BOSTON, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
(Blue Cross) announced today that it has entered into a long-term
agreement to purchase 2.6 megawatts (MW) of net metering credits
from five community solar projects located in Hopedale and Mendon,
MA. These projects, owned by Ameresco, Inc. (Ameresco) of
Framingham, MA, a leading energy
efficiency and renewable energy company, and co-developed with
BlueWave Capital, LLC (BlueWave) of Boston, MA, will enable residents and
businesses in the Blackstone Valley and throughout National Grid
territory of Southeastern
Massachusetts to lower their electricity costs and reduce
carbon emissions. Overall, these projects will comprise a total of
approximately 6.9 MW of renewable power.
Net metering credits are produced by generating renewable energy
from solar and applying those credits to customer utility bills,
reducing a customer's overall monthly electricity costs. The five
projects will increase the amount of power generated by community
solar projects in Massachusetts by
an estimated 13%1 and reduce carbon emissions by
approximately 6,300 metric tons, the equivalent of taking 1,328
cars off the road.
"Blue Cross has committed to a 30% reduction in absolute
greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2020 and to support the growth of
renewable energy in Massachusetts," said Kyle Cahill, Director of Sustainability and
Environmental Health at Blue Cross. "This agreement and these
projects will lead to cleaner air, reduce our electricity costs,
support our local economy, and help to address climate change, one
of the biggest public health issues we face today."
The Hopedale and Mendon projects represent a portfolio of
community solar projects located in the Blackstone Valley region
that are being built by and are owned by Ameresco, a leading
independent provider of comprehensive energy efficiency and
renewable energy solutions for facilities throughout North America and the United Kingdom.
"We are honored to support Blue Cross, a leader in providing
high-quality, affordable health care, in their efforts to
positively impact the environment while creating local jobs and
reducing their long-term energy costs to the benefit of their
members," said Michael T. Bakas,
Senior Vice President, Ameresco Inc. "In addition, Ameresco is
excited to work with BlueWave to develop these new renewable energy
projects and provide community solar shares to residents and
businesses in the region. These projects represent a great
partnership between our three organizations."
As the anchor off-taker of these projects, Blue Cross is also
supporting BlueWave's "Solar for the 100%" mission by giving nearly
200 local residents and small businesses the opportunity to reduce
their electricity bills and choose local, clean energy in the
National Grid territory of Southeastern
Massachusetts. In addition to co-developing these projects,
BlueWave is also partnering with Ameresco to provide community
solar customer management services for these projects through their
Community Solar Share program and Solar Management Platform
(SMP).
"This partnership further demonstrates Blue Cross' commitment to
its members and its goal of being a first-rate corporate citizen.
It also reinforces BlueWave's ongoing partnership with Ameresco to
develop and build locally generated, clean energy that creates
jobs, meaningfully reduces GHG emissions, and generates
electricity savings for our customers. Ameresco is a national
leader in developing, constructing, and operating renewable energy
projects, and Blue Cross is a leader in providing quality health
care to millions of people across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We're proud to be working with
each of them," said John DeVillars,
Chairman of BlueWave.
In March of 2016, Blue Cross announced significant progress on
its 2015 sustainability goals and the launch of the company's new
2020 sustainability goals. Learn more about Blue Cross' 2020
sustainability efforts here.
The announcement of a customer's entry into a project
contract with Ameresco 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.
1. Estimated using data from GTM Research.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.com) is
a community-focused‚ tax-paying‚ not-for-profit health plan
headquartered in Boston. We are
the trusted health plan for more than 30,000 Massachusetts employers and are committed to
working with others in a spirit of shared responsibility to make
quality health care affordable. Consistent with our corporate
promise to always put our 2.8 million members first‚ we are rated
among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and
quality.
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.
About BlueWave
BlueWave is a solar energy company founded on a mission to make
solar available to everyone, everywhere. Driven to transform the
energy status quo, BlueWave enables communities to take control of
their energy production and consumers to choose local, low-cost
power through our suite of consumer solar products, including the
BlueWave Community Solar Share and the BlueWave Home Solar Loan.
That's our vision for a cleaner planet. And it's our energy
solution for the "100%". Visit us at bluewaverenewables.com
and chat with us on Twitter: @bluewavesolar to learn
more.
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SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts