Lexington continues to lead the energy transition with lots happening on the energy, climate and environmental fronts. The guiding principle is that Lexington is all in on getting to net zero through electrification. Here’s a recap at the end of 2023 and some things to look forward to in the new year.
Tracer Lane Solar
The court battle continues for this contentious solar project that abuts a Waltham residential neighborhood and the reservoir that provides drinking water for Cambridge. Construction will require the removal of 1,000+ trees.
The developer, Tracer Lane II Realty, LLC (controlled by Harold Nahigian), intends to construct, operate, and maintain a ‡1.0- megawatt solar energy system on a ‡30-acre parcel it owns in Lexington. Four plaintiffs (the developer, the City of Cambridge, the City of Waltham, and a group of abutters in Waltham) are seeking judicial review in Land Court of the decision by the Lexington Planning Board in its Major Site Plan Review concerning the project. None of the parties are particularly happy with Lexington’s approval or the conditions imposed by the Planning Board. Local opposition is one of the major factors delaying solar projects nationwide. To advance its renewable energy and climate goals, the Commonwealth has curtailed the ability of towns to restrict solar development through zoning restrictions. So off to court we go.
In the fall, the Court heard various motions, and encouraged the parties to engage in settlement discussions. The Court noted that settlement talks began immediately in the lobby after one hearing, and are still ongoing. These efforts include negotiations among the Developer, each of the municipalities and the Cambridge Water Board, among others. Settlement talks have included discussions of alternative access points for power lines and vehicles, as well as bigger buffers to the neighborhood. The Court extended the discovery period to the end of April.
According to the abutters’ GoFundMe site, there is some thought that a potential land purchase may represent a settlement option. It states that Waltham and Cambridge have expressed an interest in purchasing the land, but the developer has not yet provided an offer price. More to come for sure.
In the fall, Mass Audubon and Harvard Forest co-authored a study that concluded current siting of large, ground-mount solar development, like Tracer Lane, poses a clear threat to vital forests and farmlands in Massachusetts. Furthermore, the study suggested that Massachusetts has ample sites to locate affordable solar to meet the state’s clean energy and GHG goals, without incurring significant additional losses of natural lands. Jonathan Thompson, Research Director and Senior Ecologist at Harvard Forest and co-author of the study summed up saying “we can have it both ways. We can develop all the solar that Massachusetts’ needs to meet its climate goals without cutting down one more mature tree.”
Police Station Solar Canopies
After a lengthy and bumpy road, including much effort by Town staff, the Historic Districts Commission (HDC) in November granted a Certificate of Appropriateness for the construction of a new solar parking canopy over the parking lots and walkways adjacent to Fletcher Field that will be constructed as part of the new Lexington Police Headquarters. Installation of footings for the canopies is now underway. The approved canopy design is intended to present a clean and light aesthetic more appropriate to the Historic District than pre-engineered canopy solutions, as seen at many Lexington public schools. Electrical equipment, connections and pathways will be concealed to the greatest extent possible to avoid a cluttered appearance on the underside of the canopy. The inverters will be located within the garage bay of the police station, and the electrical risers will route through the steel columns. This solar canopy installation is intended to comply with Lexington’s Integrated Building Design and Construction Policy (IBDCP) to strive for “net zero” through on-site renewable energy production.
So on to the next challenge. The solar project meets Lexington’s net zero and now aesthetic goals. Town Meeting approved an appropriation of $3.4 million for “probable costs” for the canopy project last year. The project’s estimated cost is most likely 2 or 3 times more expensive than industry benchmarks for the same solar generation output. The higher probable costs were driven not by the cost of the solar panels or battery storage units but by the requirements of siting and constructing the canopies in our historic district. Overall life-cycle economics presented to Town Meeting met Lexington’s financial hurdles, helped by various government incentives and utility programs to encourage solar generation. As we enter the home stretch, Lexington can further show its leadersinhip by not only developing aesthetically pleasing renewable energy projects but delivering financially attractive ones as well.
Building Energy Use Disclosure
As we all know, there is a lot of value in having good data. In 2022, Town Meeting passed a bylaw that established a policy for reporting, disclosing, and assessing the energy and water use of large buildings in town. The bylaw is referred to as BEU-D. Lexington is the first town in Massachusetts to implement such a policy, following the lead set by Boston and Cambridge and other major cities around the country. Its goal is to increase energy and water use transparency and to find opportunities to increase energy efficiency to ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under the bylaw, all municipal buildings and residential or commercial properties with one or more buildings over 25,000 square feet are required to report their annual energy use, electricity supplier’s energy labels, and water usage.
The Town released data and analysis for 2022 under the BEU-D bylaw last fall. The disclosures for 95 buildings totaling over 8.5 million square feet showed that these buildings accounted for over 73,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The Town also provided an interactive map to show the data by location.
Many policy makers and behavioral economists believe mandatory disclosures represent an important policy tool. Disclosures have been successful in helping to “nudge” businesses and individuals in directions favored by policy makers. To use an energy example, the rise of shale gas and oil development has triggered major debates about hydraulic fracking. Many U.S. states have introduced disclosure mandates for hydraulic fracking wells and fluids. Researchers have found that disclosure works. After disclosure mandates, oil and gas companies pollute less per unit of production, use fewer toxic chemicals, and cause fewer spills and leaks of fracking fluids and wastewater. Disclosure enables public pressure pushing companies to act.
One can envision how the BEU-D program might “nudge” behavioral changes and pressure building owners to act to support the town’s net zero goals. Lexington already has said that the report will be expanded in future years to include trend data in order to track changes in energy use and emissions over time, monitoring progress of specific building locations towards net zero. Several Lexington building owners believe it is only a matter of time before policy makers mandate measures and equipment changeouts to eliminate the use of fossil fuels to reduce GHGs. They fear that the mandates will be generated without understanding of their businesses, decision-making or investment horizons. They fear disclosure is only the beginning.
New Lexington High School
The process for designing a new Lexington High School will accelerate in 2024. There will be a significant public outreach effort and ample opportunities for public engagement, including focus groups, visioning sessions, newsletters, and much more. This week alone, four focus groups were conducted, covering (1) site, safety and security, (2) education planning and equity, (3) mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems and sustainable design, and (4) interior and exterior design.
Expect a host of energy and sustainability issues to be raised and discussed, including Lexington’s integrated building and construction requirements, achieving net zero, electrification, electric vehicle and bus charging infrastructure, maximizing onsite renewable energy, energy and battery storage, construction material specification, waste reduction, air quality, and a host of other topics and ideas. Expect the discussion to be lively and animated, especially given the ~$500 million price tag that has been bandied about.
Other exciting news includes the approval by the Select Board of Resilient Lexington, our ambitious climate action and resilience plan and the recent announcement that Lexington will be a participant in the Commonwealth’s Fossil Fuel Free Demonstration Program.
In 2024, we hope to report to Lexington residents on all of these topics plus other issues of note including the importance of trees, the modernization of the electric grid, and the future of both natural gas and fuel oil. Please contact us at gerry@lexobserver.org and tell us what topics interest you. As you can see, there’s a lot going on in the energy and climate world in Lexington. Here’s to an electrifying new year!
Thank you for this round-up of updates on energy & climate projects and initiatives in Lexington! It is especially important for the public to see how these efforts are evolving and how we can continue to have input into shaping the outcomes.