Baker-Polito Administration Announces $2.8 Million in Matching Funding for Renewable Heating Infrastructure

Projects to Increase Availability of Renewable Heating Fuels

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration today awarded five grants totaling $2,889,285 to Massachusetts businesses to fund infrastructure projects to increase the availability of low-carbon, renewable heating fuels. The grants, funded by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), are part of the Renewable Thermal Infrastructure Grant Program, an initiative focused on expanding the availability of renewable thermal technologies in Massachusetts.

 

“Renewable heating is critical to reducing the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas emissions and meeting our targets under the Global Warming Solutions Act,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Supporting these technologies is an investment in our local economies, the sustainability of our energy future, and expanding heating options to our residents and businesses.”

 

“Our administration is committed to ensuring that communities across the Commonwealth have access to clean, affordable energy,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “With this investment, Massachusetts continues to lead the nation in renewable energy by providing increased access to the resources needed to heat homes and businesses comfortably.”

 

Grant awardees are required to match at least 50 percent of the project costs, which will result in approximately $6 million dollars of infrastructure upgrades across the Commonwealth. Funded projects include woody biomass processing and delivery equipment, testing of modern wood heating and emission control devices to current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards and the installation of a tank to blend eligible biofuels with conventional heating oils. 

 

With updates to the Alternative Portfolio Standard (APS) regulations encouraging greater use of renewable thermal technologies, both residents and businesses in the Commonwealth are now able to earn incentives for meeting their heating needs with renewable energy.  New renewable thermal technologies included in the APS include air and ground-source heat pumps, modern wood heating, liquid biofuels, biogas and solar hot water. 

 

“This program increases the availability of affordable, sustainable and locally sourced dried-wood fuel in the Commonwealth,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “Advancing infrastructure for access to this fuel is critical to facilitating sustainable and responsible land management across the Commonwealth and creating a clean energy future.”

 

“The infrastructure supported through this initiative reduces our reliance on conventional fossil fuels while lowering energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions across Massachusetts,” said Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Judith Judson. “These heating technologies will have direct benefits to residents and businesses in the Commonwealth for years to come.”

 

The awarded grants will go to the following businesses:

Caluwe Inc.	Burlington	$426,035	To build a showroom storage warehouse in Western Massachusetts and purchase a service vehicle.   Also included in the project is the full testing and certification of several European wood chip boilers and related emission control devices to EPA and UL standards.
Dunlap’s Energy	Plymouth	$228,250	To build a mixing tank that precisely blends renewable biofuel with conventional heating fuels.
Holliday Farm Inc.	Dalton	$1,000,000	To purchase equipment to process, handle, store and deliver dried wood chips.  This project will include the purchase of two trucks able to pneumatically deliver dried woodchips.
Pantermehl Land Clearing Inc.	Ashfield	$350,000	To purchase a large format chipper, live-floor trailer and chip screen, to allow for the creation and bulk delivery of dried woodchips.  Also cost shared is a 65’ x 80’ chip storage building and accompanying asphalt pad.
Wagner Wood	Amherst	$885,000	To purchase the equipment to process, handle, store and deliver dried woodchips. This project will include the purchase of a chip trailer designed to pneumatically deliver dried woodchips into residential or commercial fuel storage silos

In addition to the support that DOER is providing for the renewable heating supply chain infrastructure, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center has recently expanded support for high-efficiency, low-emissions advanced wood heating systems in large buildings through its Modern Wood Heating Program, which offers grants up to $500,000 for qualifying projects. The MassCEC program offers an opportunity for municipal buildings and businesses to transition to fossil fuel free heating, which can deliver significant cost savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Funding for DOER’s Renewable Heating Infrastructure grants is available from Alternative Compliance Payments (ACP) paid by retail electric suppliers that did not meet their Alternative Portfolio Standard compliance obligations through the purchase of Alternative Energy Certificates.

“This grant from the Baker-Polito Administration will continue the expansion of renewable heating methods in Plymouth and surrounding communities,” said State Senator Vinny deMacedo (R-Plymouth). “As heating costs continue to rise, finding cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions is more important than ever. I am proud that with this grant Plymouth businesses will be able to work with the Administration to meet that need in our region.”

“I am grateful to the Baker-Polito Administration for expanding renewable thermal technologies to reduce greenhouse gas in the Commonwealth,” said State Representative Matt Muratore (R-Plymouth). “I am happy that a company in my district, Dunlap’s Energy in Plymouth, will receive a grant to help them produce a lower carbon, renewable heating fuel product.”

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