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Technical Assistance

MAPC

Smart Growth & Regional Collaboration

Smart Cities & Towns

Technical Assistance

MAPC helps connect cities and towns to climate-smart innovations that create a multi-benefit platform for data management, energy efficiency, green municipal aggregation, municipal and community shared solar, energy storage and resiliency, and more.

Green Municipal Aggregation

Leverage the buying power of your entire city or town to help build new renewable energy.  Whether your municipality is new to municipal aggregation or already has an active program, MAPC can help you maximize your climate impact. In a municipal - or community choice - aggregation program, the city or town contracts with an electricity supplier on behalf of all residents and businesses who have not already selected a supplier. MAPC’s approach to green municipal aggregation results in stable rates that can reduce electricity bills, while also driving the creation of new, local renewable energy.   

Learn more about green municipal aggregation here.

Energy-Related Grant Writing And Management

MAPC can help your community apply for and manage grants related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy data management, and more.

Contact the Clean Energy Team to learn more.

Energy Storage And Resiliency

MAPC can help your community explore energy resiliency options for your city or town, by guiding you through technology options (battery storage, microgrids and combined heat and power (CHP), convening expert stakeholders, and providing technical assistance for project management. 

Read more about our energy storage and resiliency work here.

Gas Leaks Coordination

Natural gas (methane) is a potent greenhouse gas, and Massachusetts’ network of distribution pipes is one of the oldest and leakiest in the nation. Our utilities have long-range plans to replace the leaky pipe, but the process is slow and can cause disruption to municipal streets. Through targeted improvements in coordination with the gas company, municipalities can protect their roads while simultaneously helping to accelerate removal of leaky pipe and reduce GHG emissions.

Learn more about best practices for coordination here.

Green Communities Program Support

The Department of Energy Resource’s (DOER’s) Green Communities program provides an opportunity for municipalities to obtain grant funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects at the local level. MAPC provides technical assistance both to communities preparing to apply for Green Communities Designation and to cities and towns already designated that are pursuing energy reduction strategies.

Learn more about MAPC's support for Green Communities here.

Municipal and Community Shared Solar

Community shared solar (CSS) allows communities to provide the benefits of a solar project to residents, non-profits, and businesses that are unable to install solar on their properties. In a CSS arrangement, a solar photovoltaic system provides the benefits of solar to multiple participants, offering opportunities for low and moderate income residents, renters, and owners unable to install solar to invest in renewable energy and receive cost savings.

To learn more, visit our solar contracting and best practices page here.

Municipal Energy Data Management

MAPC can help gather and organize your municipality’s data to get effective results for local, Green Communities, or other energy accounting efforts. MAPC’s Local Energy Action Dashboard (LEAD) provides Massachusetts cities and towns with an estimated community-wide energy use baseline. LEAD provides communities with a snapshot of how energy is being used within their commercial, industrial, and residential buildings. 

MAPC also supports municipalities in using DOER’s MassEnergyInsight (MEI), which is available to every Massachusetts city and town to organize municipal energy consumption data, create reports, and target programs to reduce energy use. 

Peak Demand Management

MAPC runs an annual summer-long program to help municipalities reduce the Capacity Charge, a major portion of the electricity bill at some of their largest facilities, like schools, City Hall, Library, etc. The program alerts municipalities to periods of peak demand on the New England electric grid, so that the facilities can plan ahead to reduce energy usage during peak hours. Reducing demand during just a few hours each summer can save thousands of dollars in the following year’s electric bills.

Go to the Peak Demand webpage to learn more.

Contact Patrick Roche at MAPC to join the program.

Clean Heating and Cooling

MAPC will publish a series of toolkits to educate municipalities on technologies, funding and financing opportunities for clean heating and cooling. MAPC will also be available to provide technical assistance with clean heating and cooling procurement, local program campaigns for residential and commercial sectors, and grant exploration and project management for municipal projects.

Learn more about clean heating and cooling technologies here.

Shared Energy Staffing Services

MAPC works with communities with part-time or intermittent energy-related staffing needs to collaborate and coordinate for shared energy staffing services, such as a Shared Energy Manager. Shared energy staffing services provide an innovative and flexible solution to help communities with limited resources to support and build energy staffing capacity, while promoting regional collaboration in clean energy efforts.

Learn more about staffing services here.