Massachusetts To Tap Stimulus Funds To Hike Solar Power....By 30 Megawatts

[jpak]

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7014579305

Boston, MA (AHN) - Massachusetts officials are planning to tap $40 million to $100 million of stimulus funds to boost by up to 30 megawatts the solar power capacity at public facilities.

According to Ian Bowles, secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, over 50 potential projects were named. It includes the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and a waste water treatment facility in Pittsfield. The funding will be coursed through various federal energy and environment programs.

On Thursday the U.S. Department of Energy announced different Massachusetts communities will receive $42.2 million for energy efficiency and conservation ventures via federal block grant program financed by the stimulus fund.

Massachusetts has about 8 megawatts of installed solar capacity. Within the coming weeks it is expected to increase to 10 megawatts and could climb to 20 megawatts by December. The aim of the state is to bring up its installed solar capacity to 250 megawatts.

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[JDPriestly]

1. In January 1974, I heard an impressive presentation by MIT scientists on solar energy.

They were ready to make solar energy a reality at that time. They just needed serious investment.

At the time, I was attending the First International Energy Conference in London. I have told this story many times. After the speeches on alternative energy, a rather chubby man stood up a few rows behind me and said that he represented the nuclear energy industry of Canada and that they did not want solar energy because with solar energy they would have no product to sell.

The goal of energy companies is to keep us dependent on their product. They do not want energy consumers to be independent and able to provide for their own energy needs. Solar energy is the best solution for consumers. It is disfavored precisely because, in the end, it is cheaper and better for consumers.