Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Town of Barnstable Celebrate $42 Million Award for Barnstable Renewable Powered Microgrid Project

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today celebrated a $42.3 million award to the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) for the Town of Barnstable to install a renewable-powered microgrid at the Barnstable High School and Intermediate School Complex, serving over 2,400 students. The award is from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Transmission Siting and Economic Development (TSED) grant program, which is funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Not only will Barnstable be able to build an innovative microgrid to lower costs and emissions, but young people are at the heart of the program,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We’re investing in clean energy for the sake of our children, and it is exciting that workforce development and training opportunities be offered for Barnstable High students. We’re grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for their transformational leadership to address climate change.”

“The Transmission Siting and Economic Development grant program ensures communities gain the most direct benefits of clean energy,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Through on-site generation of solar, improved energy efficiency, and improved HVAC, Barnstable students will soon be able to enjoy healthier air and lower energy use. We’re grateful for the partnership with Barnstable and look forward to putting these federal funds to work.”

“Transmission unlocks tremendous benefits for residents, businesses, and towns,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “Take air quality alone – with upgraded HVAC and on-site renewables, our young people will breathe cleaner air as they’re growing and learning. With more transmission, we can get more clean energy to the grid, we build a healthier world for the next generation.”

“The Barnstable Renewable Powered Microgrid Project illustrates how clean energy technologies can be combined to achieve the greatest benefits to a host community,” said Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony. “This federal funding will demonstrate how municipalities can work with partners to bring the health, cost savings, workforce and educational benefits of the clean energy transition directly to their communities.”

The microgrid could include a mix of solar canopies, rooftop solar, HVAC electrification, fleet charging, and battery storage. The project would lower Barnstable’s energy costs, reduce greenhouse gas and particulate emissions in the community (by an estimated 3,000 metric tons per year), and improve indoor air quality through HVAC systems electrification, reducing learning loss from asthma and respiratory diseases. The project would also improve community resilience through vehicle charging in emergencies and an expanded emergency shelter, and create additional workforce and educational programming. In addition, the facility will be used as a teaching tool and cost savings from the project will be used for internships and career development for Barnstable students.

“The Town of Barnstable is appreciative for this opportunity to make the Barnstable High School, Barnstable Intermediate School and Barnstable Adult Community Center campus as close to energy self-sufficient as possible,” said Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells. “We recognize our partnerships with the Massachusetts Building Trade Unions, Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, Cape Cod Community College, and the Cape Light Compact who each offered to make contributions in support of the grant. The internships from the Cape Light Compact will be particularly useful as they will give students exposure to energy savings programs and help us increase the visibility of those programs among our residents. Special recognition goes to Sean Hogan, the Town of Barnstable’s Environmental Sustainability Manager, for his efforts to pursue this funding.”

Massachusetts’ clean energy transition can bring a range of benefits to host communities. This includes significant resilience benefits from pairing energy storage and microgrids at key community facilities. The Barnstable Microgrid is an example of identifying a key location to optimize energy storage benefits, demonstrate clean energy technologies, and provide significant direct energy and economic benefits to the community. The project will increase community resilience by enabling the Barnstable Intermediate School, High School, and Adult Community Center to operate independently during outages and serve as climate-controlled emergency facility.

“This award is an outstanding demonstration of how federal funds are helping us decarbonize our economy, reduce energy costs, and create workforce development opportunities in the process,” said Quentin Palfrey, Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure. “The clean energy transition is in full swing in Massachusetts, and we are committed to securing every federal dollar available to advance these impactful projects across the state. Thank you to our federal partners in the Biden-Harris administration for this award.”

The Barnstable Microgrid will also support educational programs for the school. By integrating renewable energy sources and upgrading HVAC systems, the project aims to lower the direct energy costs of the educational facilities. This translates into bottom line budget impacts and financial savings that can be reallocated to educational programs. Collaborations with the Cape Light Compact and other educational and business institutions will offer students valuable internships in the energy sector. These opportunities are crucial for students at the high school and college level to gain hands-on experience, explore potential career paths in renewable energy, and enhance their competitiveness in university and apprenticeship applications.

DOER and the Town of Barnstable look forward to working with the Department of Energy (DOE) on the Barnstable Microgrid through the TSED Grant Program. The TSED program is a DOE funding program designed to help communities with the challenges in permitting the deployment of critical transmission while providing tangible economic and energy benefits to communities that host or are impacted by transmission construction and operation across the country. DOE disburses TSED funds when construction of the covered transmission project in the area begins. More information on the selected projects and the TSED program can be found here: www.energy.gov/gdo/TSED.

Statements of Support:

Maggie Downey, Chief Administrative Officer, Cape Light Compact

“The Cape Light Compact looks forward to working with Barnstable, our largest environmental justice community, and the Commonwealth on the implementation of this project. The Barnstable renewable microgrid is a great example of how local, regional and state entities can collaborate to address climate issues.”

Thomas Cahir, Administrator, Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority

“The Town of Barnstable has continued to display impressive leadership in their efforts to enhance renewable energy and sustainability. Transportation contributes adversely toward greenhouse gas emissions in our region and CCRTA looks forward to collaborating with the community in support of this exciting opportunity and award.”

Frank Callahan, President, Massachusetts Building Trades Unions

“In their successful TSED application, Barnstable partnered with their local building trades union council and added a Project Labor Agreement commitment because they understood building our energy transition infrastructure also requires us to build skilled, local union construction careers. This project is a shining example of a community prioritizing family-sustaining wages, benefits and registered apprentice training to maximize federal grant competitiveness and Inflation Reduction Act tax savings.”

John Cox, President, Cape Cod Community College

“This is a landmark moment for our community, and we are very thankful to have a renewable-powered microgrid coming to Barnstable. The future of the Cape and Islands will rely heavily on our resiliency and adaptability, working collectively in making the region more sustainable. We are already seeing progress through new initiatives, including our work at 4Cs developing the “Blue Economy” degree, the creation of the Frank and Maureen Wilkens Science and Engineering Center on our campus in West Barnstable, and developing the first commercial use of the Gates Foundation’s ‘Toilet of the Future.’ Having a local, renewable grid is a transformational step forward for our community.”

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