Town of Westwood and Ameresco to Host Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on May 17 to Formally Unveil Interactive Kiosk at the High School
Kiosk serves as an informational tool and educational display in support of the Town’s sustainability efforts.
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. & WESTWOOD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Town of Westwood, Massachusetts and Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, today announced that they will co-host a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday, May 17, at 1:00 p.m. to unveil the new interactive kiosk located in the lobby at the Westwood High School.
“We’re excited the solar arrays at the schools are complete and are operational and that the kiosk, donated by Ameresco, has been installed,” said Thomas Philbin, Energy Manager, Town of Westwood. “Ameresco’s technical expertise and experience has afforded us a valuable partner in helping Westwood to drive our energy strategy forward. In addition, the kiosk will provide our students and the community with an informational tool that helps to further enhance the learning environment.”
The interactive kiosk will display the environmental benefit of solar, and provide information about the Town’s solar arrays at the Westwood High School, Thurston Middle School, and the Martha Jones and Downey Elementary Schools.
Ameresco designed, built, owns and will operate the four roof-top renewable energy arrays. The multi-million dollar, 616 kW-DC renewable energy project includes approximately 1,800 panels installed on the roofs of the schools, creating energy savings upwards of $2 million over the 20-year term of the agreement for the Town.
John Antonucci, the Westwood Superintendent of Schools continued, “Our solar initiative was fiscally prudent for the Town’s bottom-line and it provides an important educational opportunity for our community. In addition, as a Green Community, it helps support our commitment to minimizing climate change effects and environmental stewardship. This project allows us to save approximately $100,000 annually in energy expenses, all without incurring any capital costs by the Town or our schools.”
The Town of Westwood entered into a 20-year solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the developer, Ameresco, where the Town will purchase the generated electricity at a fixed rate that is lower than it currently pays to Eversource, resulting in annual utility budget savings. The systems are expected to generate approximately 730,000 kWh annually over the term of the agreement.
“Ameresco is truly honored to work with the Town of Westwood and we commend the Town and School System’s leadership for their commitment in embracing this renewable energy project that will positively impact the environment while generating immediate cost savings for the community without any capital investment made by the Town,” said Michael T. Bakas, Senior Vice President, Ameresco. “This project was successfully delivered under an aggressive schedule from contract signing to completion with no ‘down-time’ for the schools, which allowed the Town to realize greater benefits associated with the State’s Solar program.”
In support of the Town’s sustainability goals, renewable generation from the solar systems will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 567 tons annually, the equivalent to producing enough electricity annually to power approximately 76 homes.
Bakas continued, “Ameresco is delighted the project is installed, and we’re happy to be able to unveil the interactive kiosks that will function as a valuable educational and informational tool for the Westwood schools and community at large.”
Please note: The ribbon cutting celebration will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m., in the lobby of the Westwood High School. The ceremony will be followed by a brief reception in the same area.
About the Town of Westwood
Westwood was established in 1897.
It is made up of a community of 14,626 located 12 miles southwest of
Boston. Westwood is situated at the junction of Route 95/128 and 93 and
provides an excellent location for its residents with easy access to
Boston, but with all the elements of a beautiful suburban community.
Westwood also has two commuter rail lines and full MBTA bus service on
Routes 1 and 1A (Washington Street). Westwood is recognized for the
quality of its education. Students consistently score in the top
percentiles on national tests, MCAS, and the overwhelming majority of
students graduating from the high school go on to higher education. The
Town also encourages and maintains many recreational areas and
facilities, including numerous conservation areas, playgrounds, ball
fields and an indoor pool facility. It has two libraries, a senior
center, Youth & Family Services, curb collection of solid waste and
recycling and numerous community-sponsored events for residents.
About Ameresco, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:
AMRC) is a leading independent provider of comprehensive services,
energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and
renewable energy solutions for businesses and organizations throughout
North America and Europe. Ameresco’s sustainability services include
upgrades to a facility’s energy infrastructure and the development,
construction and operation of renewable energy plants. Ameresco has
successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible
projects with Federal, state and local governments, healthcare and
educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and
industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA,
Ameresco has more than 1,000 employees providing local expertise in the
United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information,
visit www.ameresco.com.
The announcement of a customer’s entry into a project contract is not necessarily indicative of the timing or amount of revenue from such contract, of the company’s overall revenue for any particular period or of trends in the company’s overall total construction backlog. This project was included in our previously reported assets in development as of March 31, 2017.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170516006119/en/
Media Contacts:
Town of Westwood:
Thomas
Philbin, 781-320-1036
or
Ameresco:
CarolAnn
Hibbard, 508-661-2264
news@ameresco.com
Source: Ameresco, Inc.
Released May 16, 2017
