Green Power

Green Power at a Premium

Portland General Electric boasts one of the most successful green power programs in the nation.  But it's also one of the most expensive when it comes to marketing and associated costs.  For customers who pay a little extra each month for clean energy, 56 cents of every dollar goes into marketing, administration, overhead and related expenses. One-third buys the green tags that represent wind, geothermal and biomass generation.  The high-priced sell finds PGE walking a thin line between ambition and excess. If it spends too much for marketing, it risks alienating potential green energy customers already edgy about rising utility rates. If it's too stingy, it could jeopardize a program that has helped broaden a market for renewable energy.  The marketing budget, which ran as high as $1.08 million in 2005, is one of the most expensive of its kind in the nation by several measures, including total dollars, percent of premium and expenditure per new sign-up, according to U.S. government research. It's also more expensive than Pacific Power's green power program.

PGE defends its marketing-intensive strategy, which it says is necessary to educate consumers, change behavior and create the demand for further development of renewable energy. It objects to comparisons based on the government research because it says other utilities use narrower definitions of marketing costs than PGE and, therefore, appear lower.  Yet utility regulators and some consumer groups have noted the level of marketing costs for some time.  An audit by the Oregon Public Utilities Commission staff red-flagged the marketing costs as high in 2004 but did not call for immediate changes. Instead, the regulatory agency concluded that the "balance between product content and marketing activity should continue to be reviewed" by PGE and an advisory committee.  The audit also said regulators expected the marketing expense to decline as the program matured.  "Part of the reason the marketing budget was high was our concern about consumer education," said Lisa Schwartz, a PUC analyst and an advisory committee member." 

The percentage has not declined in the years since the audit, according to PGE officials and regulators. Thor Hinckley, manager of PGE's renewable energy program, doesn't expect expenses to fall in upcoming years either.  "If these programs are to grow, there needs to be a strong marketing component," he said.

The green power program began in earnest in 2002 in response to a state law adopted three years earlier. The law required PGE and PacifiCorp, Oregon's largest utilities, to offer customers several ways to support renewable energy if they chose to do so. It also directed the utilities to hire outside companies to handle marketing and purchase renewable power.  Oregon's program was the first of its kind to make the green energy options mandatory for regulated utilities and to require the use of third-party marketers. Participation by customers is voluntary in Oregon and in the other states where green pricing options exist. Roughly 600 utilities, 20 percent of all utilities nationwide, offer the programs.  Under PGE's most popular program, Green Source, participants pay a premium of 0.8 cents per kilowatt hour above the regular rate -- or $7.28 a month for an average residential customer -- to receive all their electricity from a combination of wind, geothermal and biomass.  That premium, for Green Source and a sister option called Habitat, brought in about $2.1 million in 2005, according to documents filed with the PUC. That premium revenue must cover all the costs of the two options. 

Under the state law, neither PGE nor PacifiCorp can profit from the programs, but they can cover administrative expenses. They hire their marketer and green-tag supplier through a competitive bidding process. PGE settled on Green Mountain Energy, a leading retailer of renewable power. PacifiCorp started with Green Mountain, then switched to San Francisco-based 3 Phases Energy Services. 

The contracts funnel specified amounts of the premium revenue directly to the marketer, which uses the money for promotions, educational outreach, operational costs and renewable purchases. The company folds in a profit margin, but neither the utilities nor the marketers would disclose the amount. The greater the number of participants, the more money marketers make. 

PacifiCorp's program is more difficult to assess for Oregon alone because national rankings take in the utility's entire six-state territory. PacifiCorp, which operates as Pacific Power in Oregon, offers two options similar to PGE's most popular programs -- Green Source and Habitat -- as required by the 1999 law.  Pacific Power customers plugged $1.06 million into the two programs in 2005. Forty-three percent was spent on marketing, outreach and administration, compared with PGE's 56 percent. The remaining 57 percent bought green tags, which compares with PGE's 33 percent.  PGE sets 11 percent aside to hedge against unexpected jumps in green-tag prices and to invest in large-scale renewable projects such as wind farms. The fund, at more than $200,000, has yet to be tapped.  PacifiCorp doesn't have a comparable reserve fund.

Much about the contract between PGE and Green Mountain is secret. PGE provided percentage breakdowns of expenses for 2004 and 2005 only when it sought to clarify the 2004 audit for The Oregonian. That audit reviewed disbursements to Green Mountain, but not the cash put into the reserve account or used for PGE's program-related administrative expenses. The narrower focus suggested that as much as 70 percent of program costs was dedicated to marketing.

Reports issued last year by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory might offer the best nationwide assessment of green power programs. The reviews found that the most successful programs spent the most on marketing. Those top performers funneled, on average, 29 percent of the total premium into marketing and administration, sharply lower than PGE's 56 percent.  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory also tried to measure a per-customer marketing expense by dividing the marketing budget by the number of new participants. That cost for top-performing programs averaged $43 in 2005, the survey found. A similar calculation pegs PGE's new-customer cost at $150.  That's "way too high," PGE officials contend. 

Despite the tally of marketing costs, the extra charge attached to customer bills -- an overall premium of 0.8 cents a kilowatt hour -- remains low relative to programs nationally, which tally an average premium of 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour. PGE says if costs to customers matched the national average, its percentage costs for marketing and overhead would be lower.  PacifiCorp charges 0.78 cents a kilowatt hour for the green options similar to PGE's.

Reaction to the marketing cost figures was mixed among those considering signing up for Green Source outside Northwest Portland's REI store, a popular place for Green Mountain to attract participants.  "I don't mind at all," said Paul Richard, after adding his name to the list of Green Source enrollees.  Richard, a personal growth counselor, said it's important to develop renewable energy and lessen consumers' dependence on fossil fuels, which contribute to global warming.  "Education is expensive," he said. "But it's a high-yield return."

In contrast, Betty Folliard of West Linn, a longtime PGE customer, said she doesn't like the hard-sell advertising, which includes inserts in her monthly electric bill.  She considers herself an environmentalist, and she said she thought about signing up for one of the options. But she already pays more than $300 a month to PGE and decided she couldn't afford the additional expense. 

Angus Duncan, president of Bonneville Environmental Foundation, a Portland nonprofit involved in development of renewable energy, said the marketing expense "makes you gag" if you evaluate it the same way you might assess a charity. But, think of it as a commodity -- and a difficult one to grasp, at that -- and the cost may seem more reasonable, he said.  "My bottom line: It's better to be hung for a program that's heavy on marketing costs than to protect your rear end with low marketing and have an unsuccessful program." 

Jason Eisdorfer, an attorney for the Citizens' Utility Board, the consumer group, lobbied for the law that created the green power options. He remains an advocate but acknowledges that some might question the way the premium is spent.  "It's a legitimate question to ask what the right balance should be," he said.  Source:  GAIL KINSEY HILL, The Oregonian, 01/28/2007.

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

Renewable Energy Technologies

BPU Announces Wind Energy Contract

Following a comprehensive selection process, Kansas City Board of Public Utilities announced it has completed negotiations with TradeWind Energy, LLC, a Lenexa, Kansas-based renewable energy company, for the purchase of 25 megawatts of energy generated by wind turbines.  The turbines will be installed at TradeWind Energy's Smoky Hills Wind Farm. The project site is located roughly 25 miles west of Salina, Kansas, just north of Interstate 70 in Ellsworth and Lincoln counties.

The contract between BPU and TradeWind Energy is a 20-year Renewable Energy Purchase Agreement.  It is anticipated that energy will be available to BPU before the end of 2007. The wind-generated energy purchased will supplement BPU's base-load generation produced by the utility's two power plants.  The agreement was announced at BPU's Board of Directors meeting on January 3, 2007.  BPU General Manager Don L. Gray explained that BPU is continually evaluating various sources of energy as part of the utility's integrated resource planning goals. "We strive for a balance in our energy development, and we're proud that Kansas wind power will be part of that mix." 

The Smoky Hills project will be built in multiple phases and is expected to be capable of generating a total of 250 megawatts of power when completed.  Blake Elliott, Senior Electric Supply Planner for BPU, discussed the benefits of the wind power agreement: it is a long-term agreement at a fixed price, he said. "It will save the ratepayers money, it will reduce future purchases of fuel and power, it will reduce our emissions, and it will serve as a hedge against high gas and fuel prices." Elliott estimates that the purchase of wind power will save BPU ratepayers approximately $3 million over the next 10 years.

Elliott further explained why BPU had chosen TradeWind. "Their project, near Salina, is closer to BPU's service territory (than other projects) which means the transmission of the power will be over a shorter distance. In addition, they are a locally owned development team, and they have a lot of utility experience." Other advantages of the project are the high quality of the wind resource, the economies of scale in purchasing 25 megawatts of power from a larger project, and the fact that TradeWind already has in place the site studies, permits and landowner leases. 

The Smoky Hills project will have a low impact on the farm land surrounding it. All the turbines, roads and other facilities will use only approximately 1 percent to 2 percent of the site's total land area when all phases are built, and the remaining land will continue to be used for agricultural purposes. Source: KANSAS CITY BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES, 1/22/2007.

Solar Home in Va. Getting High Marks

State Sen. Frank Wagner is staying warm at his temporary address, even in below-freezing weather and without a traditional power supply or fireplace.

The Virginia Beach Republican, a proponent of alternative energy sources, is living for a week outside the Science Museum of Virginia in a solar-powered house designed and built by Virginia Tech students. He moved in Wednesday.  Using a remote control and a computer, Wagner is testing whether the award-winning home can generate enough electricity from the sun to run everyday home appliances--and still have enough left over to send to Richmond's power grid or charge an electric car.  "The house is designed to be self-sufficient, but there's a lot of things that could be adapted into existing houses today," he said Friday, after spending his second almost glitch-free night in the 800 square-foot home. 

The house is warmed by heat that comes up through the floor, and has a rainwater harvesting system and automated mood lighting. It also features a wide-screen TV and kitchen appliances chosen for their energy efficiency.  These features can be manipulated while sitting on a couch and tapping on a tablet computer connected to the building's control system. All of it is powered by the sun's energy, which is gathered by rooftop photovoltaic panels and stored in the home's battery system.  "We want to show that you don't have to huddle around candles and be dressed in all your clothes to be comfortable in a house powered by solar energy," said Robert Schubert, associate dean of research for the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech.

The home was built by 80 Virginia Tech engineering and architecture students and eight faculty members over 2 1/2 years.  It won fourth place overall at the 2005 Solar Decathlon--an international competition on Washington's National Mall sponsored by the Department of Energy. The home won first place recognition for its design and electric lighting and has since been featured on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and HGTV's "I Want That!"  Schubert said no one had previously lived in the house, but then Wagner volunteered to be the university's guinea pig, helping bring the house some publicity. Wagner made the offer after touring the house in September at a Virginia Tech-hosted energy symposium.  Wagner said the house has been comfortable, but when the temperatures dipped into the 20s Thursday night, it froze the building's water supply, sending him elsewhere for a shower Friday before heading to the General Assembly.  "It's the first time anybody's lived in there, so we're going to have some glitches," he said. "I can tell you, it's a lot nicer than my hotel room, and my hotel room is pretty nice."   Source: By MATT REED, Associated Press Writer, 1/28/2007.

The Heat Beneath

Outside temperatures were well below freezing Friday, but the offices of Bancroft Contracting were a comfortable 70 degrees.  That alone isn't surprising, but how the local company actually keeps its offices at a comfortable temperature, both winter and summer, is.  Wrestling with how to best heat and cool an expansion to the company's 4,500-square feet of office space, Mark Bancroft, company president, eventually settled on digging a 10-foot hole in the ground.  Inside the foundation-sized excavation, Bancroft's workers coiled a mile of flexible piping, filled it with a special liquid and ultimately ended up tapping the natural geothermal energy stored in the earth.  There are no hot springs in Maine.  Instead, there's a layer of earth about 10 feet below the surface that is at a consistently stable temperature. At that depth and below, the daily atmospheric temperature does not affect the ground temperature. 

Bancroft's system involves a closed loop with a liquid--what Bancroft calls an "environmentally friendly antifreeze"--passing through the underground plastic tubing. The liquid, which becomes the same temperature as the surrounding earth, about 45 to 55 degrees, is pumped through an above-ground geothermal heat exchanger with warm or cool air produced as needed.  The air is then blown into the building by a forced hot-air system. The company already had an oil-fired system in place, so it just needed to disconnect from the old oil-fired furnace, connect to the geothermal exchanger, and wave goodbye to its oil bills, Bancroft said.  The geothermal system uses electricity to modify, via a series of compressors, what Mother Nature provides. Then it circulates either warm or cool air throughout the building. 

Dave Everett of Everett Excavation Contracting did the excavation work on the 100-by-30 foot hole that was 10 feet deep. "For a while we called that pile Mt. Everett," Bancroft said. While the in-ground component of this system is large, the above-ground portion is very small. A wall-mounted pump about the size of a box of donuts is located in a workshop. That connects to the adjacent geothermal heat exchanger, which is no bigger than an apartment-size refrigerator.  The system is controlled by a common thermostat on a wall in the office. Electronically regulated to keep the offices warm or cool as the season demands, the geothermal exchanger is controlled just as an oil or gas furnace would be--set the temperature and forget it.

The system is expected to function the most efficiently in winter. During the summer Bancroft found that the in-ground piping heated the soils adjacent to the piping, reducing its cooling effectiveness.  "As the warmer fluid from the exchanger was returned underground, some of that heat was lost to the ground. As the day went on, the fluid returned to the heat exchanger was warmer from the increased ground temperature around the tubing. That meant the system worked harder to cool the building as the day went on," he said. 

"Conversely, the loop field has cooled off some as we have been staying warm during the recent cold snap. The water is returning from the loop field in the mid-40s. After leaving the heat exchanger, it goes into the loop field in the mid-30s. That means the heat exchanger is extracting about 10 degrees from the earth and, in turn, the earth gives it right back."

By the end of this winter's heating season he expects to have a broader evaluation of the system.  And while his electric bill may increase slightly, that cost is more than offset by money not spent on heating oil.  In December 2006, for instance, Bancroft spent $170 more on electricity than he did in 2005, but he knows that his oil bill for that period would have been at least $200 more than that with the old system.  "Barring a few minor adjustments, which gave us some fits at first, it has actually done quite well and, during this real bad cold snap, we've been able to keep up," Bancroft said. 

Bancroft expects the system to pay for itself in about five years. It cost about $5,000 in excavation work to install the loop field in the ground.  The system itself would be comparable to buying and installing both an oil furnace and a central air conditioning system, Bancroft said.  "Of course, depending on the price of heating oil, the payback may be longer or shorter," he said.

A new report on the potential of geothermal energy in the U.S. released by the Department of Energy on Jan. 22 found that geothermal systems could become commonplace nationwide within 10 to 15 years. Much of the 372-page report focuses on the potential of generating electricity from geothermal sources, like hot springs and other close-to-the-surface and naturally occurring geological heat sources, but a portion of the report also addresses the potential for systems like the one being used by Bancroft's company.  Scientists in the U.S. have been studying the country's geothermal potential for well over three decades and, while there are about a million systems in place here including some large ones--the entire capitol complex in Boise, Idaho, for example, is heated and cooled geothermally--the technology is still underutilized. 

The federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 provides limited incentives for geothermal exchange, and some states, such as New Hampshire, have specific incentives for geothermal energy. Maine does not. DOE's latest report proposes that the federal government increase incentives and also invest between $1.1 and $1.4 billion to help develop and deploy geothermal systems.  The report says the investment is justified by the "enormous potential" of geothermal and the "technical progress" made to date.  Mark Bancroft would clearly agree.  Source: By Betsey Foster, Special to the Sun Journal, and Regional Editor Scott Thistle, 01/28/2007.

Researchers Try to Perfect 'Green' Power to Meet State Mandate

In a basement laboratory here at the University of Minnesota, a group of researchers can see the future of energy in the invisible particles of a new kind of solar cell.  Prof. Eray Aydil and his team of scientists are using nanotechnology -- a process that can involve material one-millionth the width of a head of a pin -- to make a more efficient cell for turning the sun's rays into electricity.  Such efforts may be crucial to the success of a legislative plan requiring power utilities to generate a quarter of their energy with renewable sources over the next two decades. While wind will account for much of that clean power, solar power and other technologies called for in the legislation aren't yet feasible, making it far from certain Minnesota can go as green as it wants.  "It's a very important problem," Aydil said about harnessing renewable sources. "And we have to have a long-term vision and faith that we will solve this problem." 

Minnesota isn't unique in its drive to speed up the use of renewables. More than 15 states now have mandates for generating electricity with renewables sources, according to the Renewable Energy Policy Project in Washington, D.C. One of them, California, is calling for 20 percent of its electricity to be generated from renewable sources in just three years.  Many, like this northern state, are crossing their fingers that the technology will catch up to the goals. In the view of George Sterzinger, executive director of REPP, "the best thing states can do is step up and put pressure and create a market." 

Minnesota has a renewable energy objective that calls for utilities to make a good-faith effort to generate 10 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2015. Upping it to a quarter by 2025 is "aggressive, but achievable," Gov. Tim Pawlenty said when he announced his proposal.  Pawlenty, environmentalists and small-town lawmakers basically agree that such a move would be a giant step toward reducing carbon emissions while giving rural areas another way to broaden their agriculture-based economies. 

Lawmakers are working out the differences in competing bills, such as whether the target should be 2025 or five years earlier, as Democrats propose. Pawlenty's plan and a Democratic version in the House and Senate include fines for failure to comply, though they aren't considered large.  Backers believe a compromise bill will pass since the idea has the support of the Republican Pawlenty and the newly DFL-controlled Legislature.

A recent study by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission concluded that wind could account for much, if not all, of the renewable energy. But the bills also include biomass, hydrogen, hydroelectric and solar power as renewable sources that should be tapped. Some utilities have said they need the flexibility, especially those with plants in parts of the state that aren't very windy.  Currently, about 6 percent of Minnesota's electricity comes from renewable sources -- mostly wind. A wind farm that would be one of the state's largest is set to go on-line this year in Kenyon, and Winona County is considering a publicly-owned turbine in Mount Vernon Township.

Xcel Energy Corp., which provides about half of the state's electricity, already taps the wind for some of its power and would do more of that to meet the new mandate. The company said solar and hydrogen technologies are not yet feasible and that many biomass projects are still largely experimental. Xcel Energy has incorporated some biomass -- such as a St. Paul heating and cooling system that uses wood chips -- into its system. Elsewhere, a plant in Benson will soon burn turkey manure to create electricity, and the Iron Range towns of Virginia and Hibbing are also using biomass for their cities' heating and cooling systems.

And, of course, hundreds of wind turbines rise from the prairie in southwestern Minnesota, providing green energy for power companies and new livelihoods for rural residents.  But that leaves much more room for the practical application of still-developing technologies.  Solar power, for instance, has been in the nation's conscience at least since Jimmy Carter put panels on the White House roof, and California is pressing ahead with plans to outfit 1 million homes and businesses with solar panels over the next decade.  But the technology remains more expensive than coal or nuclear power, and current solar panels work best in sunny climates. In 2001, solar energy accounted for less than 0.1 percent of the world's electricity, according to the federal Department of Energy.  Researchers in the Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department, working through the university's Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, hope to change that some day. 

In a windowless lab, graduate student Emil Pommer uses a lamp that mimics daylight--called a Xenon arc lamp--to shine different colors onto cells, measuring how the cells capture different parts of the solar spectrum.  To the naked eye, the thumb-sized cells look like glass slides smeared with a milky film. The complex material, however, could be a key component to future cells that concentrate more of the sun--though their use is five years or more away.  As Prof. Aydil put it, "In some sense, we can't fail."   Source:  By Gregg Aamot, The Associated Press, 01/28/2007.

Public Invited To Geothermal Drilling At College Tuesday

Columbia College Officials are ready to get the ball rolling on the development of the Natural Resources Building.  Tuesday, January 30th at 2pm, a subcontractor from AC Connection of Santa Rosa will bore an exploratory hole 300 feet deep and five inches in diameter in order to gather geothermal data for the site.  Based on the findings of the bore test, engineers will be able to calculate the system's pay back period based on an analysis of the installation costs versus the building's future energy cost savings. The future building is located behind the present Toyon Building.  Among the many college departments that will be housed in the new facility are biology, chemistry, earth science/ geology, forestry and natural resources, geographic information systems, and physics. The public is invited to attend.  Source: Alisha Cruz, MML News Reporter, 01/27/2007.

For Home and Business, Silicon Solar Inc Launches Solar Hot Water Campaign

Silicon Solar Inc, a world leader in innovative solar technologies and solutions, has begun a national campaign to show the benefits of solar hot water heating technologies for both home and commercial use. The company's own brand of solar hot water heating technologies is the SunMaxx brand, which includes a full line of water heating products; evacuated tube collectors, flat plate collectors, storage tanks and solar hot water system controllers.

A popular, yet unproven, idea in the 1970's was using solar energy to heat hot water for both home and commercial uses.  Now, 30 years later, with the rest of the world focused so much on preserving our Earth, solar hot water heating has become a catchphrase, synonymous with green and renewable energy efforts. Recently, Spain implemented a law which requires solar thermal systems to be built into all new developments, showing the popularity of this technology across the world.  Silicon Solar Inc believes strongly in the benefits of solar hot water heating, a thermal process where solar energy is turned into heat, which is then used to heat hot water for a multitude of areas including domestic and commercial hot water usage, radiant floor and baseboard heating, and the heating of such luxuries as pools, spas and hot tubs. The best part of this system is the monetary savings that a solar hot water system offers to its users by eliminating the need for heat oil, natural gas, wood, or standard electricity to heat their water.

Silicon Solar is so convinced about the benefits of their solar thermal technology, that their own SunMaxx system is used to provide hot water and radiant heating to their upstate New York office.  Additionally, Silicon Solar Inc would like to invite everyone to their website to learn about solar hot water heating in general, and their own SunMaxx systems. Matthew Brown, Director, Sales & Marketing, Silicon Solar Inc., 01/27/2007.

Is Cheap Heat Beneath Our Feet?

Ethanol, biodiesel, and wind power hog the attention when it comes to alternative energy these days. But the Northwest also has great untapped potential for geothermal energy.  That at least is what attendees heard at a conference on clean energy now underway in Boise. Correspondent Tom Banse reports. 

It's a chilly afternoon here in downtown Boise. Makes my nose run. The few people on the sidewalks are going about their business briskly.  They pay no heed to the reason I'm here.  And why should they? There are no signs something's different.  It's hidden from view. But you can feel it, if we go into any of fifty five downtown buildings.  This new hotel, for example. Feel the warmth now. That's cheap heat from deep beneath our feet. 

"It's interesting talking to people that I know that work downtown. I'll say, 'Oh, you work in one of our buildings that are one our geothermal customers.' They go, 'Oh, really?' They have no idea," said Kent Johnson is the geothermal engineer for the City of Boise public works.

Boise is home to the oldest geothermal central heating system in the country. The first distribution line dates back more than 100 years. Johnson says geothermal service is drawing renewed interest after languishing for years. "Primarily it's because the price of natural gas has risen so much in the last three to four years. But I also think there's more interest in renewable energy, too," he said.

Johnson says customers with hot water heat exchangers save 30 percent over heating with natural gas. 

Klamath Falls has a geothermal heating utility as well. They even installed heating coils in downtown sidewalks to melt snow and ice.  Geothermal consultant Roy Mink says these cities provide just a taste of what's possible.  Mink sees "vast" untapped potential--his words--across the Northwest.  He says hot water is most easily mined in the Snake River plain and the Cascade Range, with the Columbia Plateau and central Oregon close behind. "The big thing that's holding it back is, one, we know the resource is there. But the production wells haven't been drilled on a lot of the site. A lot of that is that the front end cost of drilling these wells is very expensive," Mink explained. "The other big thing is that most of the geothermal resource is on federal ground. We've had some real problems with federal leasing." 

Mink describes two basic categories of geothermal.  There's drilling really deep for super-heated water to use to make electricity. That's underway in just a few places in the Northwest.  Then there's direct use of moderately hot water that might be percolating beneath a city or a business property.  Take for example, heating a greenhouse or fish farming. The Flora Company of Boise does both. The owners drilled a 700 foot well to tap a geothermal aquifer.

Head grower Jayson Grazel shows off the fish ponds behind his greenhouse complex. The company raises koi like you see in Japanese gardens.  Jayson Grazel says, "It's got some minerals in it, but the fish don't seem to mind." 

Besides the fish, the warm water is used to heat greenhouses.  It keeps the geraniums and pansy baskets and poppy starts happy. And the grower happy.  "The beauty of it is that it goes back to the earth. It comes out the same way it goes in, just a few degrees cooler," Grazel says.

The hot spring water cuts his heating bill by 75 percent.  Energy savings like that are now bubbling up in economic development pitches from geothermal hotspots like Lakeview, Ore. and Cascade, Idaho.  So far, nobody's trying to duplicate the most creative business we found...raising alligators in a hot spring near Hagerman.  Source: By Tom Banse, Oregon Public Broadcasting, 01/30/2007.

For more information on Renewable Resources go to: http://www.repartners.org

Outreach, Education, Reports & Studies

MARK YOUR CALENDAR--2007 KANSAS RENEWABLE ENERGY CONFERENCE

The dates for the 8th Annual Kansas Renewable Energy Conference is Sept. 25-26, 2007. Source: Kansas Energy Office News, 1/25/2007.

NRECA TechAdvantage Pre-Conference Wind Workshop Agenda

Pre-Conference Workshop F: Wind Energy; Las Vegas, NV, March 15, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sponsored by the NRECA and the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Powering America Program

• Welcome and Introductions--Mike Pehosh, NRECA
• Co-op Options for Acquiring Wind Power--Jill Cliburn, Cliburn & Assoc.
• MO Cooperative Wind Development--Barry Hart, AMEC; Tom Carnahan, Wind Capital Group
• IL Cooperative Wind Development--Sean Middleton, IL REC
• Clean Renewable Energy Bonds--Mike Pehosh, NRECA
• Small Wind Opportunities and Challenges--Jim Green, NREL
• Lunch Presentation: Wind Energy for Electric Cooperatives--Larry Flowers, NREL

Geothermal Power Generation PreConference Workshop

The Utility Geothermal Working Group is conducting a Geothermal Power Generation Pre-Conference Workshop as part of the NRECA's Tech Advantage Conference March 15-20.  The entire agenda and registration information for the Conference is available online.

WORKSHOP G: Geothermal Generation

March 15, 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Registration fee: $100
Class size: 30

This half-day workshop, supported by US DOE's GeoPowering the West Initiative, provides the utility attendees with up to date on the many different geothermal electric generation applications that may be available in their service territories.  It covers both high temperature and low temperature resources that can provide distributive base load utility grade power on your system. Hear from a panel of industry experts as they discuss case studies and issues such as transmission constraints, renewable energy credits, and resource portfolio impacts.

The workshop agenda is below.  It follows a half-day Wind Technology Update workshop, supported by US DOE's Wind Powering America Program, from 8 am to Noon.  For more information on either or both workshops, contact Guy Nelson, Utility Geothermal Working Group Team Leader.

Agenda:

• Utility Geothermal Working Group Update--Guy Nelson, UGWG Team Leader
• The Advantages of Geothermal Power in a Utility's Resource Portfolio--Roger Hill, Sandia Labs
• Getting a Geothermal Power Plant Built and On Line--Dan Schochet, ORMAT Technologies
• The Pains and Pleasures of Operating a Geothermal Power Plant--Garth Larsen, PacifiCorp
• Low Temperature Power Plant Applications--Bernie Karl, Chena Hot Springs Resort
• Transmission Constraints and Opportunities--John Pease, Bonneville Power
• Geothermal Heat Pump Guidebook, Worksheet and other UGWG Partnership Plans--Guy Nelson, UGWG and Katherine Johnson, Market Development Group
• Wrap up Panel and Q&A

For more information on Educational Resources go to: http://www.repartners.org

News from Washington

Long-term CR goes to House floor Wednesday

The House takes up legislation Wednesday that would extend spending for the majority of federal agencies -- including those dealing with energy and the environment -- through the remainder of fiscal 2007.  The bill, to be considered tomorrow afternoon by the Rules Committee, is expected to go to the floor without member-specific earmarks Wednesday morning. And though it is unclear whether the resolution will be open to amendments, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) says Democrats will limit the ability of members to offer amendments to make sure the resolution is completed in a timely manner.

The Senate is expected to take up the legislation next week as lawmakers are up against a Feb. 15 deadline to complete action on the matter. It is unclear whether Senate leaders will be able to keep individual lawmakers from adding their own amendments to the bill.  Sources say a significant portion of the spending revisions are likely to come on the Senate side.  In recent years, the resolutions have funded agencies at the lower rate of the either the House- or Senate-passed appropriations bill or the previous year's level.

To make their case for approaching the long-term CR in that fashion, the chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations committees, Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) and Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), issued a report last week outlining the "real-world cost" of rejecting their joint funding resolution in favor of continuing funding for 2007 at 2006 levels. For instance, on the energy and water development side, the report says the implications for science funding for a full year under last year's formula would require layoffs of between 200 and 300 people, primarily contractors and university researchers. In 2006, the Office of Science used donated funding, carry-over balances and "fungible funding" to avoid layoffs. For 2007, the president and both the House and the Senate proposed significant funding increases. 

For the Interior and environment spending plan, the report says continuing the existing funding formula for a year would require cutbacks at national parks and historic sites, slow down efforts to implement a new money-saving financial and business management system, and force furloughs and staffing reductions.  It also would require shutdown of the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians, putting Interior into serious legal jeopardy, the report says. 

Nevertheless, the future of many energy and environmental programs remain in question.  Speaking with reporters last week, Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell said the CR is proving to be "a huge issue, across the board" for DOE programs, including for President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative, which draws from DOE, National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Science Foundation budgets. 

DOE's roughly $24 billion budget is focused on nuclear security programs as well as research on nuclear power, fossil fuel and renewable energy, and science and technology. Funding those programs at fiscal 2006 levels threatens the department's plans to institute a new large-scale nuclear fuel recycling and reprocessing program known as the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership and to continue support for licensing, design and construction of new nuclear power plants.

The search for additional nuclear program funding has led some to propose taking money from the department's Environmental Management budget, which covers cleanup of nuclear weapons sites, to fund the ambitious nuclear programs. According to some observers, the idea is in line with Energy Department plans to reduce future funding for cleanup, which reflects the successful completion of the Mound, Fernald and Rocky Flats site programs, and to put as much as $500 million into the department's Energy Supply budget, which covers nuclear energy, conservation and renewable energy programs.

Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have been pressing Congress to alter the CR to increase their funding, which could see a 20 percent hit if continued at the levels in the current continuing resolution.  Oceans advocates who are following the budget said that Congress has agreed to fund NOAA at least at its fiscal 2006 enacted level, which would be higher than the current CR. 

Lawmakers in both chambers are likewise pressing appropriations and party leaders to fund transportation programs at levels that were authorized under the 2005 highway bill.  Source: E&E Publishing, Mary O'Driscoll, E&E Daily, Senior Reporter; and reporters Alex Kaplun, Allison Winter and Lauren Morello contributed to this report, 1/29/2007.

DOE Seeks Meetings with CEO's

Each Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 3 p.m. EST, the U.S. Department of Energy will be setting aside time to meet with CEOs of companies in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industry.  CEOs interested in meeting DOE in Washington, DC, should contact Paul Dickerson (mailto:paul.dickerson@ee.doe.gov), Chief Operating Officer, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, United States Department of Energy, Room 6A-013, Mail Stop EE-1, Washington, DC  20585; phone: 202-586-9220; fax: 202-586-9260. Source: DOE, 1/29/2007.

For more information on legislative activities go to: http://www.repartners.org

State Activities, Marketing & Market Research

Kansas STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

Governor Kathleen Sebelius focused a significant portion of her Jan. 10 State of the State address on energy issues.  Highlights included: "Our continued dependence on imported oil threatens our economy and our national security--of this we have no doubt.  But there also can be no doubt that our current energy sources are causing dramatic, even dangerous changes to our climate. For a state like Kansas, where a major segment of our economy relies on predictable weather, and where our entire population relies on a stable water supply, this has real consequences." 

Our goal is to produce 10 percent of our state's electricity from wind power by 2010, and 20 percent by 2020. The leaders of our utilities agree that with collaborative work, a new regulatory philosophy and consumer support, these goals are achievable.  There's no reason our state should not lead the nation in wind energy.  That's why I've included money in my budget to plan for transmission lines to move electricity from wind farms to customers. But our responsibility as stewards also requires us to protect our natural treasures like the Heart of the Flint Hills from development, and we will."  "But much like our previous discussion on health, we also need to take additional responsibility for our energy use. I believe state government should be a conservation leader and vigorously seek to eliminate energy waste, as we have done with spending waste. That's why I've signed an executive directive implementing conservation efforts within state government and why energy efficiency should be a priority of any new state building project, including the upcoming maintenance efforts on our Regents campuses.  I've also asked energy producers to undertake a statewide consumer education and conservation effort to reduce consumption 5 percent by 2010, and 10 percent by 2020. I look forward to working with you and the Energy Council to reach these goals and help businesses and families reduce their energy consumption."  Source: Kansas Energy Office News, 1/25/2007.

With Stakes High, CREZ Case Draws Attention

The Competitive Renewable Energy Zone case in Texas received a heavy volume of attention, with more than 50 entities signing up to participate in the proceeding that will decide what area or areas will be designated as CREZs, which are the state's designation, for transmission planning purposes, for suitable land possessing a renewable resource. Entities participating include transmission providers, electric companies, local economic development organizations, and at least 21 wind developers.

Much is as at stake in the CREZ case and with respect to Texas wind potential in general. The Austin, Texas-based Wind Coalition pointed to some noteworthy recent studies by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas suggesting that every $1 billion invested in transmission enables development of $6 billion of new wind farms. A $1 billion investment also shaves more than $10 billion from long-term conventional fuel costs and reduces emissions of pollution and greenhouse gases by more than 100 million tons. A recent assessment from ERCOT also identified more than 130,000 MW-an amount capable of producing more electricity than the entire state currently uses-of high-quality wind sites in Texas, the Wind Coalition noted.  Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly, 1/26/2007.

Windmills Generate Lively Debate in Ashe: Renewable Energy Needed, Some Argue  

Several hundred people packed an Ashe County courtroom last night to share passionate opinions about a proposed wind farm of 25 to 28 windmills at sites on or near Big Springs Mountain in Creston.  Last night's hearing before a member of the N.C. Utilities Commission is part of the commission's decision-making process in approving or denying the project.  In July, Richard Calhoun, a resident of Ashe County, filed an application with the utilities commission to build the wind farm, which would generate electricity that would be sold to power companies.  Each windmill would be about 300 feet tall. Development costs are estimated to be $60 million to $65 million, according to the application.

The land is in the Creston community, and borders Rich Hill Road, Willie Walker Road, Roaring Fork Road, Big Springs Road and East Big Springs Road.  John Macknee, who lives near the proposed site, cried as he described how the project would devastate his family, his farm and his two cows.  "The idea of that these turbines are going to go up all around my property is terrifying to me," Macknee said.  From the other side of the debate, Russell Harper of Sugar Grove in Watauga County said that the wind farm would open the door to renewable energy and new business.  "Our entire ecosystem is teetering on the edge of disaster," he said. With proper planning and aesthetics, "wind farms can be aesthetically pleasing and become tourism destinations."  

In the first 90 minutes of the hearing, six people spoke in favor of the project and eight spoke against it. Two people didn't take a side but urged a cautious process.  Supporters of the project cited the need for renewable energy and the precedent that Ashe County would set for the state and nation.  Opponents warned of noise, flashing lights at night and harm to mountain views and tourism.

The application says that a comprehensive wind study would be completed before arrangements are made for financing. Plans call for the wind farm to begin generating electricity in the fall of 2008, with a service lifetime of 20 to 25 years.  The windmills proposed for Big Springs Mountain would have a capacity of 50 megawatts, enough to power about 12,000 homes, if the wind is constant.  Because winds are variable, the turbines would more likely operate at a lower capacity. The application says that if the wind turbines operate at 35 percent of capacity, the yearly power production would be about 150 million kilowatt hours. An average home uses about 1,000 kilowatt hours a month. N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper has sided in the past with opponents of wind farms, saying that they are in violation of the state's ridge law, but proponents disagree. Source: Energy Central, 1/27/2007.

Bill May Help Schools Go Green

Going green could get a little more affordable for Illinois schools if state Rep. Jerry Mitchell, R-Sterling, gets his way.  The former school administrator turned state representative is pushing for legislation that will help public schools pay for alternative energy improvements to school buildings.  The bill would require the Illinois State Board of Education to establish and operate a renewable energy grant program to assist school districts in the installation, acquisition, construction and improvement of renewable energy sources in schools.  Improvements would include constructing wind turbines to generate electricity, such as the one at Bureau Valley High School in Manlius. It would also cover the installation of solar panels, such as the ones operating at Reagan Middle School in Dixon, or switching to geothermal heating which captures the thermal energy of the earth to heat buildings.  "This really came out of discussions I had with Sterling Public Schools. They are looking to put renewable energy in the middle school," Mitchell said.

The district is searching for ways to replace the outdated heating system at Challand Middle School with geothermal. Money is a major hurdle.  "We are 100 percent supportive of Jerry Mitchell's legislation," said Wil Booker, Sterling Schools superintendent. "At the middle school we have (heating) units that are deteriorating. The building just needs updating dearly."  Citing an increase in energy costs to the tune of 50 percent in the last two years, Booker said energy efficient geothermal would in the long run save the taxpayers money. The only problem is the initial expense could be a tough pill for taxpayers to swallow.  "If we did it in the middle school, it would be about $3 million," Booker said.  `Under Mitchell's proposal, schools seeking similar projects would be able to have half of it paid for through a grant up to $1 million. If the bill passes, it would go into effect on July 1.

At Reagan, the solar panels that were installed about a year ago were paid for by some existing state and federal grants. A fund specifically for the purpose would go a long way, particularly for schools in rural areas, said James Brown, Dixon Public Schools superintendent.  "It would be a help. No question about it," Brown said. "It looks like the wind turbines are the most effective (form of renewable energy) in our area and they are the most expensive."

The turbine at Bureau Valley High School, which provides more than enough electricity for the high school, cost $1 million.  For that expense, BVHS saved $71,000 last year on energy costs and can expect to average annual savings of at least $50,000, said Terry Gutshall, Bureau Valley School District superintendent.  The BVHS turbine would not be a reality without Illinois Clean Energy Foundation grants.

Because there are so many people in the state doing things like this, the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation doesn't have enough money to go around, and coming up with that kind of money is no small task for schools in small communities.  Mitchell believes that helping schools use alternative energy would help districts statewide cut costs. While rural schools could invest in wind turbines, suburban schools could benefit from geothermal and solar power. Source:  BY ANDREW WALTERS, SVS REPORTER, 01/28/2007.

Despite LURC Ruling, Governor Upbeat on Wind Power

Despite last week's ruling by state officials that could lead to final rejection of the proposed Redington wind power project in western Maine, Gov. John Baldacci said he remains committed to that form of renewable energy.  The governor did not question last Wednesday's 6-1 vote by the Land Use Regulation Commission, saying that LURC "is an independent, citizen board" that must scrutinize each project in a balanced and measured way.  "They are responsible for evaluating projects like this one.  Just because I support an expansion of wind energy does not exempt the project from the review process," the governor told The Associated Press.

Maine Mountain Power, meanwhile, remained undecided Sunday on what its next step will be following the wilderness zoning board's ruling against its $130 million project, which called for 30 wind turbines on Redington and Black Nubble mountains, spokesman Dennis Bailey said.  Bailey, noting that the project is not technically dead, said Maine Mountain's backers are still considering options that range from withdrawing their application to trying to persuade more LURC board members to change their minds. Bailey said Maine Mountain Power, a partnership between Endless Energy of Yarmouth and Edison Mission Group of California, has been encouraged by the reaction of some elected officials, individuals and newspaper editorials to the Redington rejection.

The Maine Sunday Telegram labeled the LURC decision "a shock and a disappointment." The day after LURC voted, the Lewiston Sun Journal said the action "is a clear statement that Maine lacks the vision, and political will, to change its energy habits." 

The same editorial also said LURC's decision does not bode well for another major wind-power proposal in western Maine.  "Why would TransCanada continue its $270 million wind power project on 2,900 acres in Kibby Township, for example, given there is now serious doubt that LURC would approve it?" the opinion piece said.  The Alberta-based TransCanada earlier this month filed an application with LURC for its 132-megawatt, 44-turbine project. The company has said it would like to begin construction in late 2007.  A third major wind-power project in Maine has just been completed. The $85 million Mars Hill project, with 28 turbines, is going online and will generate 42 MW of power.

In his statement on LURC's action, Baldacci defended the governor-appointed LURC board and pointed to the Mars Hill project as evidence of his commitment to wind power. Baldacci said,  "I remain committed to increasing the amount of wind power generated in the state and will work with other projects, such as the one in Mars Hill, to make sure the industry expands. I support wind, the people I nominate to the board will support wind, but the projects have to be done in a responsible fashion."   Source: By Glenn Adams, Associated Press Writer, 01/28/2007.

Appalachian Native Plans Wind Power for Coalfields

Deep in this corner of Appalachia, where clunky trucks brimming with coal rumble down windy roads and miners blast away at black seams miles underground and atop mountains, Scott Sykes is looking to wind as the next way to power his native coalfields.  His company is evaluating several sites in eastern Kentucky to find a home for a wind farm, in hopes of delivering electricity to roughly 65,000 homes within the next five years.  It's a risky endeavor, especially in a region known for its rugged terrain and reliance on coal. After all, most states that have seen success in developing wind energy as a renewable resource sit west of the Mississippi River, where the land is flatter and exposed to consistent winds.  "Kentucky has some potential for developing wind energy and that potential lies in eastern Kentucky," said Sykes, president of Genesis Development of Kentucky LLC.

"I have a huge loyalty to coal being raised here," said Sykes, who formerly work with the Pikeville-Pike County Tourism Commission in Kentucky and Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce in Tennessee. "But if we are doing something new to further our standard of living, I think people will support that."

Energy officials say there are no commercial or utility wind farms so far in the state.  Meanwhile, a few other Appalachian states have made strides in attracting wind-power developers. Pennsylvania has six commercial wind farms operating and another in the works, and West Virginia has one running and two proposed.  Maryland's Public Service Commission approved two western Maryland wind farms in 2003 and is considering a third, though none have been built.  Most of these projects are along the Allegheny Front, an Appalachian mountain ridge that includes the Eastern Continental Divide. Strong, relatively steady winds at elevations approaching 5,000 feet make the Allegheny Front attractive to wind-power developers.  The problem for most of Kentucky is that the vast majority of the state sits outside of the front, faring poorly in federal studies tracking wind speed and consistency. 

"It is novel for Kentucky to be experimenting in wind power," said James Bush, program manager at the Governor's Office of Energy Policy.  Bush pointed to a map by the Department of Energy that classifies the strength of wind power, on a scale of 1 to 7, across different states and regions within the United States. 

The study classified most of Kentucky as a 1, meaning it had little to no wind power. Southeastern Kentucky received a 2, and a thin area bordering Virginia (along the Allegheny Front) fared better with a 3.The overall DOE assessment indicated that Kentucky would be a poor place to set up wind farms and no further government studies on its wind power were conducted, Bush said.  Sykes has narrowed his search to a handful of counties in eastern Kentucky that fall along the Class 3 area. 

Bush said developers in Kentucky are pursuing other types of renewable energy, such as agricultural waste, or biomass, and hydropower, which are abundant in the state. Coal-to-liquid technology is also attracting investors. Since wind energy has the least potential, the state has no plans to offer incentives for developing it.

Nationally, renewable sources of energy make up only 10 percent of the electric sector, according to the Energy Information Administration. Hydropower makes up 75 percent of that contribution, while wind is 9 percent.  Coal remains an energy leader, supplying 53 percent of the nation's electricity.  It's unlikely that wind power will pose a threat to coal in Appalachia, though it may trouble some, said Bill Caylor, president of the Kentucky Coal Association.  "Some of the coal folks, it would bother them as a perceived threat to their livelihoods--that here in the heart of the coalfields there's a technology to replace the electricity provided by coal," Caylor said.  However, he added, "We need all the electricity we can get and we need to look harder at our alternative forms of energy."  

Glenn Schleede, head of Energy Market and Policy Analysis, Inc., in Reston, Va., added that the life span of today's wind turbines is unknown, making long-term calculations inaccurate.  However, Frank Stern, an energy analyst with New York-based PA Consulting Group., called wind "one of the more competitive resources out there.  He said technology has improved significantly in the past 10 years and that larger, taller turbines have allowed wind farms to capture steadier wind flow and generate greater output, he said.  The technology is expensive. A small 25-turbine wind farm can exceed $50 million--but there's no additional cost for fuel.  Sykes said the ideal locations for wind farms in eastern Kentucky are reclaimed strip mines, which are both high, yet flat enough, to support dozens of turbines.  His goal is to set up a wind farm with about 40-50 turbines within the next five years, generating 100 megawatts of energy to serve 65,000 homes.

Sam Shelton, a professor of mechanical engineering who heads the wind energy program at Georgia Tech, said wind farms can ensure profitability by entering long-term purchase contracts with utilities.  "Nobody builds one (a wind farm) without a long-term contract with someone who purchases the electricity," he said.

Sykes said he has no intention of competing with the coal industry, but says that it's his duty to offer an environmentally sound alternative to his native region.  "If you're going to call this your home," he said, "you're going to have to take steps and walk the talk." Source: BY SAMIRA JAFARI. AP WRITER, 01/29/2007.

$40,000,000 US for Renewable Energy Projects in MN Budget (Legislation)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposed Budget includes $40,000,000 US for renewable energy projects through a "NextGeneration Energy Plan."  New initiatives in energy policy include: Invest in new biomass technology to encourage next generation of biofuels--$10,000,000 US; Grants for solar rebates, plug-in hybrid vehicles, methane digester grants--$5,000,000 US; Grants to develop 1,500 additional E-85 fueling stations--$12,000,000 US; Funding for competitive energy research grants--$10,000,000 US; Funding for the PCA Green Fleets and Fuels program--$3,000,000 US.  (Source:  Shakopee Valley News, Jan. 25, '07)  Contact Tim Pawlenty, 651-296-3391.  Source: epOverviews, 1/27/2007.

Oregon to Pursue Emissions Cap and Trade System (Legislation)

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski has said he would pursue a cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions from Oregon electric utilities.  The program is only one piece of the governor's plan to reduce greenhouse gases within the state which includes proposals that would force utilities to increase energy efficiency, increase their reliance on renewable energy and limit greenhouse gas emissions.  By 2010, arrest growth of greenhouse gas emissions, by 2020, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels and by 2050, reduce greenhouse gases to 75 percent below 1990 levels.  (Source:  Statesman Journal/ News Review, Jan. 25, '07) -- Editor's Note:  Previous additional details on Oregon's alternative energy plan were outlined in our Nov. 16, '07 issue.  Contact:  Ted Kulongoski, Governor Oregon, 503-378-4582. Source: epOverviews, 1/27/2007.

Energy Ambitions Converge

Colorado stands at the center of a metaphorical "harmonic convergence" of global energy trends and both national and state energy policies.  If the legislature responds to this fleeting opportunity by passing a package of bills to implement Gov. Bill Ritter's "new energy economy," Colorado can add jobs in economically depressed areas and buttress our energy security--while taking the point in the worldwide struggle against global warming.  Ritter's energy proposals kicked into overdrive last week when President Bush endorsed renewable energy and alternative fuels in his State of the Union address--including a call to reduce U.S. gasoline consumption by 20 percent by 2017, with three-fourths of that reduction coming from the use of renewable fuels such as ethanol and biodiesels.  Meeting that goal by the present process of making ethanol from corn would require a five-fold increase in current production levels--with drastic impacts on the nation's food supply. That's why Bush urged stepping up the nation's investment "in new methods of producing ethanol, using everything from wood chips to grasses to agricultural wastes."

Colorado is ideally positioned to lead that charge, in part because of the "Collaboratory," a research consortium created last year by Gov. Bill Owens and the legislature linking the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden with the University of Colorado, Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Mines. Those researchers are hard at work on techniques to harness the kind of "cellulosic ethanol" and biomass fuels touted by Bush and many others.  Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, wants to further that process with a bill to promote growing oil-energy crops such as safflower, canola, camolina and sunflowers on dryland farms. Such crops can be used to make diesel fuel without further straining our overstretched water resources.

The push for renewable energy couldn't come at a better time for hard-pressed eastern Colorado, where a six-year drought was finally broken by a devastating blizzard that caused widespread livestock losses.  Eastern Colorado may not have much water, but it has wind in abundance. As state Sen. Ken Kester, R-Las Animas, notes, ranchers can even continue grazing their cattle under the towering windmills that generate electricity for urban consumers. Since each windmill can provide lease payments of $3,000 a year and a wind farm may host up to 80 windmills, this endeavor may make the difference between bankruptcy and prosperity for much of Eastern Colorado.

Of course, electricity generated from the wind or the sun is useless without a way to transmit it to consumer markets. That's why a bill by Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald and Rep. Buffie McFadyen aims to ensure that clean energy from renewable sources can be loaded into the state power grid and exported to lucrative markets like California. A related bill by Gardner and Kester creates a Renewable Energy Transmission Authority to streamline that process.  Rep. Judy Solano, D-Brighton, and Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Aspen, likewise seek to expand the supply of renewable energy with a bill providing standards to allow customers of rural electric associations to install renewable energy systems in their homes and businesses.   Finally, a key proposal by Schwartz and Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, would raise the bar set in 2004 by Amendment 37. That voter-approved law required Xcel Energy and large municipal utilities to get 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2015. The bill would raise that standard to 20 percent by 2020.  These bills are affordable because they rely mostly on blending existing research with new federal efforts and private-sector initiatives. The legislature should pass this environmentally responsible and economically alluring program.  Source: Denver Post Editorial, 01/26/2007.

We Energies 88 Wind Turbine Project Approved (G&C)

Wisconsin State regulators have approved We Energies' plans to construct a $400,000,000 US, 88-wind turbine project in Fond du Lac County, WI.  The Blue Sky Green Field wind farm will be built in the towns of Calumet and Marshfield, just east of Lake Winnebago.  The Public Service Commission says the wind farm will help We Energies comply with a state law that requires ten percent of the state's energy supply to come from renewable energy sources by 2015.  (Source:  Pioneer Press, Jan. 25, '07)  Contact We Energies at 414-221-2345. Source: epOverviews.com, 1/30/2007.

REC Market News: State of Rhode Island's New Program, Supported by APX Inc.

The State of Rhode Island is applying a market based approach to manage its state renewable energy portfolio standard, using the market infrastructure supported by APX technology and services.  Noteworthy in Rhode Island's approach is the requirement that all behind-the-meter generation be recorded by an independent third party -- an important precedent to help maintain the data integrity of the market system.

See an overview of solutions supporting the marketplace in environmental commodities for renewable energy certificates, energy efficiency, and carbon credits. For more information, contact Reiner Musier, Chief Marketing Officer, APX Inc., 408-517-2177; cell: 617- 699-0929; fax: 408-517-2985.   Source:  Reiner Musier, Chief Marketing Officer, APX, Inc., 1/30/2007.

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

Grants, RFPs & Other Funding News

California Energy Commission Request for Proposals

The purpose of this RFP is to support the Commission's PIER Program Energy Systems Integration area by developing Advanced Power Electronic Interface technologies to facilitate the expanded use and reduced cost of distributed energy resources.

Through this RFP, the Commission is implementing a collaborative initiative with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to develop standardized, highly integrated, and modularized power electronics-based interconnection technologies that will allow DER systems to "plug and play" with the electric power system.

Request for Proposals # 500-06-504 solicitation files are now online. Deadline to submit proposals is March 28, 2007, no later than 5 p.m.

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