City of Chelsea Awarded $824,000 in State Grants

For Immediate Release
Thursday, October 14, 2021

For information contact:
On behalf of GreenRoots, María Belén Power at mariabelenp@greenrootschelsea.org
On behalf of the City of Chelsea, Alex Train at atrain@chelseama.gov 

City of Chelsea Awarded $824,000 in State Grants

Boston, MA – The City of Chelsea has received a $200,000 grant through the Department of Energy Resources Green Communities grant program and a two-year $624,000 grant through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). These two grants were awarded to reduce energy consumption and costs through the implementation of clean energy technologies and to support the development of climate change resilience projects in the City of Chelsea.

Over the past two years, the Resilient Urban Neighborhoods – Green Justice Coalition (RUN-GJC) has helped the City secure $979,000 in grants for the community microgrid project in Chelsea. María Belén Power, Associate Executive Director of GreenRoots, a partner in the RUN-GJC coalition said, “This type of investment is a tremendous opportunity for building a clean energy future for Chelsea. We applaud the incredible work and dedication of so many partners in the microgrid project and are so pleased to have the support of our municipal leaders in the City of Chelsea.” Alex Train, Chelsea’s Director of Department of Housing and Community Development, added, “Chelsea has disparately shouldered the burdens caused by the energy industry, magnified by the growing impacts of extreme weather. Energy resilience initiatives, such as the microgrid, led by residents on the frontlines of climate change, instead of corporate utilities, are the key to achieving a prosperous future where all residents can benefit from clean energy.”

With these funds, the City will be able to continue its microgrid development efforts. Money from the Green Communities grant will be used to provide a reliable source of clean energy to Chelsea’s police department and prepare it to participate in the microgrid. The MVP grant will go to installing a microgrid in the City, starting with City Hall and the 911 Dispatch Center, both of which are critical facilities. Once implemented, this project will reduce the City’s carbon footprint, provide resilience to residents through reliable electricity and communications, and ultimately prepare Chelsea for worsening effects of climate change during emergencies such as power outages.

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About Resilient Urban Neighborhoods – Green Justice Coalition
RUN-GJC is a collaboration of nine organizations that have been working to develop clean community microgrids in Chelsea, MA and Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood since 2016. The RUN-GJC team’s goals include promoting energy democracy, addressing environmental injustices, and providing resilience to communities through clean and reliable energy sources.