Apr. 2--North Adams Transcript

NORTH ADAMS _ The country's largest museum of contemporary art wants to build one of the largest solar-power installations in New England as part of a solar energy center that would become a national training ground for those connected with the field.

The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is vying for $3.3 million in federal stimulus money to help fund a 500-megawatt array of solar panels on the 28 rooftops in its sprawling 16-acre campus and to launch the center, which officials hope would become a hub and catalyst for emerging solar technology.

MoCA Director Joseph C. Thompson, who submitted the proposal to the state last fall as a "shovel ready" project, believes it has a great chance for funding because it is in keeping with President Obama's call for alternative energy solutions and the state's commitment to green technology.

Beyond that, Thompson said, it would also supply up to 60 percent of Mass MoCA's power needs, bring in up to 300 people per year for training courses and would reflect the history of the former Arnold Print Works and Sprague Electric Co.complex as a place where research and development were integral to manufacturing operations.

"Electronic capacitors were the heart and soul of Sprague," Thompson said Tuesday. "Arnold Print Works was known for its design work with textiles. This project is about solar technology and looking forward. It's very much part and

parcel of the R&D DNA of this facility."

The solar array would be built in phases, with 300 megawatts installed beginning in May this year and the additional 200 megawatts in spring 2010, with 80 kilowatts reserved for emerging photovoltaic technologies.

The project has the strong support of Mayor John Barrett III, who sees it not only helping Mass MoCA deal with its energy costs but also putting North Adams on the map as a destination for those wanting to learn about solar power.

"The part I'm most excited about is the training center," Barrett said Wednesday. "This would be an income generator. They would be bringing people in from all over the country to train them about installing and inspecting solar panels. I believe alternative energy sources are the future. It's what the Obama and Patrick administrations want to see. It's green, and why not be a part of it? It's the wave of the future, and the future is now."

In its proposal, Mass MoCA officials pointed out the museum has already installed a 52-megawatt "prototype" for the solar installations on the rooftop of Building 5, where the main galleries are housed.