In this issue
		Energy Services Bulletin home page
		Online Key Account Tool Box supports public utility programs
		Fuel cell plant joins Alameda County renewable energy collection
		Revitalized communications promote efficiency, ease rate hikes
		New cooling technology aids South Dakota's pursuit of efficiency
		Fort Mojave tribal casino gets cooling system makeover
		Brigham City bike promotion raises energy efficiency awareness
		Lompoc LED light rebate promotes efficient holiday decorating
		Dairy, utilities learn from South Dakota's first digester
		Outreach programs help busy utilities educate consumers
		Energy Services seeks customer input
		Topics from the Power Line: Radiant heater a good choice for auto repair shop
		Energy shorts
		Technology spotlight: Low-mass, surface-mounted radiant heating panels in homes and offices
		Calendar of events

• Go Solar California! Web site unveiled
• WGA gets grant to the explore West's bioenergy potential
• Google corporate headquarters goes solar
• Utah rail facility explores geothermal heating
• Report says farms, forests can help reduce global warming

Go Solar California! Web site unveiled

The California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission launched the new Go Solar California! Web site Oct. 19, reinforcing the state's dedication to solar power. Coming about two months after SB 1 was signed into law, Go Solar California! marks the official start of the state's plan to bring 1 million solar roofs to California by 2017.

Go Solar California! aims to simplify the process of finding and enrolling in solar energy programs. It is a one-stop information center for new or existing home owners, businesses, schools, public buildings, farms and others to learn about solar power. Users can get answers to frequently asked questions and learn how to take advantage of both Federal tax credits and California's $2.8-billion incentive program.

"California leads the nation in aggressive policies that promote renewable power and decrease greenhouse gas emissions," said PUC President Michael R. Peevey, "The state is offering nearly $3 billion in incentives for consumers and businesses to invest in solar power. Go Solar California! offers tools and information to streamline the solar process and educate on the benefits of this renewable resource."

WGA gets grant to the explore West's bioenergy potential

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy awarded the Western Governors' Association $290,000 to explore the potential of bioenergy as an energy resource and a boon for rural economies in the West.

The grant will fund the development of policies and strategies to further bioenergy research and demonstration projects. It was one of 17 awards totaling $17.5 million for research, development and demonstration projects intended to help make bio-based fuels cost-competitive with fossil fuels in the commercial market.

Earlier this year, the WGA launched its Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative, which focused on electricity generation. The Federal grant will enable the WGA to expand the initiative's scope to include transportation fuels and thermal energy development.

The WGA plans to build on the work of its Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee's Biomass Task Force, working with a team of bioenergy experts from academia, the private sector and the Federal government. The proposed team will determine the contribution bioenergy can make to the use of alternative energy sources by 2015. 

That will include assessing barriers to biofuel resource development and identifying potential policies and incentives needed to encourage development. The team will also look at the cost-benefit ratio of bioenergy resource development and analyze the West's bioenergy potential in relation to its potential in other regions of the country. Bioenergy development's likely impact on the goals of the Bush administration's Healthy Forest Initiative is another concern for the WGA.

Google corporate headquarters goes solar

Google recently joined the growing number of California businesses jumping on the solar bandwagon with its plans to install a 1.5-megawatt solar array on its Mountain View headquarters.

The announcement came at the opening of Solar Power 2006 solar industry expo in October. The industry pointed to the project as proof that solar is becoming a more mainstream energy resource and that high profile businesses see the value in such a move.

The project calls for more than 9,000 Sharp solar panels to be installed on rooftops and parking lots at the Googleplex. Most of the panels will be placed on building rooftops, but some will provide covered parking in existing company parking lots.  Pasadena-based EI Solutions designed the project for Google, and Sharp Electronics will provide the panels for the project.

The planned system is larger than most corporate installations, such as the 675-kW array on San Francisco's Moscone Center or the 904-kW system on FedEx's Oakland airport hub. Although the array will supply only 30 percent of the company's electricity needs, David Radcliffe, Google's vice president of real estate, estimates a payback of 10 years.

Utah rail facility explores geothermal heating

Geothermal energy may soon be heating the Utah Transit Authority's commuter rail service center if a study shows the project to be economically feasible. The U.S. Department of Energy provided UTA with $15,000 to study the use of naturally-occurring underground energy to help heat the 165,000-sq. ft. facility.

UTA hopes to tap hot geothermal water to provide heat to the working areas of the repair and maintenance facility. The resource thought to be located below the site is not expected to be able to heat the whole facility. However, it could greatly reduce the use of natural gas for heating.  It is anticipated that the use of geothermal energy will significantly reduce use of natural gas. Without geothermal energy, UTA estimates that it could spend up to $15,000 per month heating the commuter rail center. 

The Utah State Energy Program, part of the state geological survey, requested the funding from DOE's GeoPowering the West program. Engineers from the Geo-Heat Center at the Oregon Institute of Technology are conducting the study.  Results are expected by the end of this month.

Report says farms, forests can help reduce global warming

America's farms and forestlands have a major role to play in reducing the threat of climate change, according to two reports released by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. 

By changing agricultural practices and foresting marginal agricultural lands, the United States could offset up to one fifth of its current greenhouse gas emissions, and create potential new sources of farming income.  In addition, replacing fossil fuels with biofuels made from agricultural crops could further reduce emissions by 10 to 25 percent. 

The two reports are Agriculture's Role in Greenhouse Gas Mitigation by Keith Paustian, John M. Antle, John Sheehan, and Eldor A. Paul; and Agricultural and Forestlands: U.S. Carbon Policy Strategies by Kenneth R. Richards, R. Neil Sampson, and Sandra Brown.

In Agriculture's Role in Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, the authors make the case for "suitable payments" to encourage farmers to adopt new emission-reducing management practices. They also recommend policy incentives to reduce costs of producing biofuels and accelerate key technologies. Access to financing, changes in economic conditions and technologies and policies will be key factors that will affect farmers' willingness to play a part in climate solutions.

The second Pew Center report, Agricultural and Forestlands: U.S. Carbon Policy Strategies, considers a range of policy approaches that would ensure a prominent role for U.S. agricultural and forestlands in national climate mitigation plans. Potential policies could include changing practices on public lands, land use regulations for privately owned forestlands and incentives designed to promote climate-friendly practices on agricultural lands.