Energy Program News

Developing a Pollinator-Friendly Certification Program for Solar PV
solar PV array with flowers

In their December newsletter, the Association of Massachusetts Wetland Scientists featured an article by UMass Clean Energy Extension's Zara Dowling, entitled Developing a Pollinator-Friendly Certification Program for Solar Photovoltaic Arrays in Massachusetts. The piece articulates the advantages of including habitat for pollinators in the design of photovoltaic facilities and discusses CEE's Pollinator-Friendly Solar Certification Program.

For full article, click here.

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UMass Amherst Study Will Assess Impact of Dual-use Solar-agriculture Installations in Massachusetts
Dual-use solar research installation at the UMass Extension farm in South Deerfield.

CEE and collaborators study the impact of solar-agriculture co-location on agricultural productivity and farm viability

AMHERST, Mass. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technology Office announced recently that a team led by extension professor Dwayne Breger at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been selected for a three-year, $1.8 million award to study the effects of co-locating solar energy panels and agriculture operations at up to eight different farms across the Commonwealth. The work will be in partnership with landowners, state agencies, solar developers and a non-profit farmland organization.

Link to full article here

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UMass Amherst Highlighted in 2020 Sustainable Campus Index
Clean Energy Corps students review architectural plans as part of their energy audit.

CEE'S Clean Energy Corps in the Spotlight as Innovative and High-Impact Sustainability Project

UMass Amherst Recognized as a top performer in sustainability research

November 24, 2020

Contact: Patty Shillington 305-606-9909

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Amherst is recognized as a top-performing educational institution in the 2020 Sustainable Campus Index (SCI), a publication of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). It received the 7th highest score among large, public, doctoral-granting universities, based on a UMass analysis of the data.

Link to full article here

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Sierra Magazine Lists UMass in "Top 20 Coolest Schools"

UMass Clean Energy Extension is excited to see two of its programs cited in connection with Sierra Magazine's ranking of UMass in the top 20 schools for sustainability. Sierra noted both the Offshore Wind Professional Certificate Program and the UMass Clean Energy Corps as contributing to the high ranking.

See this post for more information.

UMass Clean Energy Extension Plays Part in First SMART-Approved Dual-Use Solar Project
dual use PV array in farm field

UMass Clean Energy Extension is pleased to support the state's SMART solar incentive program. In collaboration with UMass Agricultural Extension, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, and the Department of Energy Resources, CEE provides technical resources and critical review of farm plans for dual-use systems seeking to qualify for an adder through the SMART program. The first of these dual-use agricultural photovoltaic (PV) system has become operational in Monson. Read more about the Million Little Sunbeams project – and learn here about CEE’s dual-use-related resources, research, and outreach. (Photo from article at MorningAgClips.com)

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Offshore Wind Professional Certificate Program
woman standing in front of wind turbine

The Department of Environmental Conservation and the Clean Energy Extension are excited to announce the launch of a new professional certificate in offshore wind in the fall of 2020. The certificate is tailored to professionals and graduate students seeking to up-skill and broaden their knowledge to address the needs of the offshore wind industry. The online program covers the broad range of disciplines involved in this dynamic industry, including technology and engineering, development and finance, supply chain management, marketing, environmental impact, business logistics, law, and policy. The certificate can be completed in one year and the first course begins on August 24. See the program page for more information.

Grant to UMass Amherst Clean Energy Extension Will Bring Solar Planning to Western Massachusetts Towns
Solar Array, Sunderland, MA

A team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Clean Energy Extension recently was awarded a 15-month grant to lead development of community-focused solar siting and financing procedures in three rural western Massachusetts communities - Blandford, Wendell and Westhampton.

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Clean Energy Corps member Devon Lukas presents Pioneer Valley GHG Inventory

Clean Energy Corps member Devon Lukas presented preliminary results of her updated greenhouse gas inventory for Hampshire and Hampden counties to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) Climate Action/ Clean Energy working group. 

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Massachusetts Ranked #1 for Energy Efficiency

Massachusetts once again showed leadership on clean energy, earning the #1 rank in energy efficiency for the ninth consecutive year according to the 2019 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, released by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

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State politicians visit UMass dual-use agriculture and solar research site

Local legislators visited the dual-use agriculture and solar PV research site at the UMass Crop and Animal Research and Education Center in South Deerfield.  State Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, State Rep. Natalie M. Blais, D-Sunderland, and State Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, met with UMass Extension staff and representatives from Hyperion Systems LLC to discuss the compatibility of solar photovoltaics and farm production. The site is home to 106 solar panels producing 16.8 kilowatts of renewable energy as part of a photovoltaic dual-use research project aimed at growing crops and generating electricity.

 

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