SALEM, MASS. -- Salem will receive more than $1.7 million from the state and local energy company, Footprint Power.
The state grant comes from the Department of Energy Resources Decommissioned Coal Plant Grant Program.
One of the Massachusetts’ “Filthy Five,” Salem Harbor Generating Station was a 740 MW coal- and oil-fired power generation plant that shut down on June 1, 2014. Footprint is building the 674 MW natural gas-fired electric generation facility Salem Harbor Station on the site, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
Salem plans to install a 430 kW solar system at its Bentley Elementary School that will offset $75,996 in annual electrical costs, and a 491 kW system at its Witchcraft Heights Elementary School that will offset $86,772 annually, as reported by Salem News.
The systems, paid for by the grants, also generate income for the city’s school department through the state’s solar renewable credits program. They are worth about $200 per megawatt generated, said Salem’s Energy and Sustainability Planner, Jeff Elie.
Elie also told the Salem News that Footprint is not able to meet its Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency greenhouse gas offset requirements at the site. So, it approached the state about contributing $1 million to Salem’s school solar projects.
The savings are due in large measure to the fact that we were able to obtain a combination of state funding and support from Footprint Power to pay for the capital costs of installing these PV panels. In essence, we’ll reap the savings from the electricity generated via the solar panels, without having to up front the capital costs associated with installing the panels,” said Mayor Kimberly Driscoll in her Facebook announcement.
The city has pursued energy efficiency opportunities since it was designated one of Massachusetts Green Communities in 2010 and has received more than $700,000 in energy efficiency grants.
