Encore Redevelopment | Recent Announcements | Brownfields Redevelopment and Renewable Energy Development

Come join Encore Redevelopment, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), and others on Wednesday, January 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm for a networking get-together hosted by the Vermont Community Foundation at their offices in Middlebury. Encore sponsored this get-together, along with Dunkiel Saunders, the Vermont Community Loan Fund, and other organizations. This event is free and open to the public. To learn more and RSVP, visit VBSR's web site.

Encore Redevelopment has developed a white paper regarding property taxes for wind projects below 5MW in Vermont. Our research included an inventory of how numerous other states currently tax renewable energy projects. A copy of the white paper can be found here. There are currently no standards for property taxes for community scale projects in Vermont, and Encore has been working with the Vermont Department of Public Service, the Vermont Department of Taxes and Renewable Energy Vermont to develop standards to assist in moving renewable energy projects forward with a fair and equitable process with which these projects can be valued for taxation purposes.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Acorn Energy Cooperative 150kW community solar PV project was held on November 7, 2011 in Middlebury, Vermont. Acorn Energy, in partnership with Co-operative Insurance Companies is constructing a ground-mounted 149kW fixed panel solar PV array on municipally-owned property in Middlebury, VT. The property, a vacant former wastewater treatment plant, is unsuitable for other uses and not visible from most vantage points within the community. Encore is assisting Acorn Energy with project development and management activities to move the overall project from conception to completion, and Real Goods Solar, formerly Alteris Renewables, is installing the system. The project is the first project of its kind in Vermont, a cooperative group net-metered renewable energy system developed through collaboration between cooperative businesses and a municipality.

Chad Farrell participated on a panel of experts at the Renewable Energy Vermont Fall 2011 Conference on October 12, 2011 in Burlington, Vermont. The panel session, titled “New Financing Tools (Incentives, PPAs, Tax Credits, Loans)”, was designed to communicate the latest trends and practices around the financing of renewable energy projects in Vermont and beyond. The REV fall conference was attended by over 800 professionals actively engaged in helping to advance the rapidly expanding clean energy economy in Vermont.

After nearly 3 years, we are sad to report that Hannah Munger has left Encore Redevelopment to pursue a career in the marketing and advertising world. Hannah has been a tremendous asset to Encore during our early days and brought to her project coordinator position a solid combination of high standards, strong organizational skills, and a tremendous degree of emotional intelligence. We wish her the best in her endeavors, wherever they may take her.

Green Mountain Power announced today that Northlands Job Corps of Vergennes has been chosen to be the host of the first wind turbine installation of the Green Mountain Power & Northern Power Systems Community Wind Partnership. Green Mountain Power will own, operate, and maintain a Vermont-made Northern Power 100kW (the NPS 100) permanent magnet direct drive (PM/DD) community wind turbine on the Northland Job Corps campus. The NPS 100 turbine is ideal for integration in a community setting for local, distributed energy generation. To learn more about this project, check out the press release here.

On Tuesday, September 20, representatives from Encore Redevelopment will be presenting in Derby at the Town of Derby Select Board Meeting regarding the Derby Line Wind project. The meeting begins at 6:30 and is located at the Derby Line Community Center. For more information, feel free to contact us at 802-861-3023.

Update: this meeting has been mentioned in various periodicals in the Northeast Kingdom. We have links and copies on our blog.

Encore Redevelopment has teamed up with Green Mountain Power and Northern Power Systems to develop a community-scale, 100kW wind project at a Green Mountain Power customer site in Vergennes, Vermont. On Global Wind Day this year, June 15, 2011, Green Mountain Power customers were invited to enter a contest to become the host site for a Vermont-made, Northern Power Systems’ 100kW permanent magnet direct drive turbine that will be completely owned, operated, and maintained by Green Mountain Power. This project will be group net metered, with the host customer receiving 10% of the energy generated from the turbine. Stay tuned to hear about the selected host site!

On Wednesday, August 24, from 11:00 am to 11:30 am, learn about exciting renewable energy opportunities for you and/or your business by attending Encore’s webinar through the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. Register soon, as spaces will fill quickly! Feel free to contact us or Chris Carrigan at the Chamber with any questions.

In the News: Encore and partners Alteris Renewables, Northern Power Systems, and BlueWave Capital were featured in a few periodicals in the North East Kingdom regarding our Derby Line Wind project. Check out the articles on the following websites: The Newport Daily Express, The Caledonian Record, The Orleans County Record.

News has spread through New England as the week has progressed and different news hubs have picked up the story. Links to these articles are on our blog.

For more information about the Derby Line Wind project, we have prepared a Frequently Asked Questions document that addresses details of the project and provides an introduction to wind power.

Encore welcomes our summer intern, Matt Andon! Read more about Matt on our Team page.

Encore's office building, 110 Main, has gone solar! Check out our blog for more details.

Encore is currently working with the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival to develop a renewable energy system that will address the large-scale energy demand that occurs during the weekend of the festival in the most environmentally benign and cost effective manner possible. Encore’s goal is to develop a system that will address Bonnaroo’s greening goals and assist in the continuation of the Festival's efforts to allow sustainability to become as integral to the Bonnaroo experience as the music, art and fans. Check out some of Bonnaroo's other Greening Partners!

Encore Redevelopment and PV Solar Associates, in conjunction with Farrington Construction and Benoit Electric, have developed, designed, permitted and installed a 15.1 kW net-metered roof mounted solar array for Avonda Air Systems at their facility located at 1879 Williston Road in South Burlington. The installation consists of 72 panels and will be owned and operated by Avonda Air Systems. The expected annual output for the system is 17,000 kilowatt hours, which will offset all of the electric power consumed by their sheet metal fabrication facility, making Avonda Air Systems the first solar powered fabrication shop in Vermont. Encore Redevelopment assisted Avonda Air Systems in maximizing the benefits of available Federal and Vermont investment tax credits, as well as the on-going Green Mountain Power solar incentive program, SolarGMP, to maximize financial returns associated with the project.

Encore and the Farm at South Village are pleased to announce that Governor Peter Shumlin will sign Vermont's 2011 Omnibus Energy Bill, H.56, at South Village Community on May 25, 2011. Encore actively worked with Renewable Energy Vermont on legislative initiatives that support H.56. May 25 also marks the commissioning of the 150 kW solar PV array that Encore Redevelopment developed with the Farm at South Village. The array will provide carbon-free electricity for 100% of the Farm at South Village and South Village Community's energy consumption needs. The array will also provide clean energy to the City of South Burlington for the City's traffic lights.

Chad Farrell wrote a My Turn piece titled “Support clean energy economy” that ran in the Burlington Free Press on April 20. Chad discusses the importance of supporting the clean energy sector (both on a local and national scale) and urges Vermonters to do so by indicating their backing of this year’s energy bill, H.56, to local representatives and senators. The article can be found in the Opinion section or online here.

We are proud to welcome a new addition to our team: Nick Richardson will serve as Director of Operations for Encore. Check out our Team page to read more about Nick.

Chad Farrell will be presenting at the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce's Interactive Workshop Series titled, "Renewable Energy Tax Credits: Just How Does It Work?" on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at the Chamber's offices (60 Main Street in Burlington). Chad's presentation, "The Benefits of Investing in Renewable Energy," runs from 8 am to 10 am. For more information and to register, please visit the Chamber's Calendar of Events.

Chad Farrell will be speaking at the upcoming Good Jobs, Green Jobs convention in Washington D.C on February 8 and 9. Chad and the panel will be addressing the opportunities presented by thousands of former industrial sites nationwide for renewable energy development and the economic impacts that such development would create. Good Jobs, Green Jobs is the nation’s leading forum sharing ideas and strategies to build a green economy that creates good jobs, reduces global warming and confronts other environmental problems, and preserves America’s economic and environmental security.

On Friday, January 28, Chad Farrell joined other renewable energy developers who are also members of Renewable Energy Vermont (REV) and testified before the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee in Montpelier. Chad and others advocated for the expansion of Vermont’s successful net metering program, a program that allows Vermont rate-payers to generate their own power using renewable energy systems and feed their excess power back to the utilities - effectively running their meters backwards. The testimony spoke to the statewide job creation and renewable energy generation from the net metering program - all at no cost to the state.

Chad Farrell had the honor of winning the A. Wayne Roberts Entrepreneurial Spirit Award from the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce in November. Congratulations, Chad!

Chad Farrell provided an article for the Summer/Fall 2010 edition of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce's Vermont Connections magazine. The article, entitled

"Encore Redevelopment Offers Cost Effective Renewable Energy Ideas" provides information on various demand side as well as supply side energy topics. These topics include performance contracting, property assessed clean energy districts, the smart grid, and various incentives supporting the development of locally generated sources of clean, renewable energy. Click here to read the full article.

Encore Redevelopment is sponsoring an event on Thursday July 15, 2010 at the Intervale Center in Burlington. The event, entitled "Local Business, Living Economies" is part of the series, "2010 Summer Thursdays at the Intervale." Come enjoy local music, local food, fun, kids activities and educational programs at the Calkins Community Barn located at 180 Intervale Road in Burlington.

On June 10, 2010, the Burlington Free Press published an article regarding the potential installment of solar arrays on municipal buildings in Winooski, Vermont.

On June 3, 2010, the Valley Reporter published an article examining the proposed 150 kW solar array to be installed on a parcel of land in Moretown.

Encore Redevelopment is pleased to welcome two summer interns, Jack Kramer and Anne Fraysse. Jack is a project analyst intern and Anne is a project coordinator. Please click here to read more about our new team members!

Hannah Munger has joined the Vermont Green Building Network, a non-profit organization that serves to strengthen green building initiatives in Vermont through promoting the environmental, financial, community, and health benefits of green design, construction, and building operation practices. VGBN is a chapter of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Hannah serves as chair of the Outreach Committee, seeking to increase membership and sponsorship levels, as well as researching and generating various grant proposals on behalf of the Vermont Green Building Network.

On May 24, 2010, the Rutland Herald published an article discussing Encore Redevelopment's proposed redevelopment of a landfill and subsequent renewable energy generation site in Bennington.

The Burlington Free Press published an article about Encore Redevelopment on May 17, 2010, entitled "Turning Brown Into Green." The article, written by John Briggs, focused primarily on introducing our company and our mission, but also emphasized the importance and time sensitivity of the government incentives available for solar projects in Vermont.

On May 13, 2010, The Valley Reporter published an article about Encore Redevelopment's proposed project of a 150 kW PV solar array in Waitsfield.

On March 27, 2010, Encore Redevelopment attended the Vermont Statewide Gathering on Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) at Vermont Law School in South Royalton, VT. The workshop aimed to introduce the program to interested towns around Vermont. PACE is a voluntary program for homeowners interested in making energy efficiency and/or renewable energy improvements to their property but do not have the initial capital. In essence, homeowners can finance their projects by borrowing money from their municipality and paying back their municipality through an expense on their property tax bill. There were various presentations and panel discussions about implementation of these districts on a local level.

Christopher Mutty has joined Encore Redevelopment as a full-time project analyst. He began his relationship with Encore in the summer of 2009 as a student intern, a position he retained during his final semester at Middlebury College. Christopher recently graduated from Middlebury, where he earned a B.A. in Economics and completed a senior thesis entitled "Price Finding Mechanisms and Policy Analysis for Renewable Energy Feed-In-Tariffs." His experience includes serving as a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) for children in the Addison County court system, working as a Community Impact Intern for the United Way of Addison County, and coordinating events as a Summer Intern for the Vermont Lake Monsters.

On January 19, 2010, Chad Farrell of Encore Redevelopment attended a workshop in Holyoke, Massachusetts focused on the use of landfills for renewable energy generation. The workshop was sponsored by The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and Department of Energy Resources (DOER), with support from the Environmental Business Council of New England. The objective of the workshop was to educate communities in Massachusetts about the environmental and economic benefits of generating solar and wind power on former municipal landfills in providing clean renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating new revenue streams for cities and towns. Presentations included the tools necessary to assess the redevelopment potential of closed landfill sites, means in which to navigate the permitting process, and discussions of the many State of Massachusetts renewable energy incentives.

Chad Farrell of Encore Redevelopment attended the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Brownfields Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 16-18, 2009. Chad provided a presentation regarding the benefits of using brownfields as sites for renewable energy generation as part of a panel session entitled Turning America’s Brownfields into Renewable Energy Producers: Launching a National Discussion. Chad was also asked to participate in a stakeholder dialogue entitled, RE-Powering America’s Lands: A Stakeholders Forum on Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Lands to discuss how the EPA can more effectively support the reuse of contaminated land and mine sites for renewable energy production. The panel in New Orleans was one of a series of nation-wide discussions convened to address the obstacles, opportunities, and incentives that could be enacted to encourage the redevelopment of contaminated land for renewable energy generation. In 2008, the EPA launched the initiative, RE-Powering America’s Land, to promote renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated land and mining sites to stimulate the economy by creating jobs and revitalizing communities. Below are pictures of Chad from the event.

On October 23, 2009, Encore Redevelopment was mentioned in the Bennington Banner in an article about the redevelopment of the former Pownal Tanning Company dam in North Pownal, Vermont. Please click here to read the full article.

Encore Redevelopment was a proud sponsor of the 2009 Smart Growth Awards and Art Gibb Award Ceremony, presented by Smart Growth Vermont. This event was held September 16 at the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes. The Smart Growth Awards honor projects, initiatives, and plans all over the state of Vermont that seek to revitalize neighborhoods through redevelopment, infill and historic preservation. Chad Farrell is a board member of this local non-profit that shares the same values of Encore Redevelopment. Check out Smart Growth Vermont’s website here to learn more about the great work they do providing innovative growth and conservation solutions for communities and the rural countryside in the State of Vermont.

Encore Redevelopment was recently mentioned in various publications across the state of Vermont in reference to our renewable energy projects being developed as part of the Vermont Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) Program. Please click on the titles below to access out the respective articles:

Encore Redevelopment is pleased to announce that we have moved to 110 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 2E in Burlington, Vermont. Encore would like to thank David Farrington of Brick Box Company for providing a flexible lease structure that will minimize rent payments while we are still growing and allow us to delay fit-up costs until they can be more easily absorbed. We would also like to thank Dave and his staff at Farrington Construction for the technical support and expert construction services that allowed for a quick transition into the our new space.

In July, Encore Redevelopment joined CarShare Vermont to save money on transportation and parking costs, while encouraging our staff to commute and travel for work by alternative means. CarShare Vermont’s mission is to provide an affordable, convenient, and reliable alternative to private car ownership that enhances the environmental, economic, and social well-being of our region and planet. We applaud the great work of CarShare Vermont and are pleased to support their efforts in making a difference for the environment and our community!

On May 21, 2009, Chad Farrell of Encore Redevelopment had the honor and privilege to participate in a green focus group session with Van Jones, Special Advisor to President Obama and author of The Green Collar Economy. The discussion was an opportunity to hear about developments in Washington and get ideas as to how to best position Vermont to thrive in the new green economy. Please click here to read more details on the focus group session.