MBTA, BART to tap alternative energy sources to power stations

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Bay Area Rapid Transit are both introducing energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly ways to provide power to its train stations. Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary Richard Davey joined state and local officials on Oct. 25, to break ground on the Kingston Wind Turbine Program at the Kingston Layover Facility, a 100-kilowatt wind turbine that will power 65 percent of the Kingston commuter rail station's energy supply. The $2.5 million project is funded through President Obama's 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and builds on the Patrick-Murray Administration's efforts to invest in transportation infrastructure and create a more energy efficient Commonwealth. "We have made strategic investments in our clean energy infrastructure to create jobs and build a healthier commonwealth for generations to come," said Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. "Massachusetts is the national leader in energy efficiency and projects like the Kingston Wind Turbine will help us carry that torch well into the future." The station's energy supply to the parking lot, station platforms and plug--ins for locomotives will be supplied by the turbine. Also funded under the grant is a second 300-kilowatt turbine to be installed along the commuter rail tracks in Bridgewater this spring. Due to recent advances in technology, as well as changes in the financial structure of renewable energy, wind energy is quickly becoming a more cost competitive energy source when compared to fossil fuel sources of energy. Once installed, the two wind turbines will save MBTA approximately $100,000 annually in electricity costs. Awarded to SPS New England, the wind turbine will be constructed on a parcel of land on the north side of the commuter rail tracks between the maintenance and substation structures. Construction will begin immediately and includes, structural and mechanical support for the site preparation and foundation installation; electrical and communications support for the installation of the transformer and interconnections and the erection and commissioning of the turbine. As for San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit, a solar energy project is taking shape at the sun-drenched Lafayette Station, the latest example of BART's commitment to sustainability. The BART system already has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per passenger of any large transit system in the nation, said BART Energy Division Manager Frank Schultz. Now, a new solar canopy system over part of Lafayette Station's parking lot will capture the sun's rays to help power the lights, escalators and other electrical needs inside the station. Schultz said that other solar projects at BART's maintenance shops in Richmond and Hayward have been successful, so it was time to move on to a project at a station. "The solar panels will reside on the top of the canopies and provide shade for the customers when they park their cars and in addition, will generate solar power all day long," said James Lavelle, CEO of LightBeam Energy, the company managing the project. "Renewable energy provides a way for us to use the sun and wind and steam from the earth and other naturally generated electricity sources so that we don't have to use fossil fuels and damage the environment."