Commonwealth Solar Hot Water- Outreach Efforts
MassCEC has awarded three companies to implement individual solar hot water outreach efforts in Massachusetts. The goal of these efforts is to increase technology awareness, reduce costs, and accelerate adoption. Projects generated through these efforts may be eligible for rebates through MassCEC under the following categories:
Please read about these exciting outreach efforts below! More information can be found on each of their websites.
Center for Ecotechnology (CET)
The Center for EcoTechnology (CET) will conduct an innovative and replicable commercial Solar Hot Water campaign to overcome market barriers to adoption of solar thermal technology. CET’s experienced staff will work closely with our statewide network of industry and government partners to provide outreach, objective information and technical assistance that specifically targets commercial customers with significant year-round hot water needs. Additionally, CET will work with solar installers to identify potential efficiencies within the targeted sectors that afford opportunities to reduce costs. Examples of targeted facilities include hotels, restaurants, car washes, laundries, breweries, hospitals, nursing homes, community centers and resorts with large indoor swimming pools, dairy farms, and multi-family buildings.
Resources
Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE)
The Center for Sustainable Energy and New Ecology, Inc. are developing a campaign to educate and engage multifamily building owners and operators – both market rate and affordable – about solar thermal applications for their buildings, including details about the MassCEC incentive program. The Team will leverage existing relationships with multifamily housing networks and financiers, as well as perform personal outreach, to reach appropriate personnel within housing ownership and management companies with the goal of increasing the adoption of solar thermal technology in cases where there is a robust value proposition. The campaign will include case studies, workshops for owners and operators, webinars for owners who cannot attend workshops, and meet-and-greet events for multifamily stakeholders to engage face-to-face with solar thermal installers and contractors.
Resources
Meister Consultants Group (MCG)
A team of regional planning agencies and councils of government with support from Meister Consultants Group (MCG) are developing a Solar Thermal Challenge program to expand deployment of solar thermal technologies in the residential sector. Through 2018, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC), and the Hampshire Council of Governments (HCG) will design and implement solar thermal outreach and community purchasing campaigns across their territories. Campaign outreach and activities will focus on communities with high potential for solar thermal uptake, identified through a preliminary market segmentation analysis. MAPC will also work with a select number of municipalities within its territory to procure solar thermal systems at municipal facilities with high hot water loads.