Public
power tops green program rankings
Three
public power utilities topped the Department of Energy's National
Renewable Energy Laboratory green power program rankings, released
Feb. 20. Three public power utilities hold the top five slots
for amount of green electricity sold. Public power utilities
and rural electric co-ops hold the top 12 slots when green programs
were ranked according to price.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District in California ranked second in green power sales, surpassed by Austin Energy in Texas, and followed closely by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Roseville Electric and sister utility SMUD tied for second place for its 1-cent-per-kWh green power pricing premium.
Minnesota's Moorhead Public Service ranked first in the nation for customer participation rates.
Los Angeles plans wind farm
Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn announced Feb. 3 a proposal for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to build a 120-MW wind generating facility. The Pine Tree wind project will be the largest municipally owned wind plant in the United States and will reduce LADWP's dependence on fossil fuels to the tune of about $14 million a year in gas costs.
The project will also reduce the utility's carbon dioxide emissions by more than 210,000 tons each year, according to the utility. The 80 wind turbine project is scheduled to begin operation in July 2004 on about 22,000 acres just 12 miles north of Mojave, Calif.
Wind power added in Europe
European countries added nearly 6,000 megawatts of new wind power capacity to the continent's electricity grid in 2002. The European Wind Energy Association announced Feb. 6 that the added capacity represents a 31 percent increase over the previous year's installation.
Southern Cal wins water sale
The Sacramento Bee reported Feb. 15 that Sacramento Valley farmers agreed to sell Southern California enough water to serve about 200,000 families a year. Participating farmers will forego farming and free the water to head south.
The $9.7
million deal bought about 31 billion gallons—for this year.
Future multi-year deals might not be far off in light of drought-like
Southern California conditions and a long-term shortage caused
by the Federal government's slashing of Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California's draw
from the Colorado River.
SMUD to reap more wind power
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District will install 15 new wind turbines in the Montezuma Hills area west of Rio Vista. The project will produce more than three times the electricity of the utility's eight older turbines. The new wind turbines will provide 10 megawatts of electricity and be erected next to the existing turbines, which produce 3 megawatts of wind-generated power.