CNG-fueled vehicles emit 25 to 30 percent less greenhouse gases, and virtually none of the smog-forming chemicals or tiny particles that gas- or diesel-burning vehicles emit. And because natural gas is produced plentifully in North America, CNG is a geopolitically secure source of fuel for fleets in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It’s an untapped resource for transportation in western Colorado because there’s no place to fill up, said David Hill, vice president of Natural Gas Economy Operations, a division within EnCana Oil and Gas USA, which is a major gas producer in Garfield County. On the other hand, a fueling station needs to sell 200,000 to 300,000 gallon-equivalents per year to make a profit. That means 300 to 500 vehicle fill-ups per week. “It is truly the chicken and the egg, but we want to hatch the egg,” Hill told participants the Vehicle Fleets in the Clean Energy Economy Workshop held Feb. 5 in Glenwood Springs. Hill presented an ideal scenario of developing CNG fueling stations in Grand Junction, Parachute, Rifle, Glenwood Springs, Eagle and Silverthorne. That would link the 13 public fueling stations open on the Front Range and the dozens of stations in Utah to make the I-70 corridor functional for CNG fueled vehicles. Kirk Swallow, a long-time gasoline and diesel distributor in Garfield County, is applying for grant funding being offered by the Governor’s Energy Office to build public CNG fueling stations in Parachute and Rifle. Swallow says his new company, Rocky Mountain Alternative Fueling, will build the Parachute station whether it wins the grant or not. The Parachute fueling station would be added to Swallow’s Phillips 66 station at 28 Cardinal Way. And if Rocky Mountain Alternative Fueling wins the state grant, the Rifle fueling station would be added to Swallow’s Shell station at 101 Railroad Ave. The grant award is to be announced by May 1. To bolster his grant application, Swallow is supplying letters from natural gas companies and other fleet owners committing to make vehicle conversions to CNG. At the Vehicle Fleets workshop, Garfield County Commissioner Mike Samson announced that county government will purchase six bi-fuel vehicles in 2010 and six more in 2011. Bi-fuel vehicles run primarily on CNG, but can switch on the fly to a second tank of gasoline on extended trips. Colorado companies are also stepping up to offer sales and service of CNG vehicles. Glenwood Springs Ford, as well as Layton Truck Equipment and FuelTek of Denver which operate state-wide, are all committed to offering new vehicles equipped with CNG bi-fuel conversions for use on the Western Slope. A growing variety of vehicles are available from multiple manufacturers, ranging from five-passenger sedans to three-quarter-ton pickup trucks. Hill said EnCana is already using a Honda Civic GX sedan as a commuting car for company staffers who live in Grand Junction and work in Parachute. The car gets refueled using a home-sized compressor pump system at the Parachute office. The fueling system cost about $5,000 to install, so home fueling is not really an economical solution, he noted. Widespread conversion to CNG vehicles would barely nick western Colorado’s natural gas production, Hill noted. Even if half of all vehicles in Western Colorado burned CNG, they would consume just 13 percent of the region’s annual production, Hill said. At present, there are 1,300 CNG-burning vehicles in Colorado and 13 stations, he said. Other Western states are far ahead with more vehicles and more fueling stations. Utah has 2,800 CNG vehicles on the road and dozens of stations. Colorado CNG stations | Utah CNG stations In the news The Daily Sentinel, Feb. 15, 2010 The Daily Sentinel, Feb. 7, 2010 Retrofitted school buses save fuel, electricity,
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Basalt Police Chief Keith Ikeda said his department’s five Ford Escape hybrids get 30 mpg, almost twice the mileage of the cruisers they replaced. “Idle time fuel savings is huge, because we are sitting and idling a lot,” the chief said.
Only one CNG-burning vehicle, the Honda Civic GX (shown at right), is available for purchase direct from an auto manufacturer |
Garfield Re-2 School District bus driver Jackie Kneedler shows off emission-reducing equipment installed under the hood of the school bus she drives. |
The District 16 vehicles are among 99 school buses in Garfield and Rio Blanco counties that were retrofitted in mid-2009 as part of the Colorado Clean Diesel Program, said Lisa Silva, air quality planner with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The buses received engine preheaters, diesel oxidation catalyst equipment to curtail tailpipe emissions, and/or closed crankcase filtration units to prevent engine emissions from flowing into the cabin.
Measurable cost savings from bus upgrades
Transportation managers are tracking savings in electricity, diesel fuel and staff time. Local districts are saving electricity this winter, since buses with the programmable preheaters no longer have to be plugged in to block heaters. The engine antifreeze is warmed by a preheater that uses a fraction of the fuel compared to running the engine.
Larry Estrada, Roaring Fork Re-1 School District director of transportation, reported a total of $1,678 in electricity savings for 30 buses during the month of December compared to 2008. Morning warm-up idling times for the district’s buses have been cut from 12 minutes to 6 minutes. Re-1 serves Glenwood Springs, Carbondale and Basalt.
In District 16, Cannizzaro estimates savings of up to $300 a week due to lowered fuel use and staff time.
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Garfield Re-2 School District bus driver Jackie Kneedler shows off a new engine preheater that greatly reduces warm-up idling. |
“For our morning route, we’ve noticed that we do not have to pre-warm our buses, so we’ve cut 15 to 20 minutes off our routine,” said Cannizzaro. She estimates each bus is using 10 gallons less of diesel per week this winter.
Robert Sjogren, Garfield Re-2 School District fleet manager, said the district has realized many benefits from the retrofits. “The biggest benefit is keeping emissions out of the cabin of the bus.”
Sjogren said he sees “a visible, noticeable difference” in the amount of soot coming out the tailpipes when the buses are at operating temperatures. Buses in Re-2, which cover Rifle, Silt and New Castle, now idle a maximum of four minutes in the mornings to build pressure on the air breaks, lowered from 10 minutes last winter.
Upgrades reduce students' exposure to diesel pollutants
“The Garfield, Rio Blanco counties project will result in substantial reductions in exposure to air toxics for the student bus riders,” said state air quality planner Silva. “Children are a captive audience, and they might ride the bus twice a day for 12 years. That’s a lot of exposure.”
Longtime Re-2 bus driver Jackie Kneedler said she is no longer receiving complaints from students being cold or smelling exhaust inside the bus.
Silva said the local retrofits should reduce the amount of harmful air pollutants at similar levels to retrofits completed earlier on buses in Pueblo. A University of Colorado study sampled the air inside the Pueblo buses before and after the retrofits and showed the overall average in cabin pollutant particles was reduced by up to 41 percent.
Ultra fine particulate matter, which is inhaled deeply into the lungs and can go into the blood stream, was lowered by an average of 56 percent. Elemental carbon, also known as soot, saw an 85 percent reduction. Formaldehyde, a combustion-related byproduct, was reduced by 32 percent.
Silva said the retrofits cost up to $4,000 per bus. She said some funding remains to retrofit 12 to 15 more buses, such as those used at private schools.
For information, contact Silva at Lisa.Silva@state.co.us.
The VelociRFTA: a whole new animal
is coming to the Roaring Fork Valley
Envision traveling by bus between Aspen and Glenwood Springs in about an hour. Imagine waiting no more than 10 minutes to catch your bus at a sleek, comfortable station, and leaving Highway 82 traffic snarls behind.
The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) is working to make this transportation vision a reality with its proposed Bus Rapid Transit service — the VelociRFTA.
Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, is a significantly enhanced bus system that combines the flexibility and cost savings of buses, with the efficiency, speed, reliability and amenities of a rail system.
RFTA has been developing detailed plans for the new service since 2008, when the region voted to fund BRT. The history of BRT began with the release of the Corridor Investment Study in 2003. The five-year study recommended RFTA’s BRT service as the preferred alternative to meet transit demand and to mitigate traffic congestion.
In order to define this new service, RFTA is hosting a series of community workshops where the public can learn about the BRT details and provide their input one-on-one to RFTA staff.
The workshops will present the locations of the stations and their proposed design; the route and how it is proposed to connect with Ride Glenwood, Village Shuttle and other RFTA services; and new technologies, such as real-time signs that announce when the next bus will arrive.
The workshops will be held throughout the valley and at various times of the day to make attending as convenient as possible. Refreshments will be served and kids are welcome.
More information about the workshops can be found at the project’s website www.rftabrt.com or by calling 970-384-4860.
View poster with meeting schedule & dino tracks
Glenwood Springs
Tuesday, February 16, Noon to 1 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.Aspen
Wednesday, February 17, Noon to 1 p.m.
Pitkin County Court House, Rio Grande Room (old Youth Center)Wednesday, February 17, 6 to 8 p.m.
Colorado Mountain College, Aspen CampusBasalt
Thursday, February 18, 6 to 8 p.m.
The new Basalt Library, 14 Midland AvenueCarbondale
Monday, February 22, 6 to 8 p.m.
Carbondale Recreation Center, 567 Colorado Avenue
Statewide clean energy financing bill introduced
State Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, and state Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, have introduced the “New Energy Jobs Creation Bill” to offer clean energy financing to homeowners across the state.
It would be a statewide version of the Energy Smart loan programs approved in November 2009 in Pitkin Eagle and Gunnison counties, and the Climate Smart loan program in Boulder County, which has already issued nearly $13 million in loans.
The bill, HB 10-1328, would create a statewide opt-in special improvement district that would issue loans of about $15,000 to 53,000 homeowners for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements.
If approved, the measure is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs for building, insulation and HVAC contractors, solar installers, and energy auditors.
Miklosi’s bill calls for $800 million in bonds to fund the loan program, which would likely be the subject of a referendum placed before Colorado voters in November. A state-level board would govern the bond and loan program.
Homeowners who choose to borrow from the fund would repay the debt on their annual property tax bill over 20 years. The annual assessment for a $15,000 loan would be about $1,500, low enough that energy savings would offset most or all of the annual assessment.
Homeowners who don’t borrow see no added tax from the voluntary, opt-in program.
The loans would carry no pre-payment penalty, but would stay with the property if it changes hands. Each county treasurer would collect the payments for a small processing fee, and a private sector, contracted company would administer the program.
The bill also would require county commissioners for each county to affirm their county’s participation in the program before homeowners in that county could be eligible to borrow from the fund.
House Bill 10-1328 was introduced Feb. 8, and has been assigned to the State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee in the House.
Rep. Miklosi is seeking organizations and experts to testify on behalf of the bill. For more information, contact his office at (303) 866-2910 or jmiklosi@hotmail.com.
GEO pilot program attempts to streamline
federal hydropower regulations
By Suzie Romig
Clean Energy Economy News
Landowners and organizations interested in harnessing the power of water on streams, ditches and dams – but who may have been put off by cumbersome federal regulations – can apply this summer to be part of a new pilot program through the Governor’s Energy Office.
GEO is working with officials at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to simplify the application process for owners of water rights in Colorado to use hydro sources to create electricity.
The Western Slope is particularly ripe for more hydropower due to its topography and the extensive irrigation network, said Greg Russi, Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative board member. A longtime town council member in New Castle, Russi said town officials investigated a small hydropower project on the town’s water system, but ran into obstacles.
“As a long-range plan, council and staff has shown interest in micro-hydro power generation, if we can solve the regulatory and financial barriers,” Russi said. “The beauty of micro-hydro is it can provide power 24 hours a day for eight or nine months out of the year. This kind of project could provide the base load to run our wastewater treatment plant.”
Municipalities need a streamlined approval process because, until now, the FERC has treated all project approvals as if they were major water projects, Russi said.
GEO Western Region Representative Joani Matranga in Carbondale said working through the FERC regulations can be an expensive and lengthy process, requiring six months to two years of lead time and costing $50,000 or more.
“The Western Slope has a number of opportunities for small-scale hydro projects, but we really can’t promote the development of those projects until we can get some streamlining,” Matranga said. The goal of GEO’s pilot is to simplify the process for winning project approvals from FERC, she said.
Representatives from the GEO’s renewable energy team spoke at a FERC conference in December in Washington, D.C., to propose the pilot project. Matranga said the GEO since has received calls from officials in other states expressing similar interest. The pilot would take place during 2010 and 2011. It would apply to non-federal projects placed on existing water conduits and generating up to five megawatts of power.
According to the GEO Web site, small hydro-electric generation is a decentralized source of electricity that typically is employed with minimal environmental impact. Unlike large hydro-electric projects requiring the damming of rivers, small hydro projects simply divert a portion of a river or creek flow, or are installed on pre-existing diversions such as raw water distribution systems.
Such systems have been used in Colorado for more than a century for reliable power that requires relatively little maintenance. Many more municipalities and special districts would have opportunities to capitalize on irrigation systems and even wastewater effluent outflows if the federal regulations could be streamlined.
More information is available on the GEO Web page for small-scale hydro project development. A hydro partnership interest form is available on the Web page, along with a listing of financial incentives.
For information, contact Matranga at (970) 366-6036 or Joani.Matranga@state.co.us.
Flux Farm, City of Rifle, CMC and CSU
form biofuel R&D consortium
A new consortium to test the use of perennial crops for conversion to biofuels launched Feb. 8 with a $50,000 research grant from the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
The Western Colorado Carbon Neutral Bioenergy Consortium joins the resources of the nonprofit Flux Farm Foundation, the City of Rifle, Colorado Mountain College and the Western Colorado Research Center of Colorado State University.
Using the state grant and $25,000 in matching funds, the consortium will raise test plots of various crops starting this spring on land near Carbondale, Rifle and Fruita, said Morgan Williams, executive director of Flux Farm. Test crops will include switchgrass, orchard grass, timothy, smooth brome, alfalfa, wheatgrass, ryegrass, tall fescue and prickly pear cactus.
The idea is to grow crops that would thrive in western Colorado soils and weather with little to no irrigation or fertilizers – what agronomists call “low-input perennial bioenergy crops” – to produce biomass for biofuels, the plant-based liquid fuels that can replace petroleum.
Williams noted that most biofuel crops are grown on fertile land in the Midwest, where they displace food crops, require a lot of fertilizers and pesticides, and don’t go far to improve the energy in-energy out balance. “The current bioenergy paradigm often results in negligible life-cycle reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fossil fuels,” he said.
“Our strategy is to target perennial biomass crops that can be grown on marginal agricultural soils with sustainable inputs, and processed in small, local or mobile bioenergy refineries. We are only looking at options that have the potential to result in truly carbon-neutral emissions,” Williams said.
“Western Colorado includes nearly 4.25 million acres of pasture or idle cropland,” says CSU professor Calvin Pearson. This land may pose too many difficulties for raising conventional crops, but presents an opportunity to be explored for its bioenergy potential.
Crops grown during the 2010 trials will be harvested and taken to the Colorado Mountain College campus near Rifle, where the CMC Integrative Energy Technology Program is building demonstration-scale cellulosic and butanol processing equipment. “We’ll be able to do flexible testing of various biomass feedstocks and pre-treatment processes,” said Jon Prater, the IET program coordinator.
In the news
The Daily Sentinel, Feb. 9, 2010
Coalition looks at biofuel crops
By Dennis Webb
Xcel Energy offers energy efficient bulbs
for as low as $1
Xcel Energy is offering its customers energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) for as little as $1 per bulb. Customers who purchase a CFL for $1 and install it can expect a payback in energy savings in approximately three months. Customers will continue to save energy over the life of the bulb, which is 7 – 10 years. Savings can reach as much as up to $50 over that period.
Special prices are available on a variety of CFL bulbs at local stores, including City Market in Carbondale and Rifle, Ace Hardware in Carbondale, Valley Lumber in Rifle and Wal-Mart in Rifle and Glenwood Springs.
Quantities are limited, and the special price is available only while supplies last. Xcel Energy is offering the special low prices on CFLs that have earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR label.
“Replacing the most frequently used incandescent light bulbs in your home with ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs is an easy way to save money and help protect the environment, because CFL bulbs conserve energy,” said Kim Sherman, Xcel Energy product portfolio manager. “If residential customers replace the five most-used incandescent bulbs in their homes with CFLs, they could save up to $25 a year in electricity costs.”
Those generally include kitchen lights, living room table and floor lamps, bathroom vanity lights and outdoor porch or post lamps. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy than typical incandescent light bulbs and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
Locate participating stores and get information.
Xcel Energy and GridPoint deploy
online home energy management
New Web site empowers consumers to reduce energy costs and carbon footprint
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| Above and below, typical screen shots from Xcel Energy's new online home energy management service. |
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Xcel Energy’s 1.4 million residential customers, including residents of Carbondale, New Castle, Silt, Rifle and Parachute, now have access to a nifty online home energy management My Account web site that automatically displays up to 24 months of energy use and spending.
The new portal, produced by Gridpoint Inc., allows customers to design and personalize their electric and natural gas energy usage based on their historical energy use. This could potentially save customers money and reduce their carbon footprint. In the coming months, the site will also enable customers to view and pay their bill online.
“GridPoint’s software integrates with the utility’s meter data systems and empowers our customers to meet individual energy budget and conservation goals, while providing a rich user experience that we believe our customers will appreciate,” said Jay Herrmann, Xcel Energy regional vice president. “Additionally, GridPoint’s solution will enable us to continually and easily integrate smart grid programs to further increase energy efficiency and reliability.”
Boulder customers who qualify for a Demand Side Management pilot project as part of the SmartGridCity pilot program will soon have the ability to control some of their household devices through the site.
“We are delighted to work with utilities like Xcel Energy that share our belief that empowering residential consumers is fundamental to the success of the smart grid,” said Peter L. Corsell, GridPoint CEO. “Our one-stop home energy management solution encourages frequent, regular engagement that results in the benefits both utilities and consumers desire – cost-effective, efficient energy consumption.”
Key characteristics about the consumer’s home and energy use are gathered through a simple four-step survey and used to provide consumption, cost and carbon footprint estimates. Customers looking for deeper understanding of their energy use can take advantage of advanced functionality, including graphically displayed billing information and historic consumption patterns.
Enterprise-class server technology allows GridPoint’s home energy management software to deploy rapidly and support millions of households. The customizable design of the consumer portal offers maximum flexibility for future integration of additional smart grid programs, such as load management, renewable integration, storage management and smart charging programs for plug-in vehicles.
In the news
Boulder Daily Camera, Jan. 7, 2010
Xcel begins near-real-time monitoring for Boulder homes
By Heath Urie
Denver Post, Feb. 15, 2010
Cost of smart grid projects shocks consumer advocates
By Mark Jaffe
What’s the fuss about LEED certification?
Essential green building concepts, prep for exam taught in new course at CMC-Aspen
By Mike McKibbin
Colorado Mountain College
ASPEN – Building professionals seeking to understand the basics of the LEED rating system or to take the professional accreditation exam will learn what they need in a new short course to be taught at Colorado Mountain College’s Aspen Campus this spring.
The LEED Green Associate Exam Prep course is designed to educate students about green building and sustainability, and to prepare them to earn the LEED Green Associate rating, said Eric Woods, an Aspen architect who will teach the CMC course.
LEED stands for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Accreditation is possible on two different levels: LEED Green Associate or LEED Accredited Professional (or AP). Initially only the AP designation was available.
“The LEED AP was really for engineers and it didn’t make sense to the common layman,” said Woods. “The Green Associate level is more simplified and not so technical. It’s really for homeowners, design and real estate professionals, contractors and project managers.”
At a two-year teaching sabbatical at the University of Texas, Woods was involved in sustainability classes that included many LEED concepts and projects.
“It’s really the buzzword for architecture these days, but it’s more than that,” he said. “The intentions are really good. It’s changing from the old, traditional process to one that tries to solve problems before you begin a project and get into the field. And it’s very cost effective and efficient.”
While the exam preparatory course is limited to basic knowledge of LEED and sustainability, “there’s a lot of memorization involved, because that’s what taking an exam is all about,” Woods said. “We’ll go through the whole thing and talk about the areas to study for, and then have time for questions and answers,” he added.
Those wishing to take the exam can do so in Grand Junction, or Denver or other Front Range communities, Woods said.
The course will be taught Friday and Saturday, April 16-17. Registration is under way. To register or for more information, call Colorado Mountain College’s Aspen Campus at 970-925-7740, or see the class description online at www.coloradomtn.edu.
EIA Brief: What is cap-and-trade?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration released another in its series of informative online briefs explaining the proposed cap-and-trade system.
A cap-and-trade program is designed to reduce emissions of a pollutant by placing a limit (or cap) on the total amount of emissions. The cap is implemented through a system of allowances that can be traded to minimize costs to affected sources. Cap-and-trade programs for greenhouse gas emissions would increase the costs of using fossil fuels.
TRAINING
Certified Green Professional, National Association of Home Builders:
Green Building for Building Professionals
April 14-15, Aspen CampusBusiness Management for Building Professionals
April 16, Aspen Campus
Building Analyst, Building Performance Institute:
Full Course with both BPI certification exams
April 5-10, Rifle CampusIntensive Course with both BPI certification exams
April 23-26, Rifle Campus
LEED
LEED Green Associate Prep course
April 16-17, Aspen Campus
(see article, What’s the fuss about LEED certification?)
EVENTS
Starting today: RFTA Bus Rapid Transit public meetings
Glenwood Springs
Tuesday, February 16, Noon to 1 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.Aspen
Wednesday, February 17, Noon to 1 p.m.
Pitkin County Court House, Rio Grande Room (old Youth Center)Wednesday, February 17, 6 to 8 p.m.
Colorado Mountain College, Aspen CampusBasalt
Thursday, February 18, 6 to 8 p.m.
The new Basalt Library, 14 Midland AvenueCarbondale
Monday, February 22, 6 to 8 p.m.
Carbondale Recreation Center, 567 Colorado Avenue
Save the date: Local Jobs and Clean Energy Programs
Learn what's in the works | Tell us what works for you
Three special meetings for building, insulation and HVAC contractors, energy auditors and solar installers -- attend the one that works for you.
Rifle: Wednesday, March 3
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Carbondale: Thursday, March 4
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Glenwood Springs: Thursday March 11
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Hosted by the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative - More info soon
Garfield Comprehensive Plan community meetings
Monday, April 5
- Garfield County Human Services Building,
195 W. 14th St., Rifle- New Castle Community Center, 423 W. Main St.
Tuesday, April 6
- Glenwood Springs Community Center, 100 Wulfsohn Road
- Silt Fire Protection District Station, 611 Main St., Silt
Wednesday, April 7
- Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Ave.
- Battlement Mesa Activity Center, 398 Arroyo Drive
All meetings are 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
By Tamra Allen, Planner
Garfield County Building and Planning Department
Land development practices have a significant impact on energy consumption. For example, compact growth (near public services) means higher per capita utilization of existing roads, less per capita new road construction (asphalt), less per household maintenance and snow plowing, etc.
Garfield County is in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan, which provides a vision for how we want the county to evolve over the next 20 years ( now to 2030), and serves as a guide for land use and rezoning to achieve that vision.
In the first two rounds of community meetings, there has been strong support, county-wide, for encouraging new growth to occur in and near existing communities in relatively compact patterns.
This potentially represents a significant change in policies and procedures in how the county manages land use. If this is truly the will of Garfield County residents (city dwellers are also county residents), it will take strong community support to accomplish.
To make your voice heard, whatever your position, we encourage you to attend the next round of public meetings in early April, and in the meantime to visit the comprehensive plan website at www.garfieldcomprehensiveplan2030.com.
For more information, contact Tamra Allen, Planner, Garfield County Building and Planning Department: 970-945-8212, tallen@garfield-county.com
Save the date: The Compelling Case for Natural Gas Vehicles
Tuesday, May 18
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Crowne Plaza Hotel at DIA, 15500 E. 40th Ave., Denver
Fee: $55 through May 13; $65 late registration
Register: http://www.cleanvehicle.org/workshop/Denver.shtml
Lodging at group rate at Crowne Plaza, $119:
call by April 17 to book at this rate, (303) 371-9494
This one-day workshop for owners of public and private sector fleets covers natural gas vehicles on the market, best applications for the job, info on tax incentives and grants, economics of an NGV program, fueling stations, and advice from operators of NGV fleets. Workshop ends with a tour of a nearby CNG facility.
Event flyer with topic summary | Preliminary agenda
IN THE NEWS
Aspen Times, Jan. 29, 2010
Pitkin County joins City of Aspen in adopting stiffer energy code
By Janet Urquhart
ASPEN — A new, stricter energy code in Pitkin County will bump up the requirements for energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings and, for the first time, force commercial construction to comply with a ground-breaking energy program that has long been in place for residential developments.
Pitkin County commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code; the Aspen City Council adopted the code last spring.
Read the whole story
New York Times, Jan. 22, 2010
Past decade warmest on record, NASA data shows
By John M. Broder
The decade ending in 2009 was the warmest on record, new surface temperature figures released Thursday by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration show.
The agency also found that 2009 was the second warmest year since 1880, when modern temperature measurement began. The warmest year was 2005. The other hottest recorded years have all occurred since 1998, NASA said.
James E. Hansen, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said that global temperatures varied because of changes in ocean heating and cooling cycles. “When we average temperature over 5 or 10 years to minimize that variability,” said Dr. Hansen, one of the world’s leading climatologists, “we find global warming is continuing unabated.”
Read the whole story
CLEAN ENERGY BITS ‘N BOBS
CORE, the Community Office for Resource Efficiency, with offices in Aspen and Carbondale, has just posted its 2009 Year in Review, written by Nathan Ratledge, CORE’s director. Rebates, reusable bags and the Energy Smart Loan Program campaign were the year’s highlights. More info.
Brad Plantz of Sopris Realty in Glenwood Springs has earned the National Association of Realtors Green Designation. Check out Brad’s EcoSource services at www.SoprisRealty.com.
Locavores will be pleased to learn that a meat packing facility is once again operating in Garfield County. Out West Meat & Processing is now open at 216 West 2nd St. in downtown Rifle. The processing and packing plant will handle locally raised beef, mutton and wild game. Contact Out West at (970) 625-4134.
Marianne Virgili, a founding board member of CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region, was honored for her 25 years of service at the helm of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association during the chamber’s annual ball on Jan. 30. Read all about it.
The rural electric co-op Delta-Montrose Electric Association announced that it will resign its membership in the Colorado Rural Electric Association (CREA), effective April 30. At issue is CREA’s opposition to legislation that would move the electric power industry toward clean energy. Read the DMEA statement.
Phillips County in northeastern Colorado has won a $2.5 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to develop a community-owned 30 megawatt wind project. Long-term goals are for a 650 megawatt wind farm in Phillips and neighboring Sedgwick and Logan counties, and a community ownership model that can be shared nationwide.
Piper Foster’s latest dispatch from Germany shares the results of an energy efficiency program in 150 schools in Berlin. The 50/50 program teams students, custodians and an energy auditor to find inexpensive ways to save energy. If the school can cut its energy use by 10 percent or more, the savings is split 50-50 between the students and the school district. Schools are saving E600,000 per year ($813,000).
50/50 website (in German, but surprisingly understandable)
Piper Foster’s 50/50 blog post
Rocky Mountain Institute has spun off a new nonprofit, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency. After holding an online election, the Council elected 16 members to its board of directors, including Mike Ogburn of El Jebel. Mike is a former RMI fellow who manages clean vehicle programs for CLEER and runs a consulting business, Energy Engineering.
Dan Becker, a home energy rater with Frostbusters & Coolth, found these interesting clean energy innovations while cruising the Internet:
- A new rigid insulation material
- A restaurant power plant
- A home built from a shipping container
- A way to get your teenager out of the shower
- A new pair of shoes