Green Power

BT Extends "Green" Power Contract until 2010 (G&C)

BT has extended a contract to receive renewable energy from npower and British Gas Business, which will now run until 2010. The contract was originally signed two years ago as part of its efforts to cut carbon emissions. The deal means 98 per cent of the firm's electricity comes from renewable sources. BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. (Source:  Manchester Evening News, Jan. 22, '07) Contact:  BT. Source: EPoverviews, 1/24/2007.

DTE Energy Seeks Renewable Energy Agreements

Detroit-based DTE Energy, the parent company of the electric utility Detroit Edison, has issued a request for proposals to purchase Michigan-based renewable energy for the company's proposed GreenCurrents renewable energy program. The GreenCurrents program would give Detroit Edison's customers the option of choosing renewable energy for all or part of their electricity needs. Customers would be able to purchase 100 kWh of renewable energy for $2.50 a month or have 100 percent of their electricity provided by renewable resources for an additional cost of $0.02 per kWh. According to the company, a key element of the program is to encourage the development and operation of new renewable energy projects, including wind and solar, in the state.

DTE Energy says it hopes to begin offering the program to customers this spring, pending approval by the Michigan Public Service Commission. Responses to the RFP are due to DTE Energy by March 16, 2007. A pre-bid conference that includes a question-and-answer session will be held at DTE Energy's Detroit headquarters on Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. Source: By NAW Staff, 01/25/07.

City of Dallas Will Use "Green Energy" to Power Street Lights

Nearly half of the street lights in the city of Dallas will soon be lit by renewable "green power," city officials announced today. The action is a first for Dallas, and part of the city's efforts to meet future environmental challenges. "This is a reflection of Dallas' commitment to using clean, renewable energy wherever and whenever possible," said Interim Energy Manager Jesse Dillard.

Under the pilot program approved by the Dallas City Council on Wednesday, the city will purchase 30 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy credits from the Texas General Land Office, which will provide power for 34,000 of the city's street lights, starting in mid-February. The renewable credits guarantee the power will originate from solar, wind, geothermal, biomass or low-impact hydropower sources in Texas.

Dillard said the renewable credits are intended to be retired on the city's U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified facilities. Dallas has made a commitment that all new city facilities over 10,000 square feet will be silver certified by the LEED rating system. The credits encourage the development and use of grid-source, renewable energy technologies on a net zero pollution basis. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, conventional electricity generation is one of the largest industrial sources of air pollution. Source: City of Dallas, 01/25/2007.

Eye on Auraria

The campus is getting cleaned up, and Eye don't mean by washing. The Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board is committed to clean energy and they're really pushing it. For those of you who weren't here or don't remember, the student body of Auraria passed a $1 per student, per semester fee for clean energy. The fee was used to purchase clean energy for the campus. Half the money was used to purchase wind energy to power the campus, putting Auraria first in the state and 14th in the country for higher education institutions using renewable energy. The rest of the money collected from the fee was spent on solar lighting projects around the campus, projects that are being installed this semester.

"With this commitment, Auraria Campus students have clearly demonstrated their steadfast support of sustainability. We applaud Auraria for pursuing renewable energy opportunities and setting a positive example we hope others in our community will follow," said our own Mayor Hickenlooper.

Graduate School of Public Affairs professor Gary Hart had this to say: "The renewable energy purchase by students at the Auraria campus is a great example of the power of our youth today to help direct a stronger, cleaner and more secure energy economy. Hope for the future is extraordinarily evident in this student-led action."

Last year, SACAB assessed student interest in sustainable energy by conducting a series of surveys asking students how they felt about sustainable energy. According to the 529 people surveyed, only a little over half were even aware of the fee, but almost all, 93.4 percent, would support a renewal of the fee. More importantly, most of those surveyed, 89.7 percent, would support an increase in the fee, with most willing to pay a $5 fee. With the increased fee, which would have to go to a student vote before being implemented, SACAB would continue its commitment to clean energy by increasing the renewable energy programs on campus, increasing the energy efficiency of campus buildings, increasing recycling on campus, reducing the water usage on campus and promoting these programs through education and marketing.  Source: Colette Armstrong, 01/24/2007.

For more information: http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/index.shtml

Renewable Energy Technologies

Charles City Board OKs Bids for Geothermal Project

The Charles City School Board has approved bids totaling $508,909 for the second phase of the geothermal heating, ventilation and air conditioning project at Washington Elementary. The board approved the low bid of $476,749 from Mick Gage Plumbing for mechanical/electrical construction and the low bid of $32,160 from FM Controls for automated temperature controls. The first phase of the geothermal project was completed in the summer and early fall of 2006. Construction of the second phase will begin in May. Source: Globe Gazette.com, By Mary Pieper, 1/23/2007.

New Technologies Could Account for Ten Percent of Future U.S. Electrical Power

The United States could generate up to 10 percent of its electricity by developing new technologies to convert heat from rocks deep within the earth into power, according to a recent study sponsored by the Department of Energy. An 18-member panel released a 400-plus-page report on Monday stating that with research investments averaging about $53 million a year over the next 15 years scientists could plumb the depths of the earth for power. The cost is less than that of building a single, new-generation, clean-coal power plant, according to the report. "It opens up a very large resource to the country that could help stabilize our long-term energy security in a sustainable manner," said panel head Jefferson Tester, a professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT.

Scientists propose drilling holes two to three miles deep into the earth's crust. Water would then be pumped into the earth where it would be super-heated by the rock. The water would then rise through the drilled holes and existing cracks and the resulting steam would be tapped to create electricity.

The release of the report coincides with the increasing consumption and cost of fossil fuels. It comes just before the expected release of the next report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and during the same week that President George Bush appealed for a reduction in gasoline consumption in his State of the Union Address. The proposed technology, which would leave a small ecological footprint and virtually no emissions, would complement other renewable energy production from solar and wind sources.

Electrical production from geothermal sources in the United States has existed since at least 1922. The current report built upon information gathered after two important geothermal studies were conducted in the 1970s by the United States Geological Survey during a prior energy scare. Currently the geothermal energy production in the United States is a $1.5 billion dollar industry that accounts for less than one percent of the nation's electricity. The report states that geothermal resources have been largely untapped, ignored, and offer a lot of promise, especially with investment in new technology. Panel head Tester said he thought an infrastructure will need to be developed that includes educating a new generation in geothermal engineering in order to really move forward with this proposed technology. Source:  By Joe Spring, 01/24/2007.

Thermal Under Where?

If the U.S. is going to insist on looking for energy underground, there's a better option than drilling for oil, researchers say: generating steamy geothermal electricity by circulating water down into hot rocks below the earth's surface and back up into power plants. An MIT study commissioned by the U.S. Energy Department says geothermal energy can be accessed affordably, sustainably and large-scale-ably with an investment of as little as $800 million over 15 years. (Cost comparison: That's about the price of one "clean-coal" plant.) Current U.S. geothermal production is comparable to its solar and wind generation combined -- which we all know ain't much -- but the study estimates that with proper investment, hot rocks could meet some 10 percent of U.S. electricity needs by mid-century. "This is a big resource that is perhaps undervalued by people who are thinking of options for the country," says study leader Jefferson Tester. Source: Posted by Grist, 01/24/2007.

Hot Rocks: Tapping an Underutilized Renewable Resource

Earth continuously heats the rock deep below the surface; a new report from M.I.T. suggests harvesting that renewable energy. The Geysers-a geothermal power plant in northern California operated by Calpine-has been pumping out electricity harvested from steam heated deep within Earth since the 1920s. Since the 1990s Calpine has been pumping in treated wastewater from surrounding communities to replenish water lost during all those years of power production. And since 2000 the plant began producing more than six million megawatt-hours-enough to power 750,000 homes-annually, all while operating nearly 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "We run 98 percent availability," says Dennis Gilles, Calpine's senior vice president for geothermal operations. "That is one of the highest availabilities of any power source."

Tapping this geothermal resource is the subject of a new study prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). The researchers estimate that more than 13 million exajoules lurk deep beneath U.S. soil and 200,000 EJ--or "2,000 times the annual consumption of primary energy in the United States in 2005"--is recoverable, without taking into account cost.

In some places, such as the Geysers, cost is minimal as nature does much of the work: fracturing the subsurface rock, filling it with fluid and heating it. In such locations, one merely has to build the conversion apparatus to turn the heat in steam into electricity, typically at a cost of $1,700 per kilowatt. But the M.I.T. team is proposing a much more ambitious plan that calls for constructing geothermal plants where none naturally exist, drilling down into heated bedrock, creating an open reservoir, and pumping water into it to be heated. "The biggest cost is basically in drilling the wells," says Brian Anderson, a chemical engineer at West Virginia University in Morgantown who helped develop the economic models for the report.

Of course, the know-how for such deep drilling already exists in the oil industry, which shells out roughly $9.4 million a pop for its 18,000-foot-plus deep wells, according to economist Michael Moore of the University of Calgary, another study co-author. In return, such a man-made geothermal power system would harvest 40 percent of the heat in that bedrock and then convert 15 percent of that heat into useable electricity. "You've got two closed loops there," explains Ronald DiPippo, a co-author and mechanical engineer at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. "There is an environmental impact when you have to reject heat but that's a heck of a lot cleaner than burning coal or having to dispose of nuclear waste."

Based on costs alone (that is, how much of the geothermal resource could be tapped at prices as low as 6? per kilowatt-hour, the typical price of electricity from coal), more than 100 gigawatts of geothermal power could be developed for just $1 billion spread out over the next 40 years-the price tag of just one advanced coal-fired power plant and one third the cost of a new nuclear generator. "This is a very large resource that perhaps has been undervalued in terms of the impact it might have on supplying energy to the U.S.," says lead author Jefferson Tester, a chemical engineer at M.I.T.

But geothermal is not entirely risk-free. A recent effort to build such a geothermal power plant in Basel, Switzerland, came to an abrupt halt when it triggered an earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale, too  small to cause damage but large enough to be felt by humans. "We generate between 3,000 and 5,000 earthquakes a year," Calpine's Gilles says. "In a typical day, we experience on average 10. I can guarantee you won't feel any of them." It remains unclear what will happen with the Basel power plant, and the problem may result from its siting; Basel was leveled by an earthquake in 1356. "You are not going to want to put a geothermal facility like this where you have a danger of lubricating a big fault," Tester notes.

Geothermal energy can provide stable electricity that complements the intermittent power provided by other renewables, such as wind and solar. Creating such enhanced or engineered geothermal systems requires federal funding for research, the scientists say, something the Bush administration did not include in its fiscal year 2007 budget request. Congress allocated $24 million in 2006, and that funding level may be maintained this year, but it is still about half the amount that the report says is needed to develop geothermal into a resource that could power 25 million homes nationwide. "We would like to see greater efforts exerted towards realizing its full potential," Gilles adds. Source: Scientific American, Inc., 01/23/07.

Plextronics Receives Grant to Develop Organic Solar Cells

The Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania has awarded $750,000 to Plextronics to further develop the company's Plexcore Photovoltaic technology for organic solar cells, according to a news release on Yahoo Finance. Organic solar cells use thin layers of plastic semiconductors, instead of silicon, to absorb light and create electricity. "Plextronics photovoltaic and organic lighting projects are a natural fit with the SEF's mission," said SEF's Dennis Maloskey. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 01/24/2007.

AWEA: Wind Power Capacity In U.S. Increased 27 percent In 2006 And Is Expected To Grow An Additional 26 percent In 2007

Wind power generating capacity increased by 27 percent in 2006 and is expected to increase an additional 26 percent in 2007, proving wind is now a mainstream option for new power generation, according to a market forecast released by the American Wind Energy Association. Wind's exponential growth reflects the nation's increasing demand for clean, safe and domestic energy, and continues to attract both private and public sources of capital. "iPods, flat screen televisions and other highly sought technologies are creating a demand for electricity that is beginning to eclipse our current supply. Wind is a proven, cost-effective source of energy that also alleviates global warming and enhances our nation's energy security," said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher.

The U.S. wind energy industry installed 2,454 megawatts of new generating capacity in 2006, an investment of approximately $4 billion, billing wind as one of the largest sources of new power generation in the country -- second only to natural gas -- for the second year in a row. New wind farms boosted cumulative U.S. installed wind energy capacity by 27 percent to 11,603 MW, well above the 10,000-MW milestone reached in August 2006. One megawatt of wind power produces enough electricity to serve 250 to 300 homes on average each day. Wind energy facilities currently installed in the U.S. will produce an estimated 31 billion kilowatt-hours annually or enough electricity to serve 2.9 million American homes. This 100 percent clean source of electricity will displace approximately 23 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, which would otherwise be emitted by coal, natural gas, oil and other traditional energy sources. Wind power has also attracted the support of state and federal government legislatures. The U.S. Congress recently extended the federal production tax credit through December 2008 to further expand the number of wind farms throughout the U.S. Based on the success of the PTC to date, AWEA is calling for extending the provision an additional five years.

The industry outlook also finds:  Texas accounted for nearly a third of the new wind power installed in 2006, taking over the lead from California in cumulative installed capacity. Texas hosts the world's single largest operating wind farm, the 735-MW Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, located in Nolan and Taylor counties.

New wind turbine manufacturing facilities opened in 2006 in Iowa, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. Additional announcements are expected in 2007. Investment in manufacturing capability signals confidence in the market and lays the groundwork for expanded growth.

New utility-scale turbines were installed in a total of 20 states across the country, from Maine to New Mexico to Alaska.

The top five states in new installations were Texas (774 MW), Washington (428 MW), California (212 MW), New York (185 MW) and Minnesota (150 MW).

AWEA gathers the data for its analysis each January by contacting wind farm developers and turbine manufacturers around the country. For more information contact Christine Real de Azua, 202-383-2508. Source: AWEA, 01/25/2007.

Utility Commission OKs Fond du Lac County Wind Power Project

WE Energies can construct 88 wind turbines in Fond du Lac County, the state Public Service Commission ruled Thursday. The Blue Sky Green Field wind farm will be located on 10,600 acres in the towns of Calumet and Marshfield just east of Lake Winnebago. Commission members said construction of the turbines would help the gas and electric company comply with a Wisconsin law enacted last year that requires 10 percent of the state's energy to come from renewable sources such as wind turbines and solar panels by 2015. About 4 percent now comes from such sources, the commission said. "This project is a significant step to meeting the state's renewable portfolio standards," commission chairman Dan Ebert said. "While others are talking reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, Wisconsin is building wind turbines, investing in biomass, exploring other renewable resources and moving toward energy independence."  The wind farm is expected to generate up to 200 megawatts, or enough electricity to supply 45,000 homes. The utility commission said it would double the amount of wind energy produced in Wisconsin. "Renewable projects like the one we approved today will help lower impacts on the environment by reducing emissions generated by fossil fuels," commission member Mark Meyer said. Source: Associated Press, 01/25/07.

Sharp to Commence Volume Production of Thin-Film Si Solar Module in May, Boasting 13 percent Conversion Efficiency

Sharp Corp. will start volume production of a thin-film Si solar cell, which boasts the industry's highest-level cell conversion efficiency of 13 percent and module conversion efficiency of 10 percent, in May 2007 (press release). Module price (watt price) per power capacity has been reduced by 10 percent compared to the previous model. Sharp's current mass-produced thin-film Si solar modules feature a cell conversion efficiency of 11 percent and a module conversion efficiency of 8.6 percent, both of which have been boosted by about 1.17 times. The higher efficiencies were realized by switching the previous cell structure containing a single amorphous Si layer to that containing two amorphous Si layers bonded through p-n junction.

Sharp has not specified the scale of this product's volume production at its Katsuragi Plant in Nara. However, Sharp's PR office stated it does "not currently" plan to greatly boost its thin-film Si solar module output capacity of 15 MW per year as of January 2007 by starting the new product's volume production. Sharp's output capacity for solar cells including crystal silicon models is approximately 600 MW per year as of January 2007, and the company already announced a plan to boost it to 710 MW per year from March 2007. Source: Junichi Ooshita, Nikkei Microdevices, 01/25/2007.

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Outreach, Education, Reports & Studies

Report: Renewable Energy can Account for Half of Global Energy Needs by 2050

Renewable energy and a smarter use of traditional power sources can satisfy half of global energy needs by 2050 without eroding economic growth prospects, according to a report of the European Renewable Energy Council and Greenpeace International. Entitled "Energy (R)evolution: A sustainable World Energy Outlook," the study said global carbon dioxide emissions -- which are blamed for a steady warming of the earth's temperature -- can be halved over the next 43 years without loss of energy security and economic development. The report's publication preceded a three-day renewable energy conference opening in Brussels Monday.

The report argues a business-as-usal approach will lead to a near-doubling of carbon-dioxide emissions by 2050 causing the global climate to heat up well over 2 degree Celsius. "This would have catastrophic consequences for the environment, the economy and human society," it says.

Today, renewable energy sources account for 13 percent of the world's primary energy demand. About 80 percent comes from fossil fuels, and the remaining 7 percent from nuclear power. The renewable energy report suggests a drastic rethink of energy policies. It calls for a phasing out of nuclear energy worldwide, replace massive power grids with more energy-efficient smaller networks and redirecting funding to clean energy sources. Phasing out nuclear power is at odds with current thinking in many nations that consider energy security options for the future.

The UN's Kyoto Protocol commits its signatories to cut "greenhouse gas emissions" such as carbon-dioxide by at least 5.2 percent from their 1990 level by 2012. EU nations are committed to an overall cut of 8 percent which requiring them to double renewable energy to 12 percent by 2010. In the past year they have had to deal with overnight cutoffs of oil and gas deliveries from Russia putting in doubt their neighbor's reliability as a provider of energy.

Arthouros Zervos, president of the European Renewable Energy Industry Council, estimates the global market for renewable energy can grow at "a double digit rate till 2050, and achieve the size of today's fossil fuel industry. With wind and solar markets worth US$ 38 billion and doubling in size every three years, their growth follows the path of the internet or mobile technology."

His group's report makes the point that renewable energy technologies "such as wind turbines, solar photovoltaic panels, biomass power plants and solar thermal collectors" are steadily becoming mainstream. But given the dramatic prospects of climate change, it says, the window of opportunity to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy is relatively short.

"Within the next decade many of the existing power plants in (Europe and the United States) will come to the end of their technical lifetime and will need to be replaced. But a decision taken to construct a coal power plant today will result in the production of CO2 emissions lasting until 2050," says the report. Source: The Associated Press, 01/25/2007.

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News from Washington

Bush Suggests Renewable Energy Standard

In his State of the Union Address Tuesday night, President Bush announced plans to address global warming and energy dependence through a mandatory renewable fuel standard and increased development of solar and wind power. "These technologies will help us be better stewards of the environment, and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change," Bush said. The president proposed cutting US gas consumption 20 percent by 2017 by raising the mandatory fuel standard for renewable and alternative fuels to five times the current levels and raising fuel economy standards. Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 01/24/2007.

Harkin, Dorgan Promise Team Effort on Alt-Energy Programs

Key Senate lawmakers pledged yesterday to work with President Bush on his effort to dramatically expand the use of renewable fuels, even as they pledged to move their own legislation that goes beyond the president's request. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in a press conference yesterday described Bush's call for 35 billion gallon alternative fuel standard within a decade as "terrific goal" but added he plans to continue pursuing his own bill that would increase the use of renewable fuels to 60 billion gallons by 2030. Harkin and Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), who chairs the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, said they intend to work together to push through the series of legislative items to ensure widespread use of renewable fuels.

Among the list of goals sought by the lawmakers -- most coming from bills introduced earlier this month -- is the expansion of the RFS mandate, a slew of research incentives for cellulosic ethanol, tax credits for ethanol distributors, a mandate for gas stations to install E85 pumps and another mandate for automakers to produce flex-fuel vehicles. Harkin said he still intends to move as much of that agenda as possible through the farm bill but admitted that some of those items are outside the Agriculture Committee's jurisdiction. "Our farm bill will be pushed through or pushed through by energy," Harkin said.

Dorgan said one item that will be at the top of his subcommittee's agenda will be ensuring sufficient funding for various energy research initiatives -- specifically those dealing with cellulosic ethanol. At the same time, lawmakers maintained a somewhat pessimistic tone on whether the White House would support those aggressive spending programs.

Harkin in particular criticized the administration for repeatedly making State of the Union promises to boost alternative energy only to submit budgets that come in below the authorized levels for many of those research programs. "We need to really put money into research," Harkin said.  

Dorgan likewise said he has little doubt the administration's goals on alternative fuels are achievable as long as sufficient levels of funding are found. "The question has never been is there a way, the question has been if there is a will," Dorgan said. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), who has worked closely with Harkin and others on biofuels legislation, also would like to pursue legislation on a "variable tax credit" for alternative energy that would fluctuate with the price of oil. "In essence, we cannot be undercut by the petroleum industry not just here but worldwide," he said. Source: Environment and Energy Daily, E&E Publishing, 1/26/2007.

Bush Issues Executive Order Concerning Renewable Energy

President Bush issued an Executive Order Jan. 24 instituting new guidance for energy efficiency, use of renewable energy and reduction of environmental impact throughout the federal government. The Executive Order asks all federal agencies to "improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions of the agency, through reduction of energy intensity by 3 percent  annually through the end of fiscal year 2015 or 30 percent by the end of fiscal year 2015, relative to the baseline of the agency's energy use in fiscal year 2003." 

The Order further asks agencies to "ensure that at least half of the statutorily required renewable energy consumed by the agency in a fiscal year comes from new renewable sources, and to the extent feasible, the agency implements renewable energy generation projects on agency property for agency use."   Source: EIN Renewable Energy Today, 1/25/2007.

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State Activities, Marketing & Market Research

Montana Democrats Unveil Wind Energy Co-op Project

Dave Wanzenried is sponsoring legislation in the Montana 2007 Legislative Session that would give the greenlight to zero-interest bonds for two wind-power facilities in eastern Montana. Democratic leaders held a news conference today to announce legislation to establish an ambitious wind energy project in Montana. Sponsored by Sen. Dave Wanzenried (D-Missoula) Senate Bill 337 would allow the Green Electricity Buying Cooperative to issue $31.7 million in zero interest bonds to finance the development of two wind-power generation facilities. "If we really want to do something about energy independence, this is the beginning," Wanzenried said.   

Under the plan, 6,000 energy consumers throughout the state could purchase the bonds, essentially owning part of the renewable electrical generating equipment in a co-op. The generating facilities could be up and running in two years. The two wind farms, located near Molt and south of Fort Peck, would each cost about $16 million and generate 10 megawatts. The farms would have four or five windmills each, depending on how many people buy into the co-op. GEPCO specifically selected the sites so they could be linked to Northwestern Energy's transmission lines, a few miles away. Under federal regulation, utilities are required to transmit power for each other. "This is about having a choice," said GEPCO President Pat Dopler, "not only about the price of the energy you receive, but about the source of that energy."  

Co-op members would continue to pay their bills to Northwestern Energy at ten or 11 cents per kilowatt-hour, about one or two cents more than the current average rate in Montana. Dopler estimates that the price difference between wind-power and fossil fuel-generated power will narrow in a few years as the pollution-control costs of fossil fuels increases. Internal Revenue Service provided the authority to GEPCO to issue the bonds under recent energy policy passed by Congress. But in order to issue the interest-free loans to fnance the project, GEPCO must own the windmill facilities as collateral. SB337 gives the co-op the authority to do so. Of the more than 33 lawmakers signed onto the bill as co-sponsors, none are Republicans. Rep. Alan Olson, R-Roundup, who chairs the House Federal Relations, Energy and Telecommunications committee, said there are aspects of wind generated-power the bill's supporters failed to mention. "The wind doesn't blow all the time," Olson said. "You can't just drop that wind onto the transmission system."

Olson fears the cost of building a new firming power facility to complement the wind farms will end up raising the rates for all of Northwestern's customers. Upgrades to Northwestern's transmission and distribution system may also be necessary. "I'm not going to support anything that's going to raise rates," Olson said. "The co-op is optional, the ancillary services are not."   Just because no Republicans have signed onto the bill yet, Olson said, doesn't mean the entire GOP is opposed. He believes if lawmakers can come to an agreement on financing the wind project and its attendant infrastructure in a way that affects the co-op members and not rate-payers across the board, Republicans would be receptive to the bill. Source: By Dan Testa , 01/23/07.

Sun Valley to Battle Climate Changes

As the newest city to join the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, tangible change is afoot. Sun Valley Mayor Jon Thorson is picking up where the federal government left off, adopting resolutions aimed at battling climate change through viable and realistic means. "We need to do our part. We need to stand up and be counted, and this is a good starting point," Thorson said.

The pact is called the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement and was unanimously endorsed by the City Council on Jan. 18. The agreement mirrors the Kyoto Protocol, the international accord designed to address climate change. The Kyoto Protocol became law on Feb. 16, 2005, for the 141 countries that ratified it. The U.S. symbolically signed the protocol, but neither ratified nor withdrew from the pact. As far as the U.S. is concerned, this stalemate effectively nullifies the protocol.

Also on Feb. 16, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels launched the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement to advance the goals of the Kyoto Protocol through the leadership and action of at least 141 American cities. As of Jan. 18, 2007, 369 mayors representing more than 55 million Americans have accepted the challenge. Sun Valley, Boise and Pocatello represent Idaho's contribution to the cause. "Jon (Thorson), thank you for putting this on the agenda," Councilman Nils Ribi said during a City Council work session on Jan. 17. Ribi reiterated the urgency for addressing climate change by citing statistics from a study conducted by scientists at Stratus Consulting and the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The study is the first comprehensive scientific study of global warming's potential effect on the snow sports industry.

Ribi had the unique opportunity of discussing Sun Valley's approach to combating global warming with former Vice President Al Gore prior to Gore's keynote address Monday at the Frank Church Conference on Global Warming in Boise. "Vice President Gore applauded Sun Valley for signing the agreement and for our continued commitment" to the environment, Ribi said. "I think it gives us the impetus to move forward and the rationale to move forward. It is the overwhelming consensus of the world that we need to battle global warming."  

The Sun Valley resolution states: "We will strive to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution by taking actions in our own operations and communities." This includes a 7-percent reduction in greenhouse emissions from 1990 levels by 2012. That is the suggested reduction target suggested for the U.S. had the Kyoto Protocol been ratified.

The mayor's plan includes specific methods and criteria for emissions reduction. Notable actions include the adoption of land-use policies that reduce sprawl, preserve open space and create compact, walkable urban communities--actions Sun Valley already establish through their comprehensive plan. In addition, the city seeks to promote transportation options such as bicycle trails and incentives for carpooling and public transit. Energy efficiency is a large part the search for sustainable living, and the city will strive to increase the use of clean, alternative energy by investing in "green tags." Green tags are created when solar power or other renewable energy sources are substituted for traditional power. Sustainable building practices will also be employed through the U.S. Green Building Council's International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.

A large part of reducing greenhouse gas emissions involves increasing the average fuel efficiency of the municipal fleet of vehicles. This will include the reduction of the number of city vehicles, an employee education program and, ultimately, the conversion of diesel vehicles to bio-diesel. "Our (fire) trucks are not out running up and down the street all the time. At least I hope they're not," Sun Valley Fire Chief Jeff Carnes said. "We do work in and among the community a lot, and I am out driving all the time. I think it's great, and I am all for it." 

On Monday, Jan. 23, 10 CEOs from what CNN News described as "major U.S. corporations, including DuPont, Alcoa and General Electric, urged President Bush to fight global warming." The CEOs stated that the fight does not have to hurt economically, a direct contradiction of the administration's current position. In addition to local and regional improvements, the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement vows to use its strength of numbers to urge Congress to pass bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation. Specifically, this includes clear timetables, defined emission limits and a flexible, market-based system of tradable allowances among emitting industries. Source:  by TREVOR SCHUBERT, Express Staff Writer, 01/24/07.

Vestas Plans Wind Production Facility in Windsor

Vestas Americas in Portland, Ore., announced late last week that it is planning to build a wind turbine production facility near Windsor in northern Colorado. The Vestas parent company is based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and is the largest manufacturer of wind turbines in the world. Last year it supplied about 35 percent of the wind turbines (measured by capacity) installed worldwide. The production facility will be located at the Great Western Industrial Park, which is next door to the Kodak facility in Windsor. Vestas is currently negotiating with the Upstate Colorado Economic Development group about services to the facility. According to news reports, the new plant will support 400 jobs. For details, see the story that first appeared in the Jan. 19 online edition of Northern Colorado Business Report. Source: CRES Clips, 1/25/2006.

Long Island School Receives $198,500 US for Solar Power Systems (G&C)

The Carle Place School District in Long Island, NY, has dedicated the first photovoltaic solar power systems to be installed by a Long Island School district under the Long Island Power Authority's Solar Pioneer Program. The five PV systems installed by Johnson Controls/Rockmore Contracting total 49.54 kW and will produce a total of approximately 57,500 kWh of electricity annually saving about $10,177 US in electricity costs per year. The Carle Place School District also received a $198,500 US rebate which will help offset some of the capital costs for installing the five PV systems. To date, under its' Solar Pioneer Program, LIPA has provided rebates of over $22,900,000 US for the installation of approximately 859 PV systems Island-wide; 778 residential solar systems, 44 commercial systems and 27 solar systems installed at educational, not-for-profit and government facilities. LIPA is currently considering another 236 rebate applications for solar energy. (Source:  AP, Jan. 23, '07). Contact LIPA Solar Pioneer Program at 800-692-2626. Source: epOverviews, 1/25/2007.

Vermont Gov. Includes Renewable Energy in Budget (Legislation)

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas has pledged to build on the many environmental initiatives already underway, as he presented the Vermont budget. "My capital bill includes funding for a wind turbine for the Grand Isle fish hatchery, the completion of a solar project at our Middlesex facilities and $1,000,000 US for a geothermal heating system at the Vermont Veterans' Home in Bennington," he said. (Source:  Burlington Free Press, Jan. 23, '07) Contact: Jim Douglas, Governor, Vermont, at 8020828-3333. Source: ep Overviews Daily Report, 1/26/2007.

Measure Calls for Renewable Energy Council

With alternative fuels on the minds of most politicans and talk of lessening America's dependence on foreign oil, Senate Bill 2288 was presented to the Senate Agriculture Committee Thursday. SB2288 combines several renewable energy initiatives and calls for the establishment of a Renewable Energy Council similar to the Lignite Council and a renewable energy fund that would be overseen by the Industrial Council. Other provisions in the bill call for the formation of a biomass research center, the expansion of the biodiesel loan program to include all biofuels, and some tax incentives. Legislators, state officials, and representatives from both energy and agriculture industries hope the bill will mean a better economic future for North Dakota. With the bill, North Dakotans could expect to see a melding of fossil fuels, renewable energy and agriculture.

According to Mike Williams of the North Dakota Renewable Energy Partnership, mixing biofuels with fossil fuels would make them cleaner and more saleable to a nation trying to rely less on foreign energy sources. "This bill is what I would call a very comprehensive bill," said Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson.

Rep. Pam Gulleson, D-Rutland, said one of the exciting things about all the renewable energy potential in North Dakota is that it could help the entire nation become less dependent on foreign energy sources -- and that could mean economic income for the state. "I think we are on the verge of one of the most-exciting times in North Dakota," she said.

Besides ethanol plants and wind power, Dr. Larry Leistritz, an agriculture professor at NDSU, said the state could begin to produce fiberglass-types of material from home-grown commodities like wheat straw. Williams said new technology can also allow methane from landfills, water purification systems, and livestock operations to be recycled for power production.

Mike Clemens, chairman of the North Dakota Renewable Energy Partnership, cited results from a survey taken in North Dakota last year demonstrating what residents thought of renewable energy. Ninety-three percent of the respondents said renewable energy should be a priority for the Legislature.

Yet even with all of the potential, the results of the bill will not come cheap. The bill calls for around $20 million to set up the council and renewable energy fund. Some legislators added that the state will have to look harder at promoting animal agriculture to help use biofuels byproducts and keep the systems running economically. "I know how much work this is going to be," said Sen. Joel Heitkamp, D-Hankinson, speaking to the committee about the time they will have to put into the bill to make it work.

No one spoke in opposition to the bill. Committee Chair Sen. Tim Flakoll, R-Fargo, said the bill will have to come out of the committee by next Friday. Source:  By GWEN BRISTOL, Correspondent, 01/26/07.

Bill Offers a Renewable Energy Boost

It is not coincidental that state Rep. Jerry Mitchell, R-Sterling, always has his eye out for the interests of public schools. Following a stint in the U.S. Marines, Mitchell spent his first life as an educator, retiring in the early 1990s as superintendent of Dixon Public Schools. Now, well into his second life as a state legislator, Mitchell distinctly remembers the lessons from his first life. Whenever he sees an opportunity to propose legislation to assist local school districts, he's eager to do so.

A case in point is a renewable energy grant proposal, House Bill 285, introduced last week by Mitchell. If enacted, the bill would require the Illinois State Board of Education to create a renewable energy grant program to encourage public schools to use more renewable energy. Grants covering half the cost of new renewable energy systems would be awarded, up to a maximum of $1 million. To receive a grant, a school district would have to show it has enough money to pay for the other half. It would be up to the Illinois General Assembly to provide the grant money, and the bill leaves it to their discretion how much money to appropriate each year.

This program offers significant benefits. First, the grants will encourage schools to adopt more efficient energy technologies without shouldering the entire cost themselves. Second, it should help keep a school district's energy costs under control. Using renewable sources such as solar, wind and geothermal will help reduce reliance on increasingly expensive sources such as electricity and natural gas. Third, it will expose staff members, students and the public to the benefits of renewable energy. Once people see how well renewable energy works at their school, they will be more likely to give it a try at home and come to rely less on fossil fuels.

Several area school districts already have taken the renewable energy plunge. Dixon's Reagan Middle School installed the state's second largest solar energy system about 14 months ago. Sterling Schools officials are looking at geothermal, after seeing the success of a new geothermal system at Woodlawn Academy of Fine Arts. At Manlius, an electricity-producing windmill erected in 2004 towers over the Bureau Valley High School campus. Mitchell, the former school administrator, knows all about the challenges of balancing a school district budget, and how these demands make it difficult to afford new energy technology. His bill ought to provide the impetus for schools to become leaders in adopting renewable energy. The Legislature should pass Mitchell's bill and then invest enough money in renewable energy grants to help a substantial number of schools. We urge school districts to support this program and be prepared to take full advantage of it. Source: Sauk Valley Newspapers, 01/25/07.

Empire Gives Energy Tips

Curiosity about green power options in Montezuma County--especially wind and solar sources--has grown. Empire Electric officials had to turn away co-op members from a presentation Tuesday night on alternative energy because of limited capacity and interest beyond officials' expectations.

About 80 residents packed Empire Electric Association's Calvin Denton Room Tuesday night to learn more about the co-op's alternative-energy options and installing solar-power systems. "We were expecting about 20," said Bobbe Jones, Empire member services representative. More and more people want to know about alternative energy.

One woman, Jerrie Akey, drove from Rico to learn more about solar energy. Akey and her husband, Bob Akey, hope to build a house powered by solar energy in Cortez, west of town. Akey said they want to do it "because it's the right thing to do for the environment and hopefully for my pocketbook."

McElmo Canyon residents William Southworth and Penny Welch expressed interest in using wind energy to power their home. They came to the meeting also to show their support for green energy. While the county's wind is unreliable, the couple believe they have enough to harness for power. Southworth is convinced green power will grow in popularity and use, locally and nationally. Matt Lindsey-Paek, principal at Battle Rock Charter School, spoke to attendees about the photovoltaic system he had installed at the school. The on-grid solar system "takes care of all our needs," Lindsey-Paek said.

The 2.8-kilowatt system and inverter cost about $24,000, including installation. "I thought that a public school would serve as an effective location to teach young people about renewable energy, and the site serves as an ideal location for people in the community to visit and learn about photovoltaic electricity," Lindsey-Paek said in a handout given to attendees.

With a PV system, owners whose power generation exceeds their load can get retail credit for power not purchased, said Empire Electric General Manager Neal Stephens. Anyone with a PV system needs to inform Empire of their system to reduce dangers for the association's linemen in case of a power outage. One reason green energy is growing in popularity is because it's "sexy," but practical when used, Stephens said.

People can drive anywhere in Colorado and spot solar panels on houses, he said. Solar power is one source Southwest Colorado does not lack. "We're in a real prime area for exposure to the sun," Stephens said.

Jerry Fetterman, Empire Electric Association board director, said the area from Southwest Colorado to Phoenix has some of the highest solar concentration in the world, excepting Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, solar power is not going to be cost-effective on a wholesale basis, Fetterman said.

As for wind, the resource is not reliable in Montezuma County, said Doug Sparks, member services manager. Members who don't want to buy an expensive PV system can purchase green power in 100-kilowatt-hour blocks at $1.25 per block. Empire recently reduced its premium for each block from $2.50 per 100 kilowatts, due to favorable conditions in the renewable energy-credits market. Now, Empire's green-power customers can either double their blocks and pay the same as before or keep the amount they have and save money, Stephens said. Source:  BY JOHN R. CRANE, Journal Staff Writer, 01/25/2007.

Study Shows Support for Wind Power in Delaware

Overwhelming support for adding offshore wind power was the feedback received from a small survey of Delaware residents.  In the survey of 949 people, more than 90 percent supported erecting large wind turbines off the Delaware coast to increase the amount of available electricity. They were in support of it even if it increased their electric bills by up to $30 per month. The survey was conducted by Jeremy Firestone and Willett Kempton, marine policy scientists from the University of Delaware, and doctoral student Andrew Krueger. "Based on our results, Delaware could become the Denmark of the United States when it comes to relying on offshore wind power as a major energy source," Firestone told the Web site physorg.com.

In the Delaware survey, the researchers found that nearly 78 percent of Delawareans statewide would support an equivalent to the Massachusetts plan, placing a wind farm off the Delaware coast. Only 4 percent were opposed. The participants in the Delaware survey were asked the same questions as those in the Cape Cod survey, including computerized photos to show what having the wind farm be placed there would look like from various distances. The researchers are unsure why there was such a discrepancy between the results of the Cape Cod and Delaware surveys, but it was suggested that a "well-financed opposition" group to the Cape Cod project may have affected opinions on putting wind power there. For one of the researchers, he believes interest in wind power will trend upward nationwide. "I think interest in wind power and other renewable energy sources is now growing not only in Delaware, but nationally due to the rising cost and long-term supply issues associated with traditional energy sources, as well as other concerns such as global warming," said Kempton. Source:  By M.T. Whitney, (NewsTarget), 01/24/07.

Governor Pushes Energy Policy

Hoping that his second term will bring big progress in energy policy, Gov. Ted Kulongoski is pushing for a range of measures to encourage new fuels and reduce emissions that he believes contribute to global warming.

Wednesday in Salem, Kulongoski held a public meeting with members of three working groups he had appointed, along with key legislators and others, to call attention to his program and move it along. In a press statement afterward, the governor said his goals were greater energy independence for Oregon and a reduction in emissions that contribute to global warming. Peter Cogswell, the governor's senior adviser on this subject, said from Salem today that Oregon might start seeing some effects of the policy changes in four to five years. Prices for renewable energy could be going down while the cost of traditional sources goes up, he said. And there likely would be additional jobs in the energy field.

This year the governor is asking the Legislature to pass bills intended to:

• Require utilities to get 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025. The governor is asking for expansion of business and residential energy tax credits to reach the goal.
• Encourage the production and distribution of renewable fuels such as biodiesel and ethanol.

Looking ahead, the governor wants legislators to start thinking about reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through a "cap and trade" system among western states. This would allow industries emitting too much to buy credits from those putting out less than allowed. In the press statement after Wednesday's gathering at the Capitol, the governor said:  "The evidence for the existence and potential dangers of climate change is clear. We must continue to be agressive in doing our part to reduce greenhouse emissions and end our dependence on fossil fuels."  Source: By Hasso Hering, Albany Democrat-Herald, 01/26/2007.

Colorado Governor's E85 Coalition Announces Funding for Infrastructure

The Governor's Ethanol Coalition is making funds available to qualifying facilities for installing alternative fuel infrastructure/pumps. In addition to financial assistance, the Coalition will offer marketing and technical assistance to those chosen for funding to add E85 pumping infrastructure. The Coalition is offering these funds to expand the availability of E85 to consumers in Colorado.

Funding will be awarded based on criteria such as: Ability to obtain a long-term supply of ethanol at a set price; The number of alternative fuel vehicles using that location. Offering more than one alternative fuel; Being located in an agricultural community, or near an Interstate or toll highway, on a major thoroughfare or intersection or near a large fleet of alternative fuel vehicles. The Coalition will provide partial funding not to exceed $15,000 to qualified applicants or a maximum of 75 percent of the after-tax incentive project costs, whichever is less. In addition to the Coalition's funding, there are several very generous State and Federal tax incentives available to the retail station.

"As automakers like General Motors and Ford produce hundreds of thousands of new Flex-Fuel vehicles, our hope is to provide hundreds of thousands of Coloradans more fuel options," said Drew Bolin, director of the Colorado Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation. No Colorado state tax dollars will be used for this funding. For additional information, please contact Gerry Harrow, E85 Coalition chairman, 303-275-4670 or Rob Pearson, OEMC program manager, 303-866-2163. Source: National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, 1/25/2007.

For more information on marketing and research go to: http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/

Grants, RFPs & Other Funding News

USDA to Propose $1.6 Billion for Renewable Energy

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns followed President Bush's State of the Union energy plan by announcing that the Administration's proposals for the 2007 farm bill will include $1.6 billion in funding for renewable energy. The money would go towards research and production, with a focus on cellulosic ethanol. "It remains a priority across USDA to support the development of biofuels. We will continue to build on current programs and turn the corner on renewable energy," says Johanns in a USDA release. "With biofuels coming to the forefront, American agriculture faces the greatest opportunity of a generation to lead a future in which we get our energy by the bushel and not by the barrel."  Johanns says he will provide more information about the funding proposal when he announces the Administration's full set of farm bill proposals. Source: Farm Futures staff, 01/24/07.

For more information on funding solicitations go to: http://www.repartners.org/grants.htm