Belmont Carbon Emissions Down 14%

 Climate Change, Environment, July/August 2024, Solar Power  Comments Off on Belmont Carbon Emissions Down 14%
Jun 252024
 
Belmont Carbon Emissions Down 14%

By Roger Wrubel, Brian Kopperl, and James Booth According to the Belmont Energy Committee’s most recent inventory, the town’s carbon emissions dropped from 177,000 tons to 150,000 tons per year between 2014 and 2021. The drop, which measures emissions from gasoline, natural gas, fuel oil, and electricity, results from residents shifting away from home heating oil to other energy sources, driving more fuel-efficient vehicles, and drawing their electricity from a cleaner New England grid. Except for the shift away from fuel oil, none of these reductions are happening at a pace sufficient to reach zero emissions by 2050. The committee [READ MORE]

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Opinion: Belmont needs to get serious about climate goals

 March/April 2023  Comments Off on Opinion: Belmont needs to get serious about climate goals
Mar 012023
 
Opinion: Belmont needs to get serious about climate goals

By Brian Iler While providing $290,633 to BMHS Building Committee to complete the full solar array is an encouraging development from both a fiscal and environmental perspective, this observer is discouraged by the fact that the Select Board’s deliberations never included a mention of the climate-positive effect of the scheme. Instead, it was a 100% fiscal argument that carried the day. There are obvious reasons for this. Everyone can agree with a proposal that saves the town money. It’s a political no-brainer. What’s not clear is whether the town shares a sense of its moral responsibility to decrease its contribution [READ MORE]

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Belmont Needs School Roof Solar Panels

 March/April 2023, Newsletter, Solar Power  Comments Off on Belmont Needs School Roof Solar Panels
Mar 012023
 
Belmont Needs School Roof Solar Panels

By Brian Iler Photovoltaic solar panels (PVs) have been planned for the new Belmont Middle and High School (BMHS) since early designs for the project were presented in 2017. PV is integral to achieving this building’s Zero Net Energy goal. And to many in Belmont, Zero Net Energy was a big factor when deciding whether to vote for a hefty tax increase to fund this colossal project in 2018.  Since this vote, the funds reserved for PVs have been on the chopping block three times to offset project cost overruns. Public outcry—with advocates crowding into Belmont Middle and High School [READ MORE]

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Could Town Buildings Generate Solar Power?

 Climate Change, Environment, January/February 2023, Newsletter, Solar Power  Comments Off on Could Town Buildings Generate Solar Power?
Jan 032023
 
Could Town Buildings Generate Solar Power?

By Aditya Jain and Vincent Stanton, Jr. Imagine a project that would produce a new recurring revenue stream for Belmont without any upfront cost, utilizing only town-owned land and buildings, while lowering electricity costs and helping the town achieve its green energy goals. That could be the payoff for installing photovoltaic (PV) panels on town properties. Suitable town-owned sites include non-historic buildings with large flat rooftops, parking lots, and open ground including the former incinerator site along Concord Avenue. Adding PV arrays on privately owned rooftops and parking lots could significantly expand the network of arrays and improve the economics. [READ MORE]

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Town Plans Sustainable Library

 Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Sept/Oct 2022  Comments Off on Town Plans Sustainable Library
Sep 092022
 
Town Plans Sustainable Library

By Marty Bitner and Clair Colburn  The proposed new library, designed by Oudens Ello Architecture, is an all-electric, highly sustainable building, but what are those sustainable features? What is the process of designing a holistically sustainable building? Right-Sizing Buildings contribute to 40% of global energy consumption and 33% of greenhouse gas emissions. Since heating buildings is the largest source of carbon emissions in Belmont, the first goal in sustainability is to make sure that our new library is no larger than it needs to be. Having the right size building means that space is not being unnecessarily heated and cooled [READ MORE]

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Belmont Path Solar Array – Full Version

 July-August 2022, Newsletter, Solar Power  Comments Off on Belmont Path Solar Array – Full Version
Jun 202022
 
Belmont Path Solar Array - Full Version

Electrifying Belmont: Could the Community Path Anchor a PV Solar Array? By Vincent Stanton, Jr. A condensed version of this article appeared in the July//August 2022 BCF Newsletter – Ed. The settlement of Belmont was shaped by the opening of the Fitchburg Railroad in 1843. Today, 179 years later, the Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line, now owned by the MBTA, would be recognizable to a Belmont resident of 1843. Though the 19th-century stations are gone, and at-grade crossings in Belmont Center and Waverley Square were replaced in 1907 and 1952 by a bridge and a trench, respectively, the basic infrastructure (steel [READ MORE]

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The Roadmap Climate and Clean Energy Law

 Air Quality, Climate Change, Environment, May-June 2021, Newsletter, Open Space, Solar Power  Comments Off on The Roadmap Climate and Clean Energy Law
May 042021
 
The Roadmap Climate and Clean Energy Law

   By Representative Dave M. Rogers While policy makers are confronted by a wide variety of pressing policy issues, few if any compare to the complexity and scale presented by our changing climate. Most of us are long since familiar with the worrisome data, but two recent comprehensive reports thoroughly define the challenge. The most recent National Climate Assessment, a quadrennial publication of the US Global Change Research Program, and the October 2018 report of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presents a wide array of troubling findings. The IPCC report concluded that limiting global temperature rise to [READ MORE]

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Belmont Goes Solar Offers Solar Discounts Through April

 January 2016, Newsletter, Solar Power  Comments Off on Belmont Goes Solar Offers Solar Discounts Through April
Jan 132016
 
Belmont Goes Solar Offers Solar Discounts Through April

By Alix van Geel The shortest days of the season have passed, and now is the perfect time to consider adding solar to your Belmont home or business. For a limited time through April 30, 2016, Belmontians can take advantage of discount pricing for solar rooftop panels to provide electricity, thanks to Belmont Goes Solar. Belmont Goes Solar is a group of volunteers working to expand small-scale solar energy installations in town. Belmont Goes Solar is supported by the Board of Selectmen and includes members of the Belmont Energy Committee, Sustainable Belmont, Mothers Out Front, and Belmont Light. The group’s [READ MORE]

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