Beacon Climate Innovations September Newsletter  | |  | | | Stepping on the Accelerator |
| | Dear << Test First Name >>, As the need for decarbonization and climate adaptation measures becomes more imperative - BCI is “stepping on the accelerator”. In the process, it is putting archaic metaphors - such as “stepping on the gas” - in the rearview mirror. You’ll find growing evidence of the increasing pace of our activity in this and subsequent newsletters and announcements.
Welcome to BCI’s 5th Newsletter of 2024 (#8) |
|  | | | | |  | Taunton Housing Authority back to school backpack giveaway |
| BCI and friends showed up in force to support the Taunton Housing Authority’s Back to School Backpack Give Away at the Riverside Apartments. The event was held at the basketball court across from the planned site for the Riverside Community Center and Clean Energy Resilience Hub. The latest facility design was made available for viewing, while our team surveyed residents about their respective situations and perspectives on the project. Our friends from REON Technology brought their 7.5kW Mobile Power Station (MPS) and PV Array to remotely power the event with clean, quiet power - while demonstrating the environmental advantages and economic opportunities that go along with their technology. Transform Power Systems was there, getting familiar with the community and the opportunities it represents, both for its engineering services and the apprenticeship program that it’s developing. Capital Energy was there with their video crew (more on that below) as was TRUE Diversity.Taunton Municipal Light Plant was amongst the other local service providers and organizations (e.g., Boys and Girls Club, Bristol Community College) with tables to connect with residents and show solidarity with the THA. |
|  | Taunton Housing Authority back to school backpack giveaway |
| | We took to the virtual airways of Greentown Labs to reach out to the community of new and existing members and re/introduce the Resilient Energy and Infrastructure Consortium along with a strong sampling of the RE&IC “Resource Partners”. The Resource Partners aren’t developing climate tech per se, but they are either facilitating markets for climate technologies or helping climatetech firms develop market/project opportunities. Resource Partners include: Greenpath Strategies, Solomon Group, Julius Education, Capital Energy, Sparkplug Power, EIT Innoenergy. In short, these are the types of firms that create connective tissue from the climate tech firms to the markets most in need of their developments. We discussed plans to transition the RE&IC from ad-hoc to more structured and intentional - providing more consistent services and opportunities to the membership - while at the same time building upon its core mission - facilitating viable project opportunities. To that end, we introduced Tejas Farkase who will be spearheading RE&IC’s elevation to this higher level of performance and value.(See more details below) |
| Bringing Storytelling Our CCRH Projects |
| Late in August, a camera crew from Capital Energy visited the site of The LOFT CCRH (Clean Energy Community Resiliency Hub) to kick off an effort to document its progress and tell its story as a vital step to scaling the model for community resilience and sustainable development in other communities across the state. Ted Butler and Miguel Ruberia captured drone footage of the neighborhood and the newly installed white roof, the end-result of the asbestos abatement process and an extensive interview with Misha Thomas (see below), the project manager on behalf of MassDevelopment’s TDI program. The essence of the story to be told is the project’s hyperfocus on the following key tenets. Community-Driven: Built by and for the community, with ongoing input to ensure it meets their needs. Workforce Development: A new Innovation Center will train the next generation for an equitable & clean energy transition economy. Net Zero & Resilient: Powered by renewable energy and its own microgrid, the building will achieve net-zero energy consumption and the space will double as an emergency community shelter.
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|  | Filming at the LOFT. Immediately afterwards they headed over to the backpack giveaway event at Riverside Apartments to capture another aspect of the CCRH process. (Photo Credit Capital Energy) |
| | | | |  | Tejas Farkase is joining Beacon Climate as its network facilitator, charged with bringing more structure and enhanced value to the RE&IC. Tejas brings a potent combination of technical and business prowess to the task. He is a Mechanical Engineer with an MBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship, bringing a wealth of experience from diverse industries such as additive manufacturing, real estate, construction management, and co-founding a venture in sustainable agriculture. He is passionate about tackling complex business challenges and building innovative solutions to maximize organizational impact. Tejas thrives on problem-solving and collaboration, transforming new connections into lasting partnerships. Outside of his professional pursuits, Tejas enjoys exploring emerging technologies, connecting with people from all walks of life, and continuously learning to push boundaries in every venture he undertakes. He is an avid Chess enthusiast and loves to play for fun. |
| |  | Makara Le Is joining us as a fall intern working on taking the ALIGN program to the next level. Makara is a Master of Science in Business Analytics candidate at the UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Business, with a strong background in economics and data analytics. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with Greatest Distinction, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in Information Technology from the UMass Amherst Honors College. Makara has hands-on experience in data science, having interned at the Virginia Tech Center for Biostatistics and Health Data Science, where she gained expertise in data analysis, visualization, and research methodologies. Passionate about addressing social inequities and climate change, she is dedicated to contributing to clean energy initiatives and sustainable solutions. Outside of academics, Makara enjoys reading, lifting, and secondhand fashion shopping. |
| | |  | Lia and Julia working together |
| As we welcome new members to the Beacon Climate team, we also express our gratitude for the amazing efforts and work product from our industrious summer interns Julia Barton and Lia Schwartz. They brought invaluable critical thinking to Beacon Climate’s mission and deftly managed their assignments into solid building blocks for the company. While they had very different assignments and worked in different locations, they found ways to work together and support each other. While Julia and Lia transition into their fall classes and other endeavors, we aren’t waving goodbye - but rather farewell. Beacon Climate’s ecosystem (“Beaco-system” ) is intended to be inclusive and supportive. We know that they will find ways to stay in touch and continue to support its growth. |
|  | Julia and Tanya Lobo, Executive Director of TRUE Diversity |
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| Lia interviewing the Wakefield Gas and Light Department’s Management Team |
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| | | |  | Keep your eyes out for announcements about new projects, opportunities, partnerships and awards involving BCI in the coming months. In parallel, we are launching/supporting fundraising and sponsorship campaigns to support key projects and growth initiatives. Please reach out to help@beaconclimate.com if you’re interested in participating in any of these initiatives and would like more information. |
| | | | | | | |  | Misha Thomas is a committed social entrepreneur dedicated to nurturing sustainable communities. As the former Director of Business Development at Commonwealth Kitchen, she significantly bolstered opportunities for small BIPOC food entrepreneurs, securing over $200,000 in her initial year. During this time, Misha spearheaded the introduction of CWK's Yellow Pea Field Fritter to seven Boston-area colleges while leading the implementation of the Kendal Foundation Food Vision Grant.
Prior, Misha led the charge in reopening Roxbury's Haley House Bakery Cafe, guiding the team the pandemic. Taking creative initiative, Misha curated a Black-Owned beer garden and organized an Indigenous non-Thanksgiving, alongside spearheading Roxbury's first Pride Concert.
Currently pursuing an MBA in sustainability and international business at Northeastern University, Misha acts as a mentor, providing invaluable guidance to emerging small businesses. |
| | | | The July collapse of one of Vineyard Wind’s wind turbines in Nantucket Sound is undoubtedly a major setback for the project. It will have near term implications on the cost and timing of this significant centralized offshore energy resource. It delays the benefits it will bring the region. Setbacks of this nature are to be expected with the deployment of new technologies. They are only failures if we fail to learn from them and take measures to avoid recurrence and/or mitigate their impact if they do occur.
This event needn’t slow the transition to a decarbonized energy economy. If anything, it represents a clarion call to speed the development of community based distributed energy resources. It behooves municipalities and the communities they serve to develop holistic strategies that:
In practical terms this translates to such actions as: bolstering the local distribution system, improving the energy efficiency of buildings, appliances, vehicles and processes, deploying more solar and heat pumps in concert with battery and thermal energy storage, employing smart demand response (virtual power plant) platforms.
Implemented properly, these measures provide local opportunities for local businesses and workers across the region, complementing the central offshore wind industry’s economic benefits while hedging against setbacks it faces. |
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