Application for a Feasibility Grant

Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program

Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02

Submitted by
City of Fall River, Massachusetts
One Government Center
Fall River, MA 02722-7700

May 4, 2010
 FORM A

Authorized Applicant Signature and Acceptance Form

 Form A

Authorized Applicant Signature and Acceptance Form

Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale

Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form A
Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale
Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form A
Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale
Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form A
 FORM B-3

Feasibility Study Application

 Form B-3

Feasibility Study Application

Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale

Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form B-3
 Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale

Feasibility Study

Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02

_____________________________________________

Application and Budget Instructions and Forms

Complete the forms provided in this document by saving this MS Word file (Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program:
Community Scale Initiative Application and Budget Forms) under a distinguishing file name. The application narrative must not
be more than twelve pages in length (10 pt font), excluding the cover sheet, budget forms and required attachments. It is
acceptable to expand the boxes to insert sufficient text in order to supply the requested information. MassCEC’s evaluation
criteria require complete, clear and concise proposals. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure that its application is
complete, meets minimum threshold requirements and is properly submitted to MassCEC (as detailed in the Solicitation).
MassCEC reserves the right to only consider applications that, in its sole judgment, meet the minimum threshold requirements.
NOTE: Applications must list the name and firm name of the technical consultant who will perform the feasibility study. It is
recommended that the technical consultant assist in filling out this application.

The application must contain, at minimum, the following:

 Authorized Applicants Signature and Acceptance Form (Form A of the Solicitation)

 Completed Application Summary Sheet
 Completed Application Narrative
 Completed Budget Form(s)
 Signed General Terms and Conditions, if no exceptions noted (Form C of the Solicitation)
 Required Attachments (see Section 12 for list)
REMINDER:
Funds awarded are public funds and any information submitted to MassCEC by the Applicant in response to this grant
solicitation is subject to public disclosure requirements as set forth in the Massachusetts Public Records Act. See
Section 9.1 of the solicitation for a discussion of Public Disclosure requirements and procedures for handling
documents submitted to MassCEC and identified by the Applicant as “sensitive information”.

Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale

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 Application Summary Sheet

Applicant Information
Primary Applicant – Organization (must be primary end user): Partners (if any):
City of Fall River

Short Title of Project:

Copicut Hill Wind Project Feasibility Study

Applicant legal status and state of jurisdiction: Applicant Taxpayer ID#: Applicant is the City of Fall River - Not
The City of Fall River, Massachusetts Applicable

Total Feasibility Study Cost: Total MassCEC Funding Amount Sought:

$77,121 $77,121

Mailing Street Address: City/ Town:

One Government Center Fall River

State: Zip Code:

MA 02722-7700

Applicant’s Simple Payback Requirement for Wind Energy Has Applicant previously received assistance from
System (years): MassCEC/MRET? If yes, please explain and include amount
8 to 9 years received: The applicant previously received an MTC grant for a
Wind Feasibility Study at the Fall River Sewage Treatment Plant.
The amount was for $41,149. Unfortunately, limited space at the
site did not allow adequate room to address required setbacks from
property lines and limited space/proximity to important facility
infrastructure made construction problematic.

x Check here to confirm that Applicant has thoroughly reviewed Appendix A: Minimum Technical Requirements for
Community-Scale Projects and meets those requirements,

Facility and Site Information

Name of Project Facility (Electrical Load end user):
City of Fall River Municipal Buildings

Facility Type (highlight appropriate facility type):

The electricity from the project will be used via net metering to supply municipal facilities owned by the City of Fall River, including schools,
City Hall, and the sewage treatment plant. The list of facilities and their electricity usage is provided in Attachment No. 5.
Facility Street Address: City/ Town:
The project is on Copicut Hill in Fall River. The facilities that will use Fall River
the electricity include various municipally-owned buildings in different
locations in Fall River. See information in Attachment No. 5.

State: Zip Code:

Massachusetts 02722-7700

Electric Utility Service Provider and Rate Class:
National Grid is the electricity provider in Fall River. The rate class
varies among the Fall River City-owned facilities that use electricity.
See rate classes shown in Attachment No. 5, which shows the rate
class for the top 30 municipal electricity users in Fall River.
Average Annual Retail Electricity Usage (kWh) and Peak
Electricity Demand (kW) for Project:
The average annual electricity demand at the largest municipally-
owned facilities is equal to more than 29,914,000 kWhs. See
Attachment No. 5, which itemizes electricity use amongst the largest
30 municipally-owned electricity users in Fall River. The monthly
sum of the peak electricity usage is equal to 33,460,000 kWHs.

Wind Energy Project Technical Information

Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale

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Proposed Wind Project System Size
The project would consist of between two and six 1.8 MW turbines,
and thus range from 3.6 MW to 10.8 MW in total generation capacity.
Annual Net Electricity Production Estimate (kWh) and Estimate
of Behind the Meter Electricity Use:
Based on the available preliminary data, it is estimated that each
Vestas V90 1.8 MW turbine will generate over 4,400 MWhs per year
during the project’s lifetime. The total production out of the wind
farm, assuming six turbines, would total slightly over 26,400 MWhs
per year, enough to supply close to 100% of the electricity used by
the City of Fall River’s 30 largest facilities, which use 29.9 MWhs
per year.

Estimated Installation Completion Date of Wind Energy Project:

A draft feasibility assessment, including wind monitoring, will be completed as soon as possible. The City of Fall River is committed to
expediting the schedule and believes it can provide the draft report in 14 to 16 months from the contract effective date. The final report will be
provided within one or two months after that. Assuming a contract effective date of July 2010, a draft report would be issued by November
2012. The completion of the actual wind project would proceed in accordance with the schedule of requirements outlined in the grant funding
for design and construction grants, which requires commencing construction within 24 months of receiving a design and construction grant,
though the City believes we can do this in 16 to 20 months. If such a construction grant were issued in February 2012, for example,
construction could start by October 2014. The City will be conducting planning, financing, and procurement research during the feasibility
study time frame to expedite design and construction activities in the next stage of work.

Estimated Simple Payback of Wind Project without MassCEC Estimated Simple Payback of Wind Project with MassCEC
Incentive (years): Incentive (years):

We estimate that the Copicut Hill Wind Project will, on an unlevered
basis and WITHOUT MassCEC funding, have a simple cash payback
period of between 8-9 years. If a 10% discount rate is used to value
the future cash flows generated by a six turbine $33.8 million project
during the life of the power supply agreement, the project’s Net
Present Value (NPV) adds up to slightly more than $3.3 million.
We estimate that the Copicut Hill Wind Project will, on an unlevered
basis and WITH MassCEC funding, also have a simple cash
payback period of between 8-9 years. This is based on the
assumption that the project obtains the maximum grant allowed for
public sector projects (i.e., $400,000). If a 10% discount rate is
used to value the future cash flows generated by a six turbine $33.8
million project during the life of the power supply agreement, the
project’s NPV adds up to slightly more than $3.7 million.

Point of Contact Information

Primary Contact: Authorized to commit organization; notified upon decision of grant award
Name: William Flanagan Title: Mayor

Organization: City of Fall River Phone: 508-324-2600

Email Address: Mayor@Fallriverma.org Fax: 508-324-2626

Mailing Street Address: One Government Center City/ Town: Fall River

State: MA Zip +4 Code: 02722-7700

http://www.fallriverma.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104&Itemid=87

Project Manager: Contact over course of project

Name: Ken Fiola, Jr. Title: Executive Vice President

Organization: Fall River Office of Economic Development Phone: 508-324-2620

Email Address: Kenfiolajr@aol.com Fax: 508-677-2840

Mailing Street Address: One Government Center City/ Town: Fall River

State: MA Zip +4 Code: 02722-7700

Website: http://www.froed.org/
Publicity Contact: Listed on MassCEC website for project information requests; contact for publicity efforts
Name: Ken Fiola, Jr. Title: Executive Vice President

Organization: Fall River Office of Economic Development Phone: 508-324-2620

Email Address: Kenfiolajr@aol.com Fax: 508-677-2840

Mailing Street Address: One Government Center City/ Town: Fall River

State: MA Zip +4 Code: 02722-7700

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Website: http://www.froed.org/

Other Contractors Contact Information (For Conflict of Interest Verification)

Name: Jeff Brandt Title: Project Manager

Organization: TRC Environmental Corporation Phone: 978-656-3662

Email Address: JBrandt@TRCSolutions.com Fax: 978-453-1995

Mailing Street Address: 650 Suffolk Street City/ Town: Lowell

State: MA Zip +4 Code: 01852

Website: www.trcsolutions.com
Name: Ben Evans Title: Communications Engineer

Organization: Evans Associates Phone: 262-242-6000

Email Address: ben@evansassoc.com Fax: 262-242-6045

Mailing Street Address: 216 Green Bay Road, Suite 205 City/ Town: Thiensville

State: WI Zip +4 Code: 53092-1657

Website: www.evansassoc.com
Name: Jonathan Markey Title: Senior Project Manager

Organization: Meridian Associates, Inc. Phone: 978-299-0447 x214

Email Address: jmarkey@meridianassoc.com Fax: 978-299-0567

Mailing Street Address: 152 Conant Street City/ Town: Beverly

State: MA Zip +4 Code: 01915

Website: www.meridianassoc.com

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 Application Narrative

1. Proposed Project Summary (Please keep it concise)

Project Title and Location The grant application is for a feasibility study to construct between two to six 1.8
(City and State) MW turbines on Copicut Hill, in Fall River, Massachusetts. Copicut Hill is located
Organization: City of Fall River off the east side of Yellow Hill Road in the eastern undeveloped portion of Fall
River. The area is currently used by the Fall River Water Department for aquifer
Facility Type: Wind Turbine(s) for protection and is entirely forested except for a dirt access road leading to the top
Use by City of Fall
River
of the hill. The closest house is more than 1800 feet away. The study area for
Project Size (kW):: 3.6 to 10.8 MW based
the wind turbine includes more than 160 acres of city owned land all of which is
on a planning range located at elevation 90 meters and higher, and is in and around Copicut Hill.
of two to six 1.8 MW
turbines. The site was chosen via a careful City-wide study of potential wind development
Grant Request: $77,121 sites funded independently of the MassCEC. In addition, the City of Fall River
has already: assessed economics of the project (see economic analysis further
Contact: William Flanagan below and pro forma data in Optional Attachment No. 1); conducted a wind
508-324-2600 resource assessment of the area from several existing sources of wind data (See
Optional Attachment No. 9); evaluated land use issues and potential wetlands
and threatened and endangered species issues (See maps in Attachment no. 6);
performed a detailed permitting analysis and permitting schedule (See Optional
Attachment Nos. 7 and 8); and hired a consultant to prepare this application. The
funding for this work will therefore build upon this information, help resolve
issues, and allow the City to develop a fully vetted, investor ready wind energy
site.
The turbines will be connected to either a distribution line along Yellow Hill Road
near the western end of the wind turbine planning area, or to a 115 kV line
adjacent to the north end of the wind turbine planning area. Electricity generated
by the project will be used entirely by the City of Fall River via net metering to
address the City’s electricity needs for its various municipal facilities, including
schools, City Hall, and the waste water treatment plant.
The project team includes the City of Fall River who is the applicant and will
manage the work; TRC Environmental Corporation who helped prepare the grant
application and will help manage the project, prepare the feasibility study, and
coordinate the subcontractors; Evans Associates for communication interference
analysis, and Meridian Associates for erection of the meteorological (met) tower
and downloading of data.
The proposed scope of work includes the erection of a met tower and wind
resource analysis, and a careful evaluation of potential issues via: a
communications interference study, a wetlands survey, T&E species survey, and
a full analysis of issues required in Appendix B-1: Feasibility Study
Requirements.
With respect to schedule, the City of Fall River is committed to expediting the
work and believes it can provide the draft report in 14 to 16 months from the
contract effective date. The final report will be provided within one or two months
after that.
2. Team Commitment and Qualifications (Please keep it concise)

2.1. Applicant Description of Applicant The project applicant is the City of Fall River, which is experienced in
Commitment managing various new development projects. The City will be assisted by TRC Environmental
Corporation, which was hired to assist with this grant application and has been working on a City-wide
wind feasibility assessment which concluded the Copicut Hill area is an optimal location for a wind project

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within the City.
The City is committed to minimizing its reliance on fossil fuel and creating renewable energy alternatives
to help reduce emissions of CO2 and reduce associated costs of purchasing electricity. Many of these
initiatives are already in progress and are funded by the City and through a federal energy efficiency and
conservation block grant including: restoring a hydropower source and building a new crescent-shaped
dam and waterfall; encouraging re-use of existing mills for new industry research and development;
exploring tidal generation; lowering energy costs to operate City buildings; and creating green collar jobs
through renewable sources of energy.

Objectives of the Project The objective of this specific wind feasibility study is to confirm that adequate
wind resources exist in the area of Copicut Hill and eliminate any potential critical flaws so the City can
move this project to the design and construction phase. The driving force for Fall River’s focus on this
project is to create a community wind facility that can reduce electricity costs for the City and bring much
needed revenues. The additional revenues from electrical cost savings will be used to help the City to
meet its budgetary obligations in the midst of decreases in funding to cities and towns.
Financial Analysis The typical institutional investor that participates in community-scale wind projects
(<5-25MW) will generally seek returns that are somewhat higher than those offered by large-scale
(>50MW) wind projects. The key driver of this difference in expected returns is the higher relative level of
performance risk from a small wind farm when compared to the expected predictability in production of a
large wind farm. In other words, it is easier to predict the performance of 100 turbines at a single site than
it is to predict the performance of 5 or 10 wind turbines at a single site.
Based on the above, institutional investors in the community-scale wind asset class tend to expect an
after-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) in the 10-12% range at a minimum. Under most scenarios, the IRR
for this project falls in the 10.5%-12.5% range on an unlevered basis.
IRR is defined as the rate of return that would make the present value of future cash flows plus the final
market value of an investment equal to the current market price/value of the investment. The higher the
IRR, the better a given project’s financial viability. IRR serves as a good tool to compare projects among
each other. Ultimately, a project’s Net Present Value (NPV) determines whether it is a good investment
opportunity or not. The calculation of a project’s NPV is dependent on the cost of the capital to be
invested in the project.
Based on our preliminary analysis of the documented wind resource at Copicut Hill, our capital cost
estimates for various turbine configurations, and the provision of power to the City of Fall River at a
significant discount ($0.115 per kWh versus for example $0.165 per kWh for the City’s Water Department
Facility [1997 rates] for delivered power), the Copicut Hill Wind Project meets the operating and financial
performance metrics necessary for a successful project.
We estimate that the Copicut Hill Wind Project will, on an unlevered basis and WITHOUT MassCEC
funding, have a simple cash payback period of between 8-9 years. If a 10% discount rate is used to value
the future cash flows generated by a six turbine $33.8 million project during the life of the power supply
agreement, the project’s NPV adds up to slightly more than $3.3 million.

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 We estimate that the Copicut Hill Wind Project will, on an unlevered basis and WITH MassCEC funding,
also have a simple cash payback period of between 8-9 years. This is based on the assumption that the
project obtains the maximum grant allowed for public sector projects (i.e., $400,000). If a 10% discount
rate is used to value the future cash flows generated by a six turbine $33.8 million project during the life of
the power supply agreement, the project’s NPV adds up to slightly more than $3.7 million.

See pro forma in Optional Attachment No. 1

2.2. Host/Partner Not Applicable

Commitment

2.3. Team City of Fall River: The City of Fall River will oversee the grant to ensure the work is carried out in
Description accordance with the commitments made in this application. Ken Fiola of the Fall River Office of Economic
and Development will act as the project manager on behalf of the City and coordinate the day-to-day work
Qualification among contractors and development of the feasibility report, which will be carried out by TRC
s
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 Environmental Corporation.
TRC Environmental Corporation: TRC will manage the preparation of the report and coordinate the
subcontractor work with oversight and direction from Ken Fiola of the Fall River Office of Economic
Development. TRC has over 2,000 employees and has worked on more than 100 wind projects across
the country, including the writing of the 2,000 page Environmental Impact Statement (EIS ) for the Cape
Wind project. TRC has a staff of more than 200 people in its Lowell office, including leading experts in the
field with respect to wetland delineation, T&E species, environmental impact analysis, environmental
permitting, noise studies, shadow studies, and wind resource assessments (see qualifications in Optional
Attachment No. 3).
Evans Associates: The City of Fall River will use Evans Associates to evaluate any potential for
communication interference as a result of the project. Evan Associates has performed this function for
projects all cross the country, including the Cape Wind project. Their expertise extends to the allocation
and design of commercial and educational broadcast facilities (AM, FM and TV), microwave networks and
wireless systems (See Optional Attachment No. 6).
Meridian Associates: Meridian Associates will install the met tower and perform data acquisition.
Meridian has installed many met towers for Massachusetts wind feasibility studies (i.e. Beverly, Salem,
Hamilton, Endicott College, Bristol community college, Trustees of reservations) and has consistently
delivered quality data needed to assess the viability of a site and to support required financing (See
Optional Attachment Nos. 4 and 5).
See organization Chart in Optional Attachment No. 2. and resumes in Attachment No. 4.

3. Project Technical Characteristics and Current Status

3.1. Site The size of the site, approximately 160 acres, its separation from homes (closest home is at least 1,800
Suitability feet away) and other sensitive receptors, and its elevation (90 to 105 meters above sea level) make it
ideal for wind development. In addition, the orientation of the ridgeline is in a northwest direction, making
it well positioned so that a turbine array can capture the southwest wind, the predominant wind resource
in the area. Finally, preliminary GIS mapping shows there are almost no wetlands on the site (we will
confirm this via a wetland survey that is part of this grant application).
The City of Fall River municipal electric demand is fairly high (29 million kWhs per year for the City’s 30
largest electricity users);the project will be able to meet a large portion if not all of this demand depending
on the number of turbines used at the site. The area is currently served by National Grid.
The site complies with the City’s wind bylaw setbacks, which require a setback from property lines and
roads equal to the height of the turbine at its highest blade tip. As well, the isolated nature of the site
ensures that noise and shadow flicker impacts will not be an issue, and its setbacks also help to ensure
that visual impacts will be minimized as it will likely only be viewed from far away due to the very limited
use of the area and the dense uninterrupted tree cover that obscures views from within the eastern
portion of Fall River.

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3.2. Proposed The City of Fall River is evaluating two types of turbines. These are summarized below:
Technology
Performance statistics for each Vestas V90 – 1.8MW Turbine

Turbine Capacity 1,800 kW

Turbine Manufacturer and Model Vestas V90
Rotor Diameter 90 meters
Wind Speed Estimate at 70m 6.4 m/s
Hub Height 80-90 meters
Wind Speed Translated to Hub Height 7.0 m/s
Estimated Annual kWh Output 4,415,000 kWhs

Performance statistics for each Vestas V82 – 1.65MW Turbine

Turbine Capacity 1,650 kW

Turbine Manufacturer and Model Vestas V82
Rotor Diameter 82 meters
Wind Speed Estimate at 70m 6.4 m/s
Hub Height 80 meters
Wind Speed Translated to Hub Height 6.6 m/s
Estimated Annual kWh Output 4,040,000 kWhs

Based on the available preliminary data, it is estimated that each Vestas V90 1.8 MW turbine will
generate over 4,400,000 kWhs per year during the project’s lifetime. The total production out of the wind
farm, assuming six turbines, would total slightly over 26,400,000 KWhs per year, enough to supply close
to 100% of the electricity used by the City of Fall River’s 30 largest facilities, which use 29,900,000 KWhs
per year.

3.3. Financial The Copicut Hill Wind Project will be fully owned by a third-party investor. The third-party investor would
Analysis sign either a long-term power purchase contract or revenue sharing agreement with the City of Fall River.
The benefits to the City of Fall River under either structure would be comparable. The primary difference
between the two options is that under a royalty/lease regime, the City would potentially benefit from
increased power prices in the form of higher royalty/lease payments. Under either contractual agreement,
the project would seek to become a net-metered facility. Furthermore, the project would seek to be
classified as a Class III municipally-owned/operated project thus providing the highest value for each kWh
generated by the project. In the case of municipally-owned/operated projects, Class III facilities receive
net metering credits for the retail (wholesale power, transmission, and distribution) value of electricity
minus certain program administration charges.
The long-term power purchase contract would be for all of the power produced by the project for a term of
20 years, with an option to extend the purchase agreement by an additional 10 years. The power would
be sold at a discount to prevailing power prices and contain a fixed inflation escalator for the contract’s
term.
The revenue sharing agreement would differ from the above power purchase agreement (PPA) in that the
project would sell the power generated to the City of Fall River at market prices and would instead pay the
City a percentage of the project’s revenues in the form of a royalty or a land lease agreement.
The PPA and the royalty agreement would both contain standard buyout provisions that would make it
possible for the City of Fall River to purchase the facility after a number of years at fair market value.
Most investors that have expressed an interest in the project have indicated that they would only use
equity capital in the project and do not contemplate the use of debt at any later stage as part of the
project’s long-term financing plan. We believe this is a reasonable strategy given the relatively small size
of the project. We have nevertheless considered the capital structure that would be necessary to fund the
project using debt as part of the project’s long-term financing as part of our analysis. Snapshots of the
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 capital structures are included below.
Also attached is a financial pro-forma that strongly demonstrates the project’s viability under both a
levered and unlevered financing scenario. The model is built based on our first choice turbine, the Vestas
V90 1.8 MW. The first section of the pro-forma outlines our basic assumptions while the second section
shows detailed income and cash flow statements for the project over its 20-year life. The included model
assumes an electricity sale price to the City of Fall River of $0.115 per kWh, representing savings of 30%
versus the City’s current kWh charges. There is a 2.5% inflation escalator built in to the model after year
one.
Were the project’s investor to choose to use debt as part of the sources of funding for the project, we
would expect that investor to pursue Federal loan guarantees under the auspices of the Department of
Energy’s (DOE) Financial Institutions Partnership Program (FIPP).
Sources of funding:
Unlevered Case 6 x 1.8MW
Total Capital Cost $33.8 million
Federal ITC $9.3 million
Sponsor Equity $25.2 million
MassCEC Funding $0.4 million

Levered Case 6 X 1.8MW

Total Capital Cost $33.8 million
Federal ITC $9.3 million
Sponsor Equity $7.6 million
MassCEC Funding $0.4 million
Long Term Debt $17.6 million
Based on the available preliminary data we estimate that each Vestas V90 1.8 MW turbine will generate
over 4,400 MWhs per year during the project’s lifetime. The total production out of the wind farm would
total slightly over 26,400 MWhs per year, enough to supply 100% of the electricity used by the City of Fall
River’s 30 largest facilities. We have included summary statistics for the two primary turbines under
consideration for this project. Performance data for each model is presented on a per turbine basis. See
project pro-forma attached in Optional Attachment No. 1.

3.4. Project Risks The City of Fall River does not see any unusual project development risks at this site. The City of Fall
River has already done a feasibility analysis of its own and identified issues that will be addressed in this
feasibility analysis, so that upon completion we can have a fully vetted investor ready wind development
site. The City of Fall River believes this is an excellent site and has the potential to provide a substantial
amount of wind-generated electricity, which differentiates it from many other community-based proposals.

3.5. Development TRC’s engineers have done a preliminary evaluation of the interconnection requirements and propose to
Progress do a more in-depth analysis upon award of this funding. Current understanding is that the lines on the
access road off to the top of Copicut Hill are single-phase and inadequate. The lines along Yellow Hill
Road are three-phase and might possibly be available for a small project, but would likely need to be
improved. The 115 kV lines which run adjacent to the north side of the turbine planning areas are an
excellent prospect, and further work will be done to evaluate how best to tie into this transmission
resource. The pro-forma financials have taken into account interconnection costs, and this does not
appear to be a critical flaw.
A draft feasibility assessment, including wind monitoring, will be completed as soon as possible. The City
of Fall River is committed to expediting the schedule and believes it can provide the draft report in 14 to
16 months from the contract effective date. The final report will be provided within one or two months
after that. Assuming a contract effective date of July 2010, a draft report would be issued by November
2012. The completion of the actual wind project would proceed in accordance with the schedule of
requirements outlined in the grant funding for design and construction grants, which requires commencing
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 construction within 24 months of receiving a design and construction grant, though the City believes it can
do this in 16 to 20 months. If such a construction grant were issued in say February 2012, then this would
mean construction could start by October 2014. The City will be conducting planning, financing, and
procurement research during the feasibility study time frame such that design and construction activities
can be expedited in the next stage of work.
The City has already taken several aggressive steps toward competing this feasibility analysis as follows:
• Conducted a City-wide assessment for the optimal location for a wind turbine project
• Conducted wind resources assessment (See Optional Attachment No. 9)
• Evaluated Copicut Hill for environmental and land use designations via GIS and preliminary site
visits
• Hired TRC to prepare this grant application
• Conducted a detailed financial analysis to evaluate financial feasibility and identify financing
methods (see analysis below, and pro-forma in Optional Attachment No. 1)

• Conducted detailed permitting assessment and permitting scheduling (see detailed permitting
discussion in Optional Attachment No. 7 and draft permit schedule in Optional Attachment No. 8)
Accordingly, the City of Fall River already knows a lot about the Copicut Hill site, and this feasibility
analysis is more focused then many. It seeks to understand in detail the wind resources available and
assess potential critical flaws via: a communications interference study, a wetlands survey, T&E species
survey, evaluation of interconnection options, and will address the various issues required in Appendix B-
1.
Permitting Requirements for Copicut Hill Project: To a large extent, the amount of permitting required
for this project will hinge on the amount of wetland impacts, which will need to be determined via a
wetland field survey, which has been scoped as part of this feasibility study. If no wetlands are required,
permits may be limited to a building permit, zoning approval, FAA, and NPDES stormwater. If wetlands
work is required or work in the wetlands buffer zone, then the following could also be required, and would
vary depending on the amount of wetlands affected: 1)Conservation Commission Approval; 2)
Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Review - Environmental Notification Form; 3) MassDEP
- Water Quality Certification (314 CMR 9.00: 401); 4) U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (ACOE) – Type 2
Programmatic General Permit; and 5) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – NPDES Stormwater
Permit for Construction and Operation. A detailed evaluation of permits required and their schedule is
provided (See Optional Attachment Nos. 7 and 8).

4. Energy Efficiency Measures

The City has over $500,000 in revenues from a grant via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) specifically
committed for the installation of energy saving devices within its municipal buildings that would be served by this project via net
metering. The City is performing energy audits to refine its optimal selection of these conservation devices. The following are
some improvements proposed:

Government Center & City Council Chambers: Existing fixtures will be upgraded with T8 lamps, electronic ballasts, and
reflectors in 1,119 locations. Metal Halide retrofit kits will be installed in 483 locations. Existing fixtures will be upgraded with T8
lamps and electronic ballasts in 429 locations. Existing fixtures will be upgraded with T8 lamps, electronic ballasts, and retrofit
kits in 165 locations. Compact fluorescent lamps will be installed in 52 locations. New wraps will be installed in 40 locations.
Existing fixtures will be upgraded with T8 lamps and dimmable electronic ballasts in 8 locations. New exit signs with battery
backup will be installed in all locations not currently using LED technology.

Henry Lord Middle School: Existing fixtures will be upgraded with T8 lamps and electronic ballasts in 1,153 locations.
Extraneous fixtures will be removed in 28 locations. New T8 high-bays with cages will be installed in 24 locations. New wraps will
be installed in 13 locations. Compact fluorescent lamps will be installed in 8 locations.

Spencer Borden Elementary School: Existing fixtures will be upgraded with T8 lamps and electronic ballasts in 623 locations.
New T8 high-bays with cages will be installed in 24 locations. Existing fixtures will be upgraded with T8 lamps, electronic ballasts,
Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale
Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form B-3
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and reflectors in 6 locations.
5. Project Programmatic Benefits

The project is proposed in an area where there are no wind turbines, and as such, will add important differsification to the
electrical generation base which is predominantly provided by gas and coal fueled electric generation facilities. The project will
improve system reliability to the extent fossil fuel shortages occur because of excess demand or delivery problems. The project
will use local labor to the extent possible for construction and operation, which will help the local economy. In addition,
construction of a somewhat larger community wind power facility (i.e., two to six turbines) at a green field location will help
demonstrate that wind turbines are compatible with the use of such areas for recreational and/or conservation. Finally, the
project will also be an important visible sign of the City of Fall River’s efforts to become a green city, can be used for education
about renewable energy, and can help encourage other renewable energy development in the City.

6. Scope of Work and Schedule

6.1. Required The City of Fall River is aware of the MassCEC’s deliverable requirements detailed in Appendix B-2, and
Deliverables the required schedule outlined for meeting them, and is committed to fulfilling these requirements as part
of this grant. These requirements generally cover the following areas: 1) prepare and executive summary;
2) evaluation of the site wind resource; 3) evaluation installation and physical site characteristics; 4)
evaluate characteristics of the site vicinity; 5) evaluate installation site electrical infrastructure; 6) identify
and evaluate environmental concerns; 7) evaluate required reviews, permits, and approvals; 8) prepare a
conceptual wind plan configuration; 9) prepare a schematic site plan; 10) estimate wind project energy
production; 11) estimate wind project costs; 12) estimate project revenues; and 13 prepare a financial
analysis. The City of Fall River has already been addressing many of these issues, and this grant funding
will help the City to analyze these issues in depth and thoroughly address any issues that could be critical
flaws.

6.2. Scope of Work and Schedule

The work plan for the project begins with obtaining a building permit for the met tower, and then installing the tower. During the
next 12 months, the met tower will collect data, and Meridian Associates will download the data remotely. At the same time, TRC
will direct other tasks necessary to complete the feasibility assessment. These include a communication interference analysis
survey, a wetlands and T&E survey of the whole turbine planning area (to assist in drawing the required turbine configuration and
access roads), an interconnection analysis, and other required work. After the full 12 months of monitoring are complete, TRC
will prepare the draft feasibility report within the next few months. Approximately one or two months after that, we would submit
the final feasibility report. Dates for these activities are provided in the table below.
The City of Fall River will also perform business planning activities under this grant that coincide with the development of this report so that it
can proceed quickly after completion of the feasibility report to financing, procurement, and construction. These activities will include the
following:

• Identifying and costing out of other tasks that have to be performed to plan for and develop such a project and a greater
understanding of risks involved in such an endeavor, and how the city can address those risks.

• Compilation of a 3rd party developer/institutional investors to whom an RFP will be mailed.

• Community relations work to ensure a full understanding and buy-in from critical local stakeholders.

• Discussion with local and regional banks to encourage early understanding of the proposal and attract local participation in the debt
financing portion of the project.

• Identification of federal and state grant and loan opportunities and preliminary discussions with grant and loan makers.

• Preliminary development of an RFP to solicit proposals from wind developers and institutional investors for constructing, owning, and
operating a wind generation facility in Fall River.

• Refinement of the existing pro forma (see Optional Attachment No. 1) to include development of additional financing structures.
Copicut Hill Wind Project Feasibility Study

Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale

Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form B-3
- 13 -
 Task/ Milestone End Date Responsible Party
Project Kick-Off Meeting 7/1/10 Fall River Office of Economic
Development (FROED) and
TRC
Obtain Building Permit (if applicable) 7/30/10 Meridian Associates

Installation of MET Tower (If applicable) 9/ 15/2010 Meridian Associates

Obtain FAA approval (if required) 9/1/2010 Meridian Associates
Wetland Survey to Help Locate Specific 8/1/ 2010 TRC
Site for Met Tower within the Met Tower
Planning Area

Draft Feasibility Report 11/1/2011 TRC

Communication Interference Analysis 10/1/2010 Evans Associates
Survey
Wetlands and T&E survey for whole site 9/1/ 2010 TRC
Interconnection Analysis 10/1/2010 TRC
Wind and other Assessments per 10/15/2011 TRC
Feasibility Study
Requirements at Appendix B-1
Final Feasibility Report 12/1/2011 TRC

7. Incentive Calculation )

Below are the available incentive levels for Feasibility Study grants. MassCEC strongly encourages applicants to request less
than the eligible incentive level.
Feasibility Study Incentive Levels per Project

The City of Fall River requests $49,841 in basic incentive for its feasibility study, $7,280 for business planning, and $20,000 for
the wind equipment adder. Refer to budget description and schedule below.

8. Budget

8.1. Budget Form See budget sheet below

9. Exceptions to the General Terms and Conditions and Task Order Template

See Terms and Conditions in Attachment No. 2.

10. Demonstrate No Conflict of Interest

The City of Fall River is not aware of any conflicts of interest in pursuing this grant funding.

11. Massachusetts Government Entities Only: Demonstrate Compliance with Massachusetts Public
Procurement Law

The City of Fall River is not a Massachusetts government entity and is not subject to the
above procurement law. Regardless, the City of Fall River has evaluated the potential use of
contractors based on their experience and costs in accordance with competitive procurement
practices.

Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale

Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form B-3
- 14 -
12. Required Attachments

12.1. Feasibility The following attachments are provided:

Attachments
• Budget Forms (See Attachment No. 1)
• Signed General Terms and Conditions (see Attachment No. 2)
• Site Owner Commitment Letter (see attachment No. 3)
• Resumes of key team members (See Attachment No. 4)
• Electricity Usage Data (see Attachment No. 5)
• Completed Form B-2: Site Assessment Deliverable Template. (See Attachment No. 6)
12.2. Optional TRC has included the following Optional Attachments:
Attachments
1. Financial Analysis
2. Organizational Chart
3. TRC Qualifications
4. Meridian Associates Proposal
5. Meridian Associates Qualifications
6. Evans Associates Proposal
7. Permitting Requirements
8. Permitting Schedule
9. Wind Resource Assessment

Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale

Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form B-3
- 15 -
 Attachment No. 1: Budget Form
General Cost Information (BUDGET FORM IS AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET: SEE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILLING OUT BUDGET FORM)

Applicant: Title of Proposed Project: Type of Project:

The City of Fall River Copicut Hill Wind Feasibility Study Wind Feasibility Study

Total Project Budget: Total MassCEC Grant Request:

$77,121 $77,121

Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale

Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form B-3
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Tree Clearing
Meridian Associates, Tree Clearer
Environmental and Engineering Studies

TRC,GKa
ele
vin
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uu
eg ere
rro ,u
-MElectrica
rphy, WleEng
tlanin
de
Secie
r (interco
ntist ne
(Wntla
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&Eation)
survey)
TRCKelly Kippenberger, Wetland Scientist II (Wetlands and T&Esurvey)

TRC, Greg Studdwell, GISSpecialist II (Wetland &Site Drawings)

TRCSamantha Hard, Senior Wetland Scientist (Wetlands Survey)

TRC, Al Klausmann, Sr. Meteorologist (Wind Resource Analysis and

Report)
TRC, J. Brandt, Principle Consultant (Feasibility Report Review and
project mgmt)
TRC, J. Brown, Project Manager (Land Use &Feasibility Report Writing)
TRC, P. Silva, Administrative Assistant (Report Writing)
Evans Associates, Ben Evans, Communications Engineer
(communications Study)
Fall River Office of Economic Development, Ken Fiola, Executive Vice
President (Business Planning)

TRC, John Devillars, Principle, (Project Planning and Financing)

Total Subcontractors/Consultants
II. Direct Materials (Not Applicable for Feasibility and Design Grants)
Item

Total Direct Materials

III. Travel (Must include purpose and basis on supporting schedule)
TRC- Travel Costs for Meeting with City of Fall River (assume 4 meetings at 152 miles rountrip)
TRCTravel Costs for Wetlands Survey - (Rental Car $260 + Gas ($90) -
assume 3 trips to site
TRCTravel Cost for Electrical Interconnect Study - Mileage - 574 mils rt
fromBangor ME
Total Travel

IV. Other Direct Costs (list by type)

Equipment Cost for Daily Meteorlogical Data Downloads with data logger cell phone service included
Cost for Met Tower Rental (60 0 per month
Commonwealth x 1Incentive
Wind 2 month s) Community Scale
Program:
Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Direct Costs for Wetalnds and T&ESurveyForm B-3
- 17 -
Meals and Incidentals
GPSUnit (per day)
 Supporting Schedule - Budget Form

Budget Category Item Description and Basis of Budgeted Cost Amount

Meteorological The met tower will be constructed and leased by Meridian Associates. The labor hours on the
Tower work sheet include labor for installation and downloading of data and maintenance (see their $34,200
proposal in Optional Attachment No. 4). Costs for the tower include $20,000 for installation,
$7,200 to lease the tower for one year, and $7,000 for remote downloading of data (this last cost
is required as the site is located ½ mile up an unmaintained/unplowed road). The total met tower
cost is $34,200. A scope of work is provided as an attachment to this application. Of this total
$34,200 amount, $7,200 is shown on the budget sheet as a direct cost for the rental of the met
tower, and another $4000 is shown as a direct cost on the budget sheet for the data logger
equipment, or a total of $11,200 in direct costs for met tower.

Meteorological In addition to the costs described above, approximately one acre of trees will be cleared for $2,000
Tower Tree installation of the tower. Meridian Associates will perform this task. Road improvements are not
Clearing anticipated for the Met Tower.

Feasibility Study
Interconnection TRC power delivery engineers, led by Kevin Fougere, will carefully evaluate how the project can $4,800
Evaluation most economically be interconnected to the utility grid. The analysis will evaluate the feasibility
of using or upgrading existing distribution lines along Yellow Hill Road, and of using the 115 kV
lines that run adjacent to the north end of the site. The work will include an assessment of how
best to tie in with the 115 kV line and rough cost estimates for planning purposes of different
options. Early understanding of this issue will allow more accurate financial analysis of the
project and aid in better understanding of permitting requirements and development schedule.

Feasibility Study National Wetland Survey Maps of the turbine planning area show no wetlands exist except for a
Wetlands and T&E very small area along the access road on the south end of the site. To better understand actual $7,040
species Survey extent of wetlands, an on the ground wetlands survey has been budgeted. As the site is very
large (160 acres), a wetland reconnaissance will be performed to understand in general where
wetlands are located and where they are not. This will assist in developing the conceptual
footprint for the system layout. A more formal wetlands delineation will be conducted later in the
design stage of the project once other design issues help narrow down the planning area. This
will save cost compared to doing a formal wetlands delineation across all 160 acres. Personnel
performing the wetlands work are all trained experts in wetlands delineation and certified wetland
scientists.

Included in the survey work will be an assessment of threatened and endangered species. This
will include coordination with Massachusetts Natural Heritage to understand what species are
represented on the existing resource mapping of the eastern edge of the site (see Figure No. 3
in Attachment No. 6). This will then be followed by a site walkover to assess readily observable
species. An understanding of the species and/or other T&E species (to the extent they actually
exist on the site) and its general geographic distribution will help in project planning and layout of
the site

Direct costs for these surveys (i.e., mileage/expenses) is provided in the direct cost section.

Feasibility Study Wind resources will be assessed in detail in accordance with the requirements in Appendix B-1 7,930
Wind Resource of this application. Al Klaussman of TRC will perform this assessment. Mr. Klaussman is an
Assessment experienced meteorologist and has performed a wind resource assessment already for the
general area of the City (See Optional Attachment No. 9).
Feasibility Study Evans Associates will be performing the communications interference study. This is important
(Communications) because there are a few communication towers at the top of Copicut Hill. The study will assess $4350
impacts of the project on microwave towers and other types of communication towers to assess
if there are critical flaws that would prohibit construction of this project. Preliminary assessment
of the site indicates that it is large enough such that omnidirectioal communication devices can
likely be avoided (i.e., turbines sited > 1,000 feet away). The assessment will confirm this and
determine if there are critical issues with respect to communications. TRC will assist in GIS
based photo documentation of structures to minimize costs on this task. Later, during the design
phase of the project, a second analysis may take place to assist in micro siting of turbines to
Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale
Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form B-3
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 avoid and or mitigate delineated micro wave signal areas.
In addition to the information described above, a complete feasibility study will be prepared in
Feasibility Study accordance with the requirements of Appendix B-1, and all of this information will be presented $7,530
(Addressing in a feasibility report. This task includes writing of the report and preparing the required
remainder of information.
issues required in
Appendix B-1 and
writing of Report)
The City of Fall River is committed to this project moving forward, and will perform business
Business Planning planning activities that coincide with the development of this report so that it can proceed quickly $7,280
after completion of the feasibility report. These activities will include the following:

• Identifying and costing out of other tasks that have to be performed to plan for and
develop such a project and a greater understanding of risks involved in such an
endeavor, and how the city can address those risks.

• Compilation of a 3rd party developer/institutional investors to whom an RFP will be

mailed.

• Community relations work to ensure a full understanding and buy-in from critical local
stakeholders.

• Discussion with local and regional banks to encourage early understanding of the
proposal and attract local participation in the debt financing portion of the project.

• Identification of federal and state grant and loan opportunities and preliminary
discussions with grant and loan makers.

• Preliminary development of an RFP to solicit proposals from wind developers and

institutional investors for constructing, owning, and operating a wind generation facility
in Fall River.

• Refinement of the existing pro forma (see Optional Attachment No. 1) to include
development of additional financing structures.

This work will be performed together by Mr. John DeVillars of TRC, who has expertise in
developing renewable energy projects and via Mr. Ken Fiola of the Fall River Office of
Economic Development who has planned and helped secure funding for many of the City’s
development projects.

Travel Costs $941

Other costs for Wetlands Survey $1050

Total $77,121

Commonwealth Wind Incentive Program: Community Scale

Solicitation No. 2010-CWIPCS-02
Form B-3
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