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• Farm bill renewables amendment passes in House
• Aspen Skiing Company commissions micro-hydro project
• IID honored for geothermal excellence
• Green-E reports increase in certified renewable energy sales in 2003
• Sustainable municipal energy planning resources available from GTI
  

Farm bill renewables amendment passes in House
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to restore FY 2005 funding for the Section 9006 program of USDA grants to farmers installing energy efficiency or renewable energy equipment.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Section 9006 is substantially more solar-friendly as well. It contained a revenue-neutral amendment offered by U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur to shift $8 million in funding from a USDA facilities account to Section 9006.

Congressman Tom Latham spoke strongly in favor of restoring full funding for Section 9006. Latham stated that it is "absolutely critical that we fund renewable energy as much as possible."

As of July 28, the USDA’s Office of Rural and Community Development had received 237 applications for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency grants totaling $36.6 million in requested funds. Because the 2002 Farm Bill authorized $23 million to the Section 9006 grant program, a significant number of viable projects will not receive funding this year.

Aspen Skiing Company commissions micro-hydro project
A pipe system used for snowmaking during the ski season and for channeling water run-off in the spring now has a third purpose—producing electricity.

On Aug. 9, Aspen Skiing Company threw the switch on a Pelton-type turbine at the bottom of the slopes near Fanny Hill, turning its snowmaking equipment into a 115-kW micro-hydroelectric plant. The generator will harness the water runoff from spring snowmelt and feed power back into the town’s grid during the summer months. Holy Cross Energy, ASC’s electricity supplier, will pay the resort six cents per kW for the renewable energy.

ASC Environmental Services Director Auden Schindler said that the company started looking into the idea of a micro-hydroelectric plant four years ago. It took six months to build the turbine at a total project cost of $150,000.

Since there is no snowmelt left to move the turbine this year, the new system will have to wait until the spring of 2005 for its first test. If the first micro-hydro is successful, ASC will look at installing more systems in the Colorado resort area. "This is intended as a prototype for any ski resort," Schendler said.

And he has high hopes that the micro-hydro project will work just fine. "We do have some awesome streams that explode in the spring," he said.

IID honored for geothermal excellence
The Geothermal Energy Association and the Geothermal Resources Council honored IID Energy with the Geothermal Excellence Award at their trade show and annual meeting on Sep. 1.

California’s sixth largest energy provider earned the award for its outstanding efforts to promote geothermal energy use. IID Energy promotes its 1,300-mile transmission network as the “Green Path” to export the renewable resource from its service area to energy providers throughout the Western United States. The Green Path currently wheels energy from multiple projects in the Imperial Valley for CalEnergy and Ormat, two geothermal producers.

To meet its customers’ growing energy demands, IID Energy is negotiating with CalEnergy to purchase approximately 200 MW of energy from the producer’s Salton Sea Unit 6, now under construction. The geothermal resources will combine with the utility’s existing hydro generation to exceed IID Energy’s voluntarily adopted 20 percent renewable portfolio standard.

“No other entity has transmitted more clean geothermal energy within the U.S. than IID Energy,” said Vince Signorotti, GEA representative for CalEnergy Operating Corporation.

Green-E reports increase in certified renewable energy sales in 2003
Preliminary verification results for Green-e certified renewable electricity sales in 2003 showed an 86 percent increase in total volume of certified renewable energy sales over the previous year, according to a July announcement by the Center for Resource Solutions.

The un-audited results indicated that more than 1.8 billion kWh of tradable renewable certificates were purchased in 2003—a twelve-fold increase over 2002. Utility green pricing sales of certified renewable electricity also grew by 12 percent in 2003.

“The sharp increase in the total volume of certified renewable energy sales is a positive sign that green power markets can succeed despite market barriers,” said CRS Executive Director Jan Hamrin.

The verification numbers represent un-audited renewable energy sales for 98 marketers selling 59 Green-e certified products in 2003. Renewable-generated electricity comprised 30 of those products, 23 were green tag products and 6 were green pricing products.

Green-e provides independent, third party certification to ensure renewable energy products meet strict environmental and consumer protection standards set by a board of environmentalists, consumer advocates and energy experts. “Our independent verification process is a vital confirmation that voluntary markets for renewable energy do work and contribute to strengthened commitments to renewable energy generation and supply,” Hamrin stated.

Sustainable municipal energy planning resources available from GTI
A new set of information resources designed by the Gas Technology Institute promotes healthier communities through the sustainable use of energy resources across all municipal applications.

The resources, including a DVD and two publications, target local elected officials, metropolitan planners, architects and engineers. The DVD, Energizing Sustainable Cities: The Power of Planning and Design, depicts a sustainable city of the future, where energy and all other resources are responsibly managed for long-term community sustainability. The production provides practical actions all communities can take today to move toward a sustainable future. The television journalist Bill Kurtis narrates the 18-minute DVD.

A Blueprint for Urban Sustainability: Integrating Sustainable Energy Practices into Metropolitan Planning is a 110-page compendium of innovative municipal energy planning strategies, management practices and technology applications drawn from cities and towns across America.

The second publication, A Model for Sustainable Urban Design, describes the nine national entries to the first global competition on sustainable urban systems design. The 3-year long competition culminated in a juried presentation in Tokyo, Japan, this past year. The resource features the common elements of all the designs, along with a copy of the complete U.S. design entry for the combined San Diego-Tijuana bi-national metropolitan region.