Clear all

16 results found

reorder grid_view

Resilient Power Project Case Study: Sterling Municipal Light Department

March 1, 2018

Sterling Municipal Light Department (SMLD) is a municipal utility serving the small New England town of Sterling, Massachusetts, with 3,700 residential, commercial, municipal, and industrial customers. In 2013, with a total of 3.2 megawatts (MW) of solar PV installed, SMLD became the number one utilityin the country for solar watts per customer. Solar accounted for approximately 30 percent of SMLD's peak load. At this high level of penetration, the variable nature of solar generation bagan to cause problems. Additionally, the costs of capacity and transmission services, based on SMLD"s peak demand for power purchased from the grid operator, were rising dramatically. These costs increased from $500,000 in 2010 to $1.2 million in 2017. SMLD needed a new strategy to firm the output of its solar generation and control rising costs linked to the utility's share of regional demand peak.The town of Sterling was considering adding a natural gas peaker plant to avoid rising capacity costs at its Municipal Light Department. But this idea was abandoned when the option of energy storage presented itself in the form of a state grant program offered through the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), called the Community Clean Energy Resiliency Initiative (CCERI). The grant program, initiated after Superstorm Sandy devastated the Northeast,w as designed to support municipal resilient clean energy systems. The town had also been hit by an ice storm in 2008, which had left residents without power for up to 14 days; thus, reciliency had been a longtime conern for the town. Energy storage presented an attractive means to firm the town's solar resources, add reciliency for critical infrastructure, and control rising costs.

Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts, 2015 Annual Report

January 1, 2016

The fund aims to create economic and social equality for women and girls in western Massachusetts through grant making and strategic initiatives in the areas of educational access and success, economic justice, and safety and freedom from violence.

A Second Look Through a Gender Lens: The Economic Security of Women and Girls in Forsyth County in 2015

September 1, 2015

Five years ago we released the first research of its kind to focus specifically on the circumstances and needs of women in Forsyth County, this updated report draws attention to the individual, social and systemic issues and barriers to economic security by examining poverty rates, wages, educational attainment and occupations as well as the cost of necessary expenses such as housing, utilities, food, transportation, childcare and healthcare in 2015.

Domestic Violence: The Economic Impact of an Intimate Crime

March 1, 2015

The issue brief raises awareness of the economic of domestic violence in our community and the disparity that exists between those who experience domestic violence and those who receive assistance from organizations.

Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts, 2014 Annual Report

January 1, 2015

The fund aims to create economic and social equality for women and girls in western Massachusetts through grant making and strategic initiatives in the areas of educational access and success, economic justice, and safety and freedom from violence.

Human Trafficking: Fighting the Hidden Crime of Modern-Day Slavery

March 1, 2014

The issue brief examines the link between economic insecurity in our community's most vulnerable populations and the prevalence of human trafficking. The brief also highlights anti-trafficking efforts across North Carolina.

Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts, 2013 Annual Report

January 1, 2014

The fund aims to create economic and social equality for women and girls in western Massachusetts through grant making and strategic initiatives in the areas of educational access and success, economic justice, and safety and freedom from violence.

Rape and Sexual Assault: Private Violence, Community Impacts

March 1, 2013

The issue brief looks at the emotional and economic impact victims of sexual assault - and their families - suffer directly and personally, as well as the measurable financial costs to society and the impact these crimes have on the larger community.

Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts, 2012 Annual Report

January 1, 2013

The fund aims to create economic and social equality for women and girls in western Massachusetts through grant making and strategic initiatives in the areas of educational access and success, economic justice, and safety and freedom from violence.

Teen Pregnancy and Parenting: Community Concern, Community Solutions

December 12, 2012

The issue brief looks at the impact of teen pregnancy and early parenting on the larger community and examines how our entire community can take shared responsibility in addressing this issue.

Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts, 2011 Annual Report

January 1, 2012

The fund aims to create economic and social equality for women and girls in western Massachusetts through grant making and strategic initiatives in the areas of educational access and success, economic justice, and safety and freedom from violence.

Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts, 2010 Annual Report

January 1, 2011

The fund aims to create economic and social equality for women and girls in western Massachusetts through grant making and strategic initiatives in the areas of educational access and success, economic justice, and safety and freedom from violence.