Month: March 2013

Installation at Museum to Provide more than 250MWh Annually

Mystic Seaport and Altus Power are pleased to announce the completion of construction of a solar photovoltaic system on the roof of the Museum’s Collections Research Center building in Mystic, Conn. The 963-panel system will help to offset the electricity use of the building, which houses the Museum’s vast collection of more than 2 million maritime artifacts. Altus Power owns and maintains the system, which was built by Vanguard Energy Partners.

Mystic Seaport and Altus Power have been working together for over a year to craft a partnership which would help the Museum to reduce its carbon footprint and to defray some of the electricity costs of the institution. The Collections Research Center, a former velvet mill adapted for its current use in 1993, requires extensive humidity and temperature control, which contributes to significant energy usage. The solar photovoltaic system is expected to generate more than 250MWh of electricity annually, approximately 10-15 percent of the building’s total needs.

Altus won a contract to support the cost of this project from Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) in the recent Zero-Emission Renewable Energy Credit (ZREC) auction in July, 2012. By accepting a contract with CL&P, Altus has agreed to sell the project’s renewable energy credits to the utility for 15 years. Connecticut’s legislation requiring CL&P and United Illuminating – the state’s two utilities – to purchase renewable energy credits led to the auction, which enables the cost-efficient purchase of energy credits.

“We are very pleased that we are able to partner with Altus Power to help put Mystic Seaport on a path to a more sustainable future,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport. “We hope this can be a model for other museums and organizations as we all seek ways to reduce costs and our burden on the environment.”

“Altus is pleased to work with the Museum to support its corporate sustainability efforts,” said Lars Norell, managing partner at Altus. “We are excited that this project will not only help the Museum’s bottom line, but will educate its visitors about clean energy as well.”

The project will also serve the education mission of the Museum. Real-time data on the solar array’s output will be sent to a display in the lobby of the nearby Treworgy Planetarium, where it can be viewed by visitors and incorporated into education programming.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, it is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, the oldest American commercial vessel still afloat. For more information, visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.

Historic Ship to Return to the Water on July 21 after a Comprehensive Restoration

Ric Burns, the award-winning documentary filmmaker, will deliver the keynote address at the launch of the Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport on July 21, 2013. The National Historic Landmark ship has been undergoing a comprehensive restoration since November, 2008. She will be launched and returned to the water in a public ceremony that begins at 2 p.m.

Burns is best known for his acclaimed series New York: A Documentary Film, a sweeping chronicle of the city’s history, which garnered several honors, including two Emmy Awards and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award. Burns’ career began with the celebrated series The Civil War, which he produced with his brother, Ken Burns, and co-wrote with Geoffrey C. Ward. In 1991, Ric founded Steeplechase Films and has since written and directed a number of award-winning films for PBS, including Coney Island, The Donner Party, The Way West, Eugene O’Neill, and Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film. Burns most recently finished Death and the Civil War, a film based on the best-selling book This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by acclaimed historian and Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust.  In 2010, Burns wrote, produced, and co-directed for American Experience a film about the history of the whaling industry, Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World.

Mystic Seaport President Steve White said, “We are honored to have Ric Burns serve as the keynote speaker at our launch ceremony. His extensive knowledge of American history and the role whaling plays in it will help us articulate the importance of the Charles W. Morgan in our nation’s maritime experience. “

The Morgan is the oldest American commercial ship still in existence. The 113-foot vessel was built and launched in New Bedford in 1841 and had a whaling career that lasted 80 years and 37 voyages that spanned the far reaches of the globe. The ship came to Mystic Seaport in 1941. More than 20 million people have walked her decks since she arrived.

The launch is a key milestone in her restoration, which has been carried out at the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at the Museum. Once back in the water, work will continue with the installation of her spars and rigging, additional interior carpentry, and preparation for her 38th Voyage to begin in May, 2014. The Voyage will take the ship back to sea on a tour to historic ports in New England, including New London, Newport, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, Provincetown, and Boston. Each port visit will include an interactive dockside program designed to inspire excitement and interest in America’s maritime heritage.  The ship will also sail through the whale-watching grounds of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary to recognize the changing relationship of mankind to the whale.

About Mystic Seaport

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world and America’s oldest commercial vessel. For more information, visit https://mysticseaport.wpengine.com/.