Green Business Woman Mary O'Donnell - Every day is a new day in solar project business
Channel: CleanTech Business Club
Date: 2016-11-04

During Intersolar Middle East held in Dubai, we had an exclusive opportunity to speak to Mary O'Donnell, Founder & President of No Fossil Fuel & Clean Power Inc, a passionate green business woman who runs a sustainable & renewable farm in Kingston, Massachusetts fueled by her own 6MW wind energy installation. 

While realizing her dream of building a fully sustainable village, Mary is selling utility-scale, shovel ready solar projects around the globe through her latest company, Clean Power Inc.

Who's Mary? 

Mary began her career in the energy industry three decades ago when she purchased a 105 acre sand and gravel pit in Kingston, Massachusetts. After an extensive study, Mary abandoned plans to re-develop the site into a waste-to-energy facility, but her foray into the industry had begun. 
Mary is the founder of O’Donnell Sand and Gravel, the largest woman owned business to supply the “Big Dig”. Annual revenues at that time approached $17MM and the Company employed approximately 60 people. O’Donnell Sand & Gravel provided all the stone and gravel for the third harbor tunnel ($11MM contract) and processed all the stone and glacial rock from Spectacle Island for the MWRA ($12MM contract). 

In 2010, after a developer’s quest to create a transit oriented 40R development on the site collapsed under the weight of the a troubled economy, Mary resumed her mission to develop energy on the site after learning the Town of Kingston had conducted a successful three year wind feasibility study on municipal land that directly abutted her 105 acre site. Kingston Wind, No Fossil Fuel’s 6MW flagship renewable farm, was commissioned on January 20th, 2012. 

Mary founded two solar development companies and went on to develop No Fossil Fuel Marshfield Solar, a 4 MW solar facility commercially operational since 2013. The project was sold to Washington Gas and Energy Systems. The project was built on a private capped landfill, and the power sold locally to the Town of Marshfield.

In addition to No Fossil Fuel Marshfield Solar, Mary co-founded No Fossil Fuel Dartmouth Solar, a 6 MW solar facility commercially operational since 2014. The project has off-take agreements with Silver Lake Regional School District, and the Town of Carver. The project was constructed on the site of a cranberry bog.

Mary is politically active, and engages in renewable energy policy and regulatory rulemaking proceedings, as well as partner with universities to educate next generation of renewable energy leaders. Mary is certified WBE as a renewable energy developer by the Supplier Diversity Office of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She serves on the board of directors for Southeast Regional Network, and Kingston Business Association.