Governor Dan McKee, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, Senate Environment & Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Alana M. DiMario, and Acting State Energy Commissioner Chris Kearns on Tuesday recognized 19 state and quasi-government entities, municipalities, and public schools for their renewable energy and energy efficiency achievements at its sixth Annual Lead by Example Clean Energy Awards ceremony.

Governor McKee also signed a new Lead by Example Executive Order that updates the state’s clean energy, energy efficiency and emission reduction goals for all state agencies. Within this Executive Order all state agencies must collaborate with the Office of Energy Resources to implement and promote emission reduction projects, in keeping with the purpose to Lead by Example in clean energy and sustainability. This upgraded Executive Order sets out new goals in alignment with the 2021 Act on Climate, which sets mandatory, enforceable climate greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals leading the state to achieve net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050.

Videos of each award winner may be viewed below.

Photos from the event may be downloaded here:

The Jamestown School Department implemented multiple clean energy projects throughout the year. The first project was installing two solar arrays, and a carport solar canopy at the Melrose Elementary School and a solar roof array at the Lawn Middle School. Together these solar projects will offset 84 percent electricity for the school district annually, making the Jamestown School Department the first district in the state to achieve this renewable energy benchmark. The total cost of this project was $1.03 million using $799,000 funds from the School Bonds and the remainder covered from the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund. Additionally, both schools have updated their ventilation systems to provide healthier indoor air quality and improve the comfort and health of students and faculty.

The Rhode Island State Police in collaboration with The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources and the Rhode Island Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, completed a comprehensive lighting and controls retrofit at the Rhode Island State Police Public Safety Complex. After completing these energy efficiency upgrades, the State Police facilities are now 100 percent LED. These energy reductions will save the State over $45,000 per year in energy costs. The agency also upgraded its HVAC system with a heat pump and installed insulation at the training academy barracks, drastically improving the comfort, efficiency, and operations of this critical facility. This project's energy savings are estimated to result in nearly 200,000 pounds of avoided CO2 per year, taking another substantial step towards helping the State achieve the goals outlined in the 2021 Act on Climate.

The Pascoag Utility District installed a 3MW/9MWh battery storage system to help avoid over $6 million in large transmission upgrade costs. The project utilized Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank for below-market financing of $1.4 million, a grant from the Office of Energy Resources of $250,000, and a shared savings partnership with storage company Agilitas Energy to support this project. This upgrade will improve the reliability of their great at peak load, while also contributing to a more sustainable energy future.

Public Schools: Pawtucket School Department, Providence Public Schools, Woonsocket Education Department

Municipalities: Town of Warren, City of East Providence, Town of Jamestown, City of Warwick, City of Woonsocket

State Agencies: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Rhode Island Department of Transportation, Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals, Rhode Island Army National Guard, Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance, University of Rhode Island

Quasi-Public Agencies: Rhode Island Public Transit Authority

Special honors were presented to Warwick Career Tech Center carpentry and electrical students and the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce WindWinRI.



To read more of how Rhode Island is Leading by Example please visit: https://energy.ri.gov/lead-example.