BRATTLEBORO — The Windham Regional Commission, through the Windham County Renewable Energy Program, recently announced the funding of five new renewable-energy installation projects for 2018.
According to the Commission, the application process was competitive in this second round of funding, with more than $700,000 in available funding. The projects that received funding are:
• Windham County Integrated Resource Recycling Center Anaerobic Digester: a 300 kW food-waste anaerobic digester facility to supplement the declining biogas production at the existing landfill gas-to-energy site on the Windham Solid Waste Management District landfill site and adjacent properties (the “BOE Site”) in Brattleboro.
Last year, WCREP funds went into the feasibility study of an anaerobic digester located at the landfill. The study identified the quantity and quality of food waste from multiple commercial generators, estimated methane gas production, and projected electrical generation.
That study proved the project is feasible and paved the way for the digester to be funded in the second round. The resulting project could help the Windham Region meet the new solid waste management rules regulating organic materials.
• Grafton Community Solar: Credits generated by 360 kW solar array on a brownfield site will be incentivized and allocated to a local, low-income community purchasing the credits to meet the electricity needs.
• The Retreat Farm District Heating System: Funds will go towards installing a biomass district heating system on the farm's campus. The installation will be installed in increments as the historic buildings are renovated and repurposed and will serve as a regional demonstration for modern wood heat.
• SEVCA Solar: Southeastern Vermont Community Action will deploy and integrate a 150 kW, 100 percent low-income community solar array into its energy assistance program to demonstrate a new model of low-income energy assistance that is both fiscally responsible and environmentally appropriate. By using community solar subscriptions, SEVCA can more permanently address energy poverty and foster energy security among low-income communities.
• Windham & Windsor Housing Trust Flat Street Affordable Housing Rooftop Solar: The rooftop solar PV array on a new development on 29 Flat St. in Brattleboro will power a high-performance multi-family apartment building.
The first round of funding through WCREP yielded five projects ranging from combined heat and power units to rooftop solar arrays, experimental agriculture in solar fields, and a feasibility study for an anaerobic digester.
Construction on these projects began in May, and the WRC says the projects have taken great strides since:
• Allard Lumber in Dummerston: Allard has been working towards installing a higher working pressure biomass fueled boiler. WCREP funding will fund directing this steam into a steam engine and generator, with the resultant electricity being put onto the local grid. This combined heat and power unit will be utilized for the kiln and to generate electricity.
• Alpenglo: Rooftop solar installation on the Vermont Distilleries building in Marlboro that will power four businesses and two residences. It will also include educational exhibits in the distillery and museum. This project is installed and generating energy.
• Great River Terrace: The Great River Terrace project is a redevelopment of the Lamplighter Inn on Putney Road in Brattleboro by WWHT. The project will consist of 22 affordable apartments, 11 of which will specifically be designated for homeless populations. The grant funds will go toward a rooftop solar installation that will power the units.
• School for International Training: A 150 kW array on SIT's Brattleboro campus will supply the campus's electrical needs and also will be a demonstration site for crops integrated into the solar field. The site will be an educational resource with speaker series and classes focused on the layered use of the land. The solar array is fully installed, and the plantings will take place in the spring time.
The WRC is able to support these grant programs through the funds from the Clean Energy Development Fund earmarked for Windham County as part of the settlement between the State and Vermont Yankee.
These funds also support WRC's Windham Wood Heat Initiative, which incentivizes the conversion from conventional heat to modern wood heating systems in school, municipal, and nonprofit buildings in Windham County.