PROVIDENCE — Rhode
Island may not be a national leader in renewable energy, but the Ocean State is
making progress. The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) recently approved
seven grants totaling $184,334 for several residential and smaller-scale
renewable energy projects.
The awards, announced
April 22, represent the first round of funding from a new program that assists
installers and developers working in the state’s struggling solar-energy
sector. According to the Solar Foundation, Rhode Island ranks fifth out of the six New
England states in solar jobs per capita.
“This is great for the state,” said Michael Cabral, co-founder of Newport Renewables, a renewable energy consultant in Newport. "It's helping expand the industry."
Cabral and co-founder
Stuart Flanagan are advising solar projects in Bristol and Tiverton that
received funds. A 32.76-kilowatt solar array at Clem’s Electric in Bristol
received $27,390, or 20 percent of the $136,952 total project cost. The new
solar panels will have an added economic benefit of serving as training for 10
employees at Clem’s, which plans to offer solar energy installation to its
customers.
Newport Renewables
also is a consultant on a 8.95-kilowatt solar-electric project for three homes
at Sandywoods Farm in Tiverton. A grant of $34,596 will offset electric costs
in a project to build four “net-zero” homes in a low-to-moderate income housing
development running exclusively on solar and geothermal energy.
Cabral said the new
grant program will allow his company to work on multiple renewable energy
projects in Rhode Island. Prior to the funding, most of his company's customers
were outside of the state.
Other grants fund
between 19 percent and 25 percent of multiple solar-energy projects:
- $28,250 to help design and build a 39.76-kilowatt rooftop solar system at National Security Inc. in East Providence.
- $31,869 to Entech Engineering to build three solar-electric systems with battery backup for three homes on Block Island. A fourth solar project will be built on a new wool-and-textile mill on the island.
- $26,388 to Real Goods Solar to design and install four solar residential projects in the Providence area.
- $13,197 to Newport Solar for five solar installations at homes in the North Kingstown area.
- $22,644 to U.S. Solar Works to install three solar arrays on homes across the state.
The funds were awarded
through a new grant and credit program within the state Renewable Energy Fund.
The fund aims to boost business for installers of solar and other renewable
energy systems for residential and small-scale commercial projects. Other money
will help fund feasibility studies and start-up costs for larger renewable
energy projects.
