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Energy Task Force

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Energy Task Force

The Energy Task Force was sanctioned by the Select Board on May 8, 2007 with the basic charge to explore renewable energy as a resource to benefit town facilities and the community, and to recommend feasible projects to the Town Manager and Select Board. In March, 2008 the charge was expanded to:

"Explore and evaluate renewable energy to supplement or replace conventional energy to benefit town facilities, infrastructure and operations; to evaluate renewable and conventional energy applications, options and costs with a goal to reduce the town's energy consumption and costs; to identify attractive and feasible projects; to advise and assist the town in development and implementation of a local action plan for climate change; and to report to the Town Manager, for presentation to the Select Board, your findings and recommendations for funding and implementation."

Initially the Task Force identified projects attractive to the town which would be based on the direct conversion of solar energy to electricity, the utilization of solar energy to heat potable water and the conversion of wind energy to electricity. "Demonstration" projects were thought to be especially attractive to increase the awareness of the potential of these technologies to all of the town's residents.

Review of the work of other communities indicated that energy conservation should be the first order of the day… "If you don't use it you don't have to worry about how it's made.", so we included energy conservation in our work and gave it top priority.

Four projects have been developed by the Task Force:

  • The installation of LED traffic lights to save energy (project completed),
  • The installation of a solar/PV array on the roof of Glenbrook Middle School to demonstrate this technology (project awaiting review by the select board),
  • The purchase of the town's street lights from WMECo to save rental costs and the improvement of these lights to save energy (project still in development) and
  • The insulation of the natatorium in the high school to save energy (project nearly ready for formal review).

Please read the minutes of our meetings to get a blow-by-blow description of all that has happened since the group's formation.

There is no corner on brains, ideas and energy within the group members. If you are interested in energy conservation or "greening" our town, please attend one of our meetings, listen to our discussions and decide how you can help. We want your help!

Members

Andrea Chasen
John Hoagland
Dean Kavanagh
Dick Kmetz
Jerry Nolet
Paul Santaniello
Roger Wojcik, Chair

E-mail messages for the Energy Task Force may be sent to Roger Wojcik, Chairman, at rogerwojcik@hotmail.com

Meeting Minutes/ Energy Task Force

6/27/07

7/27/07

8/31/07

9/28/07

10/16/07

10/29/07

11/16/07

12/14/07

1/22/08

2/05/08

3/14/08

4/11/08

5/21/08

6/05/08

7/10/08



Documents

Status Report- Executive Summary- 7/21/08
Status Report
-Potential of Wind Turbines to Generate Electric Power
Status Report -Direct Conversion of Solar Energy to Electricity in Longmeadow

All of the above meeting minutes + assorted documents are posted in Adobe Acrobat Read format. For information on how to utilize this useful reader, please consult our Five Minute Guide for Acrobat Read.