Weston Part of Metrowest Solar Provider Agreement

The article below was provided by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) announces the selection of Broadway Electrical Company, Inc. as the regional solar developer for 17 cities and towns, including Weston, in the Greater Boston area.

These municipalities are now eligible to enter into solar “energy management services” agreements with Broadway, guaranteeing them low-cost solar energy for up to 20 years without the risks of owning and maintaining solar photovoltaic systems of their own.

The 16 municipalities, in addition to Weston, participating in MAPC’s regional solar program are Belmont, Beverly, Boxborough, Brookline, Chelsea, Hudson, Lincoln, Marlborough, Medford, Medway, Melrose, Reading, Sherborn, Wayland, Weymouth and Winthrop.

“We are very excited to announce the selection of Broadway as our regional solar partner,” said Helen Aki, MAPC Clean Energy Program Coordinator. “These cities and towns stand to achieve serious savings on energy costs by working in collaboration through this program, and we look forward to helping our member municipalities to develop solar projects and generate local renewable energy.”

“We are honored that Broadway Electrical has been selected by MAPC and the 17 participating cities and towns for this very important and innovative project,” said Jonathan Wienslaw, the president of Broadway Electrical Co. Inc.

“The commitment from these municipalities to incorporate solar photovoltaic energy into their electrical supply as a renewable energy source will be paying environmental and financial dividends for years to come," Wienslaw continued. "Not only do the solar projects provide great learning opportunities for students, they also open the door for other energy projects to develop within the overall community. We look forward to delivering real economic and environmental benefits to these communities and expanding the education of solar as a renewable source of energy.”

Representatives from participating cities and towns reviewed responses and held in-person interviews before unanimously deciding on Broadway as their first choice for the regional solar provider. MAPC served in a facilitating role for the selection process, with support from the Cadmus Group, a strategic consulting group specializing in clean energy. MAPC’s agreement with Broadway stipulates that all participating cities and towns will be offered equal consideration, regardless of project size.

Solar energy management agreements are long-term service agreements in which the developer designs, finances, installs, owns, maintains and eventually removes a PV system. The community agrees to host the system in a publically-owned space and purchase the renewable electricity generated by the system. 

The MAPC Regional Solar procurement was made possible with support from the 2012 District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) program, which are state funds distributed among the 13 Regional Planning Agencies (RPAs) in Massachusetts. DLTA funds provide technical assistance to cities and towns on regional collaboration, economic development, zoning, and protecting the environment. The Barr Foundation also provides support for MAPC’s clean energy work. 

For more information

Contact Clean Energy Program Coordinator Helen Aki at 617-933-0714 or haki@mapc.org. For more information on MAPC, visit www.mapc.org