.

The Woods Hole Research Center, founded in 1985, is a world leader in addressing the great issues of environment through research, education, and public policy. The Center stands practically alone in combining acclaimed peer-reviewed scientific research with an international program in environmental policy and education. The Center works to correct the most urgent problems: global warming, the destruction of forests, and the destruction of ecosystems. Center staff were among the first to identify the urgency of global warming and were instrumental in the preparation and drafting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In keeping with its mission to combat global warming, the Center's new headquarters will rely on renewable energy for its power and heating and cooling needs.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the state's development agency for renewable energy, manages the $150 million Renewable Energy Trust. MTC launched the $14.6-million Green Buildings Initiative last month by making grants available on a competitive basis to spur construction of buildings that conserve energy and produce electricity from green sources.

Buildings use nearly two-thirds of all electricity consumed in the United States. Constructing green buildings will help reduce the strain on current resources and maximize the use of clean, renewable energy. The Renewable Energy Trust is an essential part of the state's strategy to reduce dependence on foreign energy sources by encouraging the use of renewable technologies.