he University of Colorado at Boulder won first place at DOE's 10-day Solar Decathlon, which ended Oct. 5. Teams from 14 universities competed by building homes that blend aesthetics and modern conveniences with maximum energy production and efficiency.

Competition houses were limited to about 500 square feet. They were judged on 10 criteria to determine which used solar energy most efficiently for heating, cooling, hot water, lighting, appliances, computers and charging and electric car.

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said, "The University of Colorado at Boulder has earned its place in the sun, with the win in the first-ever Solar Decathlon. After a year-and-a-half of intense work, designing, building and competing, the students should be very pleased with their accomplishment."

Study finds Colorado prime for renewables

A new study by the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies found that Colorado could generate 16 times its energy needs solely from renewable sources—specifically, wind and solar.

The study, compiled by a mix of legislators, energy companies, farmers, ranchers, and environmentalists, estimates that Colorado has the potential to generate 601 million megawatts of electricity from wind alone. A megawatt is the amount of power needed for a community of about 1,000 people.

Colorado's energy mix currently includes only 1 percent wind power. Coal is the state's main fuel source for power generation at 81 percent, followed by natural gas at 15 percent.

The Land and Water Fund published the study findings in its Renewable Energy Atlas of the West, which maps the potential for wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy in 11 western states, including Colorado.

SRP green energy program growing in Mesa

Maricopa County, Ariz., will purchase 600,000 kilowatthours of renewable energy from Salt River Project to power the county's Southeast Regional Court facility in Mesa. After the unanimous Board of Supervisors Oct. 16 vote, Supervisor Fulton Brock said, "We can kind of get our feet in the water, and see if we can get other municipalities to do the same."

The county is the first large customer to sign up for the green energy program. It will pay $12,000 annually on top of its regular electric bill to participate in SRP's EarthWise Energy Program for two years. County officials say the program will be revenue neutral through other savings. The green energy purchase from SRP accounts for about 15 percent of the court facility's energy.

SRP uses the funds the reinvest in green energy—from building new facilities to experimenting with other renewable sources such as wood chips and wind, Singleton said. Company officials will evaluate the program after four years to see if it's still viable and whether customers are interested.