SUN POWER FOR THE TOWN OF WESTWOOD, MASSACHUSETTS

摘要

Interfaith groups have increasingly become active in promoting and practicing environmental stewardship particularly related to energy consumption. By drawing upon various religious and spiritual experiences, they have been successful in working to help protect the environment through a variety of activities and projects. One such project was created by a unique relationship between a solar energy services company, a state renewable energy development agency and a non-profit eco-faith organization that will bring solar energy into a Massachusetts community. The ultimate goal of this project is to further the development of small commercial PV systems and bring it closer to mainstream community groups who are interested in retrofitting their buildings for solar energy. The standardized packages and easy-to-install mounting components result in reduced costs and streamlined installations that are making PV more attractive and cost-competitive to system owners. Together with educating the system owners and their institutions about solar energy and the exposure the systems will receive within the community, CSGS is confident this program will increase awareness and promote solar energy technology in Massachusetts. This paper describes the origins of the relationships, the highly visible sites that were selected, the photovoltaic (PV) systems that were installed, and the impact on the community's awareness of renewable energy technologies and their impact on the environment.