Lessons Learned
Mayor Yunits speaking at public meeting.
Photo: David Farrell.
Brockton is well-positioned to serve as a replicable solar city and brightfields model for other municipalities nationwide that have the resources and stamina to accept the challenge.. As an economically distressed community with a population below 100,000 Brockton can inspire other municipalities, demonstrating that through commitment and creativity, they too can deploy this clean energy technology. The Brownfields to Brightfields project has been challenging, in terms of its complexity, the need to garner and maintain broad-based support, the number of public and private players involved, and the funding model. However, we have found that, for those communities with the focus and stamina to undertake this project, the payback is significant. A number of best practices will help ensure success: Community-based Project From the start, the Brownfields to Brightfields project has cultivated widespread community support and involvement. Soliciting input from the community – residents, businesses, and public entities – ensures that the design of project components incorporate and address community concerns, and ultimately that they will be successful long after initial implementation. Political Support Our project has relied on strong political support, on all levels – local, state, and federal. On the state and federal level, we have been able to obtain funding, access to technical expertise, and have obtained two home rule petitions (special legislation), through the Massachusetts legislature that will establish a precedent for developing major, long-term projects such as a solar Brightfield. On the local level, this project would not have moved forward without the leadership and vigilance of the Mayor's Office, City Council, Office of the City Planner and other key local entities such as the Brockton 21 st Century Corporation and MetroSouth Chamber of Commerce. Multiple Funding Sources For such a major undertaking as a Brownfields to Brightfields project, it is crucial to develop a funding plan that 1) incrementally supports the needs of the project as it grows over time and 2) draws from multiple funding sources. As we move forward into predevelopment and deployment, we will increasingly begin to incorporate financing from the private sector as well as taking advantage of public sector incentives. Cost Effectiveness Brockton's Brightfield project realizes economies of scale due to its size. Whereas typical PV installations cost an average of $10/watt, Brockton's large utility scale size reduced the cost to about $7 per watt. Further, the City sought an incentive of only $3/watt compared to the typical $5/watt. Significant Feasibility Planning Brockton obtained grants, involved numerous partners, and spent a significant amount of time conducting feasibility studies for all the major components of the project. This work has ensured that our detailed plans are economically viable, palatable within the community, and realistic from a technical perspective. The feasibility studies form the basis for financing, vendor selection, marketing, training and construction activities, ensuring that implementation of our solutions occurs on-time, and on budget. Partnership Approach Last but not least, we cannot overstress the importance of building a broad coalition of partners. The Brockton Solar Champions Partnership has been instrumental in garnering support for the project and will now be involved in project implementation, ensuring long-term “ownership” of the project by the community. My Personal Perspective This website was developed as part of a course that includes personal reflections and journal writing. In providing feedback on my draft presentation, some members of the class suggested I add my own "voice", or personal perspetive. It is attached through the following link for those that are interested in my view after over five years of Brightfield advocacy.
Barriers Encountered and Methods for Overcoming Barriers Phase I Proposal from Global Solar Team
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