Worcester Business Journal

18 Worcester Business Journal | May 29, 2023 | wbjournal.com in December, which outlines the government's plan to reach net-zero greenhouse emissions in 27 years. A complicated goal, achieving it will require public and private partnerships, including cooperation from business and residential communities, as well as removing barriers related to the wholesale power market, acquiring technical expertise, and permitting processes related to greenlighting clean energy power projects. Revolutionizing building To that end, panelist Joanna Troy, director of energy policy and planning at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, told attendees they should expect to see more working groups and councils devoted to cross- sector collaboration in the coming years. One project Troy highlighted was the Municipal Fossil Fuel Free Building Construction and Renovation Demonstration Project, colloquially referred to as the Ten Towns pilot program. e program, according to the Massachusetts Municipal Association, will prohibit or restrict fossil fuel use for new building construction and large renovation projects, allowing the Department of Energy Resources to collect data on fossil fuel bans, with the goal of informing future policy development. e sole Central Massachusetts community slated for participation is Acton, according to the MMA. Other towns include Aquinnah, Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, F O C U S E N E R G Y & S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y BY MONICA BENEVIDES Special to WBJ W hen it comes to reaching the state's renewable energy goals, cross-sector collaboration is the name of the game, according to speakers and panelists at WBJ's 2023 Mass Energy Summit. "e entire economy depends on the use of fossil fuels … To end that dependency is going to be really, really difficult," David O'Connor, president of Boston-based O'Connor Energy Consulting, a panelist at the May 12 summit, said about the barriers to clean energy development. Many of the speakers used as their guiding lights the state's Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2050, released Collaboration is key Easing the economy off its addiction to fossil fuels will require a multifaceted approach where all organizations are transparent and working in concert Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Newton, and West Tisbury. Describing it as a demonstration project, Troy said data collected will allow officials to see if there is a noticeable benefit. "We do think there will be," she said. e implications of such an effort cannot be understated. In addition to cost impacts, the program will require a complete construction paradigm shi in participating communities. "at's going to change the way builders build," O'Connor said. "at's going to change the way real estate agents sell property." Clean energy generation e Ten Towns program does not have an official start date. However, two of the towns – Aquinnah and Officials from the state government and Vineyard Wind, the offshore wind project key to the Massachusetts renewable energy goals, celebrate the construction of facilities on Martha's Vineyard. John Pitcavage (right), owner of Modern Energy, discusses heat pumps at the Mass Energy Summit. (Left) Joanna Troy, director of energy policy and planning at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and (right) David O'Connor, president of O'Connor Energy Consulting, discuss ways for Massachusetts to meet its sustainability goals during the Mass Energy Summit on May 12 at the DCU Center. PHOTOS | ERIKA SIDOR PHOTO | COURTESY OF VINEYARD WIND

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