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Community Scale Public Wind Site Assessments
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) invites qualified public entities to apply for a Public Wind Project Site Assessment. Qualified Public Entities are entities with one or more sites owned by an instrumentality, authority, agency, department or political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including municipalities. Federal projects and private non-profits, such as private colleges/universities, religious organizations, private schools, museums, foundations, etc. do not qualify as Public Entities.
MassCEC’s site assessment provides qualified entities with a preliminary evaluation of the potential for wind generation on one or more sites. The goal of the Public Wind Project Site Assessment is to help public entities identify sites that might be appropriate for a wind project, to assess the advantages, disadvantages and potential fatal flaws of each site. The Public Wind Project Site Assessment also provides recommendations as to which sites could be worthy of further analysis.
How to Apply
MassCEC accepts applications on a rolling basis and provides site assessments to eligible applicants as funding is available. MassCEC will inform you of your eligibility for funding within two weeks of receipt of a complete, eligible application. Please follow these steps to apply for a site assessment:
- Step 1: Please contact lcameron@masscec.com to determine if any sites in your municipality have already been studied in a MassCEC-sponsored site assessment. Public entities may submit additional site assessment applications, but specific sites will only be considered for a site assessment once. If a site assessment has already been completed, please contact MassCEC to determine if you are qualified to submit a Feasibility Study application.
- Step 2: If your site has not yet been studied, look at the wind maps to determine if your sites meet MassCEC’s minimum threshold of 6 m/s at 70 meters. You can use either the MassGIS Wind Energy Siting Tool or contact commwind@masscec.com to receive a CD with an interactive wind map of New England.
- Step 3: Fill out a Public Wind Project Site Assessment Application and provide any additional documentation to demonstrate that your entity controls the site (i.e. an MOU from the property owner if not publicly-owned land) and to identify any potential conservation restrictions on the land.
If you are eligible for a full site assessment, you will receive a Site Assessment Report from a qualified consultant, which will include MassCEC’s Site Assessment Deliverables Form. This deliverables form will be necessary to complete your Feasibility Study application if a site assessment determines that your site(s) are worthy of further study. The report will be followed by a conference call with MassCEC staff and the site assessment consultant to answer any questions and discuss next steps.
Contact
For additional information please contact:
Leigh Cameron
lcameron@masscec.com
617-315-9315
For more information, please visit MassCEC’s Community Scale Wind Program webpage.
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