Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Red Sox, Boston mayor announce solar plans

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Red Sox announced a two-year solar-energy initiative at Fenway Park this morning, one day after the team's home opener.

The city of Boston launched Solar Boston, a $550,000 plan to increase the city's solar capacity. The city said it will install solar projects on city-owned buildings throughout Boston. Solar Boston said it could potentially put between 670 megawatts and 900 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity on existing roofs, or 14 percent to19 percent of the city's 2006 electricity demand.

The Boston Red Sox and National Grid also announced plans to install a solar water-heating system at Fenway Park in May.

Solar Boston is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy with $150,000 in financial assistance, which the city was required to match. The U.S. Department of Energy is also expected to provide up to $250,000 in technical assistance over the two-year period.

The project will receive additional funding from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, National Grid, NSTAR, the state's Division of Energy Resources, and an anonymous foundation, according to city officials.