Clean Energy Economy News | Online edition
Jan. 12, 2009 | Vol. 2, No. 1
Greetings,
2009 arrived bright with snow, and we are looking forward to accomplishing ambitious clean energy goals in the new year. It’s a nationwide movement, and a top priority for our president-elect. In his YouTube address Friday on his economic stimulus package, Barack Obama said, “We’ll create nearly half a million jobs by investing in clean energy – by committing to double the production of alternative energy in the next three years, and by modernizing more than 75 percent of federal buildings and improving the energy efficiency of 2 million American homes."
This edition reports on Rifle’s new solar arrays, which are generating more than 2 megawatts of clean electricity, and on clean energy bills introduced last week in the state legislature. Sally Spaulding reports on Aspen’s conservation-minded electricity pricing change, and Dan Wolf shares his company’s new venture in easy e-waste recycling.
Three great events are coming up. And scroll further down for links to news reports on commuter and light rail lines opening in New Mexico and Arizona, and on the growing interest in tapping geothermal energy in the West for power production. Clean Energy Bits ‘n Bobs wraps up the issue.
As always, feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues. Archives of full-length stories for this edition and all the 2008 editions are on the CLEER website.
Heather McGregor, Editor
Clean Energy Economy News
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In this issue
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SunEdison switches on 2-megawatt solar array at Rifle
East array in operation four months, west array switched on last week
Last week, SunEdison crews energized the second of two massive solar photovoltaic arrays the company has installed in Rifle. Together, the arrays will pump out 2.3 megawatts of clean electricity.
“We’re happy. It’s a very nice installation and they do good work,” said Charles Stevens, utility director for the City of Rifle.
The arrays will power the city’s water and wastewater treatment plants, and are presently the largest solar arrays on the Western Slope.
The smaller east side array, a 600-kilowatt system, started producing power Sept. 8. The 3.25 acres of photovoltaic panels cranked out 220,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity from Sept. 8 through Dec. 8, for a daily average of more than 2,400 kilowatt-hours. The east array is located about 1 mile east of Rifle, on a pocket of land between Highway 6 and the Colorado River.
The larger west side array is a 1,720-kilowatt system, divided into two sections that cover a total of 12 acres at the city’s Energy Innovation Center site. It’s on the city’s west side, where it’s clearly visible to motorists at the spot where Interstate 70 crosses the Colorado River.
The west system has been under construction all through the fall, and operators just began producing power last week. Some fencing work remains to be finished, but the project for the most part is done, Stevens said.
The city has been buying power from the east array since Sept. 5.
SunEdison financed, built, owns and will operate the arrays, selling the electricity to the city government under a 20-year contract. The price is confidential, Stevens said, but it’s less than what the city pays to buy electricity from Xcel Energy, the utility that serves western Garfield County.
Work will continue at the west site on the city’s new $23 million wastewater treatment facility. Once that’s done this fall, the city plans to host a grand opening to celebrate all the water and energy projects.
Meanwhile, Stevens and his colleagues can track daily and monthly production from the arrays. The SunEdison system tracks the energy production, and calculates the environmental benefits of the clean energy. Compared to electricity from a coal-fired power plant, the first three months of operation of the smaller east side array offset the emission of 166 tons of carbon dioxide, 513 pounds of nitrous oxide, and 1,300 pounds of sulphur dioxide — three of the greenhouse gases that are contributing to climate change.
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Statehouse measure expands clean energy financing
Legislators introduce bills on emissions reporting, energy efficient transportation
The state Legislature convened last Wednesday, and legislators immediately introduced bills related to clean energy financing, energy rates, emissions reporting and efficient transportation.
The most sweeping bill, Financing for Energy Efficient Structures, promotes financing options for renewable energy from solar, geothermal and wind and for energy efficiency upgrades.
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State Rep.
Morgan Carroll |
“This measure will bring investment capitol to Colorado, make alternative energy upgrades more affordable for hundreds of thousands of people, and create new jobs,” said co-sponsor Sen. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora. “Access to renewable energy should not just be for the rich. We can create many good-paying jobs and finally give access to the renewable revolution to thousands of energy-conscious Coloradans.”
Other bills would require utilities to report each customer’s CO2 emissions and allow electric coops to charge inclined rates. Bills related to transportation clarify rules of the road applying to low-power scooters, require drivers to yield to buses re-entering traffic, and allow regional transportation authorities to seek voter approval to impose a property tax.
Clean energy financing
Senate Bill 51: Financing for energy-efficient structures
Sponsors: Rep. Morgan Carroll, D-Aurora, and Sen. Claire Levy, D-Boulder
Status: Introduced Jan. 7, assigned to Senate Local Government & Energy Committee
This bill amends the Colorado Clean Energy Finance Program Act of 2008 with a variety of measures:
- Includes credit unions among the lenders that may make loans under the program.
Adds renewable energy developers and installers of solar panels and other renewable energy generation equipment o the act’s list of certified contractors.
- Authorizes the Governor’s Energy Office to develop and license the use of a “Clean & Green Colorado” logo and marketing materials for use by lenders and certified contractors.
- Allows the use of Colorado Clean Energy Development Authority financing to be used for apartment buildings, removes an existing cap on loan amounts and authorizes the state treasurer to guarantee up to $40 million in loans, a $10 million increase.
- Requires landlords to allow energy audits of rental properties if requested by a tenant, at the tenant’s expense.
- Creates a Renewable Energy Suppliers Act, similar to the Geothermal Heat Suppliers Act, to allow installation of renewable energy systems on property owned by others, in exchange for future purchases of energy under power purchase agreements and/or assignments of utility rebates.
- Directs the Public Utilities Commission to require utilities to set aside a portion of their annual budget for rebates for low-income customers.
Energy rates and emissions reporting
Senate Bill 39: Authority for electric coops to charge graduated rates for increased energy consumption
Sponsor: Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village
Status: Introduced Jan. 7, assigned to Senate Local Government & Energy Committee
The bill would authorize electric coops, such as Holy Cross Energy, to change their electric rate structure for residential customers so that rates rise as consumption increases. The bill requires the rate change to be revenue-neutral, and calls on utilities to consider the impacts on low-income customers. It also allows electric coops to establish a community energy fund for energy efficiency, energy conservation, weatherization and renewable energy purposes. Holy Cross Energy already has such a program, called WE CARE.
House Bill 1055: Utility disclosure of carbon dioxide emissions to customers
Sponsor: Rep. Gwyn Green, D-Jefferson
Status: Introduced Jan. 7, assigned to House Transportation & Energy Committee
Requires electric and natural gas utilities to disclose on each customer’s monthly bill the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the previous billing cycle, based on the customer’s usage and the carbon intensity of the utility’s energy supply.
The requirement applies to all investor-owned utilities and rural electric coops, and to municipally-owned utilities with more than 80,000 customers, so it would apply to Xcel Energy, Holy Cross Energy and SourceGas, but would exempt the Aspen and Glenwood Springs electric departments.
Energy efficient transportation
House Bill 1026: Application of vehicle laws to low-powered scooters and motorized bikes
Sponsors: Rep. Don Marostica, R-Larimer, and Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Arapahoe
Status: Introduced Jan. 7, assigned to House Transportation & Energy Committee
This bill expands current definitions of low-powered and self-propelled vehicles to include low-power scooters, motor-driven cycles and motorized bicycles. It also:
- Requires dealers to hold a power-sports license.
- Requires drivers to carry insurance, effective July 1, 2010.
- Prohibits driving low-powered scooters at more than 40 mph, and imposes fines and penalties for violations.
- Clarifies that the drug and alcohol driving offenses apply to all vehicles, including low-power scooters, farm tractors and off-highway vehicles.
House Bill 1027: Yield to transit buses entering traffic
Sponsors: Rep. Joe Rice, D-Jefferson, and Sen. Dan Gibbs, D-Eagle
Status: Introduced Jan. 7, assigned to House Transportation & Energy Committee
This bill requires drivers of vehicles behind a transit bus to yield the right-of-way to the bus if the bus is signaling an intention to enter a traffic lane and a yield sign on the back of the bus is illuminated.
It does not require transit companies to install yield signs on its buses and confirms that bus drivers are still obligated to drive with due regard for the safety of everyone using the roadway.
House Bill 1034: Authorizes a regional transportation authority to impose a property tax
Sponsors: Rep. Larry Liston, R-Pueblo, and Sen. Dan Gibbs, D-Eagle
Status: Introduced Jan. 7, assigned to House Transportation & Energy Committee
This bill allows a regional transportation authority, such as RFTA, to impose a property tax mill levy of up to 5 mills, subject to voter approval.
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Aspen Electric applies increasing block rates
to commercial customers
The Aspen City Council is revising city electric rates to apply a conservation-focused structure called “increased block rates” to its commercial customers. The new rate system — a first in Colorado for commercial customers — provides a pocketbook incentive to conserve. It will also increase revenues, which the electric utility will use to develop renewable energy projects. Aspen electric rates still remain well below the rates of other electric utilities in Colorado.
“Under the increased block rate, customers are charged depending on their level of usage of electricity,” said Aspen Director of Public Works Phil Overeynder. “The more you use, the more you pay in the block rate system. Under the new 2009 rates, the increase could range from a 0.2 percent increase to a 30 percent increase in electric bills.” He noted that Aspen’s residential customers have been charged on an inclining block structure for several years.
Aspen Electric is encouraging commercial customers concerned about the increase in their bill to contact Jeff Rice, utilities energy manager. Rice can calculate how the new rates will affect customer’s bills, and can offer rebates on energy efficiency upgrades, ideas and a site visit to help lower electric usage. Rice can be reached at 970-920-5118.
Aspen’s new rates became effective Jan. 2, 2009; however, the first bills to impose these changes won’t be sent until April 30, giving customers time to take measures to reduce consumption.
The city of Aspen is powered with 75 percent renewable energy and has the goal of being powered by 100 percent renewable energy in the future.
— Sally Spaulding, City of Aspen
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PaperWise offers electronics recycling pick-up service
 PaperWise, the Glenwood Springs company that sells recycled-stock paper products and collects office paper for recycling, is offering a new electronic waste service. The company is partnering with two Denver-based firms that collect, dismantle and recycle outdated electronic equipment, LifeSpan Technology Recycling and GRX Guaranteed Recycling Xperts.
Jon Zalinski, owner of Treadz and a former manager of Summit Canyon Mountaineering, is launching the program, said PaperWise owner Dan Wolf.
Rates range from $1 for cell phones, $5 for keyboards and telephones, $10 for routers and switches, $15 for VCRs, DVD players, stereos, scanners and fax machines, $20 for computer monitors, CPUs, laptops, hard drives and desktop printers, and $30 for large backup batteries The fees include pick-up at your home or office, destruction of the hard drive, and recycling the product.
Wolf noted that some e-waste is being shipped to poor countries, where workers dismantle old electronics under unsafe conditions and waste parts are improperly dumped.
“We are allied with two companies that are committed to responsible recycling of electronics,” Wolf said. “We want to be as transparent with this as possible.”
For information, contact PaperWise at (970) 945-2885 or paper@sopris.net.
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EVENTS
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Save Energy, Save Money
Tools, Strategies and Resources for Facilities Energy Management
 A Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative workshop
DATE: Wednesday, January 14
TIME: 9:00 a.m. to Noon
PLACE: Garfield County Administration Building, 101 8th Street, Glenwood Springs
- Learn how JC Penney Co., EPA’s Energy Star Partner of the Year for 2007 and 2008, achieved $4.5 million a year in energy savings
- Learn how the Governor’s Energy Office can help you save energy and improve the performance of your buildings
- Choose the financing mechanisms that work for your situation
- Learn how energy tracking, rating and benchmarking systems improve your bottom line
- Make 2009 the year your organization achieves major energy savings
Click here to download the workshop agenda (52 KB)
Please RSVP to Lauren Martindale, lmartindale@cleanenergyeconomy.net
Speakers include:
 John Canfield, senior consultant for energy performance contracting, the Governor’s Energy Office. John consults with facilities managers for state government, higher education, K-12 school districts, counties and municipalities. John has more than 25 years experience in energy management, including more than 12 years working in the performance contracting and energy services company field, and nearly 10 years as an independent energy engineer and consultant who has successfully developed and implemented energy reduction programs for customers in the public and private sectors.
  Rob Keller, energy management and engineering services director, JC Penney Co. In his 19 years with JC Penney, Rob has turned the retail department store company into a national leader in implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy. JC Penney won the Energy Star Partner of the Year award in 2007 and 2008. The Plano, Texas, company is recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy as a top example of retail sector innovative energy management.
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Model Behavior: Can one building code fit all?
Hosted by Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability, Green Building Group
 DATE: Thursday, Jan. 15
TIME: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
PLACE: Avon Library Community Room
Building codes ensure the health and safety of people, enforce standards of appearance, set minimum standards for energy performance and frustrate the hell out of builders, architects and owners alike.
They are designed so that communities can operate largely from the same book of rules, while making exceptions for their own particular circumstances. (You may not want to insulate your home here just like you did with your home in Miami.)
But just how particular are the circumstances of, say, Vail vs. Eagle? Would one code for our whole county simplify and streamline building? Or would it homogenize our towns? The Green Building Group investigates.
More info: www.eaglevalleyalliance.org
— Matt Scherr, Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability
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Sustainability Forum and Renewable Energy Expo
DATE: Wednesday, Jan. 28
TIME: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
PLACE: Two Rivers Convention Center, 159 Main St., Grand Junction
This free Western Slope confab of sustainability advocates, renewable energy practitioners and energy efficiency experts offers something for everyone. Learn about utility incentive programs, performance contracting for efficiency upgrades, solar and biomass renewable energy, ground source heating, and using a team approach to maximize success.
Speakers include some notable locals: Joani Matranga of the Governor’s Energy Office, Matt Sturgeon from the City of Rifle, and Alice Laird from CLEER. The forum will be broadcast live on KEXO talk radio, 1230 AM.
Build Green Live Green is sponsored by the Governor’s Energy Office, Xcel Energy and Cumulus, and hosted by Mesa State College, Mesa County, the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County School District 51.
Click here for the one-page schedule of speakers.
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In the news
Scientists and investors see high potential for geothermal energy development
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Cooling towers rise above the barren desert at Raser Technologies' Thermo Power Plant west of Minersville, Utah. A low boil chemical is turned into steam from underground geothermal water, powers generators and is then reduced back to a liquid through the cooling towers for reuse.
Photo by Douglas C. Pizac, Associated Press
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| A Metro Rail train sweeps into downtown Phoenix |
Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 31, 2008
How underground ‘hot rocks’ could power America’s future
With enough investment, geothermal power could satisfy 10 percent of the U.S. energy diet, energy experts say
By Gregory M. Lamb
Associated Press, December 30, 2008.
Geothermal energy a booming business
Leases snapped up across the West as states mandate renewables
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Arizona opens light rail line, New Mexico extends commuter rail to Santa Fe
Metro Light Rail connects Tempe, Phoenix, Mesa and Sky Harbor Airport: $1.25 fare, 70-minute ride
Arizona Republic, Dec. 28, 2008
Crowds say lines, construction worth the long wait for light rail
By John Faherty, Casey Newton, Glen Creno and Kerry Fehr-Snyder
Rail Runner Express links Santa Fe to Albuquerque: $8 fare, 90-minute ride
Santa Fe New Mexican, Dec. 29, 2008
Rail Runner planners mull parking expansion
Train sees 33,000 passengers over past week of service
By Julie Ann Grimm
Santa Fe New Mexican, Dec. 30, 2008
Retailers reap benefits from Rail Runner
By Bob Quick
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The new chore: sweeping snow from the solar panels
Plus, homes with no furnace,
and feds shift to weatherization rather than bill-paying assistance
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In Minnesota, Alan Stankevitz did a new winter chore for homeowners: clearing the solar panels.
Photo by Alan Stankevitz for the New York Times.
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New York Times, Dec. 25, 2008
Solar Meets Polar as Winter Curbs Clean Energy
By Kate Galbraith
Old Man Winter, it turns out, is no friend of renewable energy.
This time of year, wind turbine blades ice up, biodiesel congeals in tanks and solar panels produce less power because there is not as much sun. And perhaps most irritating to the people who own them, the panels become covered with snow, rendering them useless even in bright winter sunshine."
New York Times, Dec. 26, 2008
No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in ‘Passive’ Houses
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
DARMSTADT, Germany — From the outside, there is nothing unusual about the stylish new gray and orange row houses in the Kranichstein District, with wreaths on the doors and Christmas lights twinkling through a freezing drizzle. But these houses are part of a revolution in building design: There are no drafts, no cold tile floors, no snuggling under blankets until the furnace kicks in. There is, in fact, no furnace.
New York Times, Dec. 30, 2008
Emphasis on Weatherization Represents Shift on Energy Costs
By Matthew L. Wald
A promise to weatherize more homes with public help would mark a shift in government energy assistance: cutting poor people’s energy bills instead of helping to pay them.
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| The Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability has moved to 102 Main Street in Minturn, the old Two Elk Gallery space. The new phone number is (970) 827-9999. |
Clean Energy Bits ‘n Bobs
Gary Goodson, former director of Aspen Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE), has moved to LaJolla, Calif., and is the new executive director for the 500-member San Diego chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Aspen branch of Alpine Bank is offsetting 100 percent of its 2007 carbon emissions with the recent purchase of $20-a-ton Canary Tags from the Canary Initiative, Aspen’s carbon offset program. The bank calculated its 2007 emissions from electricity and natural gas to be 128 tons, according to Kim Peterson, director of the Canary Initiative.
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