12/3 CIRenew Forum, “Community Wind: Delivering Benefits to Local Residents” at Brewster Ladies Library
Dave McGlinchey of the Vineyard Energy Project is featured speaker at a forum at 6:30 pm on Thursday, December 3 at the Brewster Ladies Library located on 1822 Main Street/Route 6A in Brewster. His talk will focus on Vineyard Power, a community-based energy cooperative being launched to help Martha’s Vineyard residents and businesses invest in locally controlled renewable energy projects. The forum is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served.
Vineyard Power logoAs executive director of the Vineyard Energy Project (VEP), Dave heads collaborative efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy on the island. VEP is forming Vineyard Power to give Islanders an ownership stake in offshore wind and other projects designed to secure a stable and sustainable energy future while protecting local landscapes and cultural values. He will discuss how residents and businesses who join the cooperative will choose where and how renewable resources are developed, as well as stabilize and reduce their energy costs. After his talk, a Q&A session will address community ownership and residential benefits in the context of wind projects being developed on municipal property in Brewster and other Cape Cod towns, as well as future offshore wind projects.
“Vineyard Power will put its members in control of their wind resources, electricity bills, carbon footprints, and energy futures,” says Chris Powicki, president of CIRenew. “Hopefully, Cape Cod residents can begin moving toward a community-based cooperative by starting with grassroots dialogue, just as they did on the island.”
The VEP is a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 and directed by Kate Warner for its first 5 years of operation. She led community-based outreach, education, training, planning, and policymaking activities addressing efficiency, solar, wind, green building, climate change, and energy independence, and she is now the principal force behind EnergyWiseMV, a collaborative consultancy offering comprehensive green building and clean energy design and installation services.
Under Dave’s leadership, the VEP is managing the launch of Vineyard Power, and it recently received a $787,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for a smart grid demonstration project. He holds a law degree from Suffolk Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and has covered security, policy, and technology issues while working as a journalist in Colorado and Washington, DC.