Green Communities Grant to Help Pay for DHS Solar Panels

The state’s Green Communities program awarded Dedham officials with $179,800 to help pay for a installed at .

The check was one of four handed out by director of the Green Communities Division Meg Lucardi and Assistant Secretary of Energy Frank Gorke during a ceremony held at Watertown Town Hall Tuesday afternoon.

The town received the grant after becoming one of 18 communities accepted into the Department of Energy Resource’s Green Communities Program.

Town Administrator William Keegan said the project makes sense for Dedham.

"It is something our children and grandchildren can benefit from for years to come," Keegan said. "We needed to do something different, and do something to reduce costs."

The Green Community money will help pay for the 128.5 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system, along with $500,000 that U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch helped Dedham secure from the Fedearl Energy and Water Appropriation Act, said Dedham Environmental Coordinator Virginia LeClair.

The push to have the town join the Green Communities program came from Steve MacAusland, a member of the Sustainability Advisory Committee. He said the town has come a long way in energy efficiency and green energy issues. 

"Dedham has come from behind in the pack," MacAusland said. "Now things are happening in Dedham."

The grant will be part of Dedham’s presentation when town officials go to Kansas City as a in June, Keegan said.

In March, the state Department of Energy Resources awarded its latest round of grants worth $3.6 million for local renewable power and energy efficiency projects to the state’s newest Green Communities. The group includes 18 cities and towns from Boston to the Berkshires that earned the designation last December.

Secretary Gorke said the projects funded by the Green Communities program will save a great bundle of energy, and will help the Bay State become a leader in green energy. 

"Gov. Patrick said this is what it takes to really become a clean energy leader," Gorke said.

Along with the check, the town officials received a plaque and four street signs to hang up around town.