Massachusetts Educational institutions are leading the energy transition

Enel X is supporting educational institutions as they hold true to their commitments to sustainable energy.

Massachusetts is a national leader – and some would argue an international leader – in both higher education and clean energy innovation. At Enel X, we’re proud to bring these two worlds together as we help many of the state’s academic institutions track toward aggressive sustainability goals by implementing clean energy technology. College campuses, with large buildings for classrooms, lab spaces, and housing, are often energy-intensive and their predictable electricity usage patterns make them the perfect environment to implement cost-effective, carbon-reducing solutions.

These clean energy solutions have not always been prioritized by the education sector, but advances in policies and incentives in Massachusetts are enabling schools to take advantage of net-zero technologies, like solar-plus-storage, for little-to-no upfront cost.

Now is the time for educational institutions to join the energy transition. Here’s how:

Embracing technology

Today, energy storage is making it possible to overcome the intermittency barrier associated with renewables. In addition, storage can provide organizations with an opportunity to maximize the financial benefits of their energy assets.

In solar-plus-storage systems, batteries store energy produced when the sun is shining and release that energy when it’s needed. This has two important benefits for organizations, 1. They can tap into that stored energy to avoid using electricity from the grid when it is most expensive, and 2. They can be compensated by the local utility for delivering their stored energy to the grid during times of peak demand or even power outages.

Taking advantage of state incentives

As the cost of solar energy continues to decline, states like Massachusetts are setting ambitious (but attainable) decarbonization goals. However, unlike the Midwestern United States where land is abundant, coastal cities are leaning more on smaller-scale solar solutions paired with batteries to help integrate renewables on the grid.

To support this, Massachusetts introduced the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program which incentivizes the deployment of solar-plus-storage systems by enabling organizations to implement these systems for little-to-no upfront cost while reaping savings on their energy bills. A unique aspect of SMART is that it encourages the development of smaller, more distributed projects, thus opening up more opportunities for businesses and academic institutions to participate.

For example, we’re helping the University of Massachusetts-Boston meet its sustainability goals with a fully integrated system that includes solar, storage, and Enel X JuiceBox electric vehicle charging stations. The project is enrolled in the SMART program to earn economic incentives for alleviating strain on the grid during peak demand. Recently recognized by E&E News as Project of the Year, this system integrates a number of emerging clean energy technologies on the campus, including a solar photovoltaic system on the top of the school’s parking garages, a lithium-ion energy storage system that provides reserve power when solar generation is interrupted, and JuiceBox electric vehicle chargers on the first floor of the garage to support clean vehicles. This 100% renewable-based energy solution is forecasted to reduce the campus’ grid dependence and energy spending by $1.5 million with no upfront costs for UMass Boston.

In addition to solar-plus-storage, we’re also partnering directly with companies and municipalities to electrify buses. Through recent grants from the MassCEC, we’re working with Hopkinton Public School District to provide two electric school buses and smart charging infrastructure that enables the district to optimize charging. This project will demonstrate the importance of vehicle-grid integration by enabling the buses to serve as flexible distributed energy resources and participate in utility programs such as demand response to reduce the cost and carbon-intensity of the bus fleet.

Consider the benefits beyond campus

While energy management infrastructure implemented at universities provides significant benefits to the school, the advantages of clean energy can also be extended to surrounding communities. For instance, Enel X has also partnered with the MBTA during the planning of a new bus depot in Quincy, Massachusetts, that will house a fully-electric fleet of 120 buses in addition to charging infrastructure.

With these technologies, we are providing Massachusetts communities with the resources to run almost entirely on clean energy. Collaborations and partnerships with large energy consumers, such as educational institutions, are the building blocks for enabling the community to reap all of the benefits provided by clean energy solutions.