Over the course of the past couple of years, money has been continually flowing into numerous clean energy projects across the Bay State. This week is no exception. And the trend will continue as the state continues to move towards its net-zero emissions goals.
Here are a few examples of grants awarded just this past week:
Mass DOER Awards Ashland More than $70,000 For Energy Efficiency Enhancements
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) Green Communities competitive grant program was created to facilitate the reduction of carbon emissions by municipal buildings, facilities, and schools.
Under the program, the Town of Ashland has been awarded a $71,021 grant earmarked for energy efficiency upgrades at the Town Hall as well as the installation of an electric vehicle charging station at Ashland Community Center.
Specifically, the town plans to use the funds for the following projects:
$63,521 for LED lighting upgrades for Ashland Town Hall.
$7,500 for the purchase and installation of an electric vehicle charging station at the Community Center.
In a statement on the matter, Town Manager Michael Herbert said:
“We place a high priority on sustainability in Ashland, and are appreciative that the Baker/Polito administration shares in that mindset. The Green Communities program is a good example of the partnership that can exist between state and local government, and these competitive grants help us demonstrate the cost-saving aspects of sustainability as well.”
Read more at FraminghamSource.com.
Worcester Polytech Receives $4 Million DOE Grant for Energy Efficiency Research
The DOE along with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center has awarded a $4 million grant to Worcester Polytechnic Institute. This grant is earmarked for advanced research and development focused on energy efficiency in industrial drying applications.
According to Jamal Yagoobi, head of WPI’s mechanical engineering department and director of CARD, 1.2 percent of the Country’s energy consumption is used for drying foods, lumber, and paper products.
Yagoobi says the goal of the project is to “develop state-of-the-art testbeds to increase product quality of various food and forest products while decreasing the energy required to dry them,” and that it could also have a large-scale impact on the chemical industry.
Read all about it at EnvironmentalLeader.com.
Clean Energy Center Grants $150,000 for Framingham Design Study
The City of Framingham has been awarded $150,000 to fund two design studies aimed at increasing energy resiliency in emergency shelters, fire stations, and public housing in Framingham’s Concord Street and A Street neighborhoods.
Facilities covered by these studies include:
Framingham High School
Fuller Middle School
McCarthy Elementary School
Mass Bay Community College/Farley School
Fire Stations #5 and #2
A Street Pumping Station.
Read more at the Framingham Source.
$21M Granted for I-495, Mass Pike Interchange Overhaul
Transportation is another area of the Massachusetts economy seeing an influx of grants. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded a $21 million grant allocated for improvements to the I-495 and Massachusetts Turnpike interchange in Hopkinton under a program called “Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development,” (BUILD). The funds will be used to address safety issues and improve traffic flow.
According to MetroWest Daily News, the interchange is used by nearly half of freight trucks entering Eastern Massachusetts.” Moreover, approximately 75,000 commuter vehicles use the interchange daily.
The report can be found at MetroWest Daily News, along with these related reports:
State officials unveil preferred design for overhaul of I-495-Mass Pike interchange
I-90/495 reconstruction aims to ease traffic, reduce bottlenecks, crashes
BlackbirdGo Cannabis Delivery Launches
A new cannabis delivery service called BlackbirdGo has launched in Massachusetts. Blackbird is a cannabis business software company owned by TILT Holdings. The company has partnered with Commonwealth Alternative Care to offer cannabis delivery and curbside pickup services via its online marketplace.
Blackbird currently works with over 400 wholesale and retail operators across Nevada and California. And, According to Blackbird, the operation is currently the leading cannabis delivery service in Nevada operating a fleet of more than 100 trucks making 5,000 deliveries per month.
TILT says the company plans to partner with additional Mass. dispensaries and to expand its marijuana delivery services across Massachusetts.
THC net has more on this story.
Adult Use Dispensary Opening in Arlington
Mass. licensed cannabis seller Apothca has opened a new dispensary in Arlington Heights at 1386 Massachusetts Ave. beating both Cambridge and Somerville to the punch. Apothca has also relocated its medical dispensary from its Water Street location to the Arlington Heights location.