Carol Bruno, owner of Peppino’s Pizza in Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, has signed up her Carbondale restaurant for the Challenge. She’s hoping the energy audit and resulting energy efficiency upgrades will help her business “be more energy efficient, save a little money on the bottom line, and do the right thing.” Don Gillespie, building manager for Balcomb & Green in Glenwood Springs, said, “We thought it would be a good thing to take advantage of a free audit. This building is pretty old, and it was remodeled in 1973. We know we can get improvements in energy efficiency and save some money. It would be crazy to pass up this chance.” Through the Challenge for Business, energy coaches will help businesses track energy use, get an onsite energy evaluation, work up an energy action plan that fits the goals and budget of the business, carry out priority energy improvements, and develop better energy management techniques. The coaches will also help businesses connect with contractors and make the most of utility rebates. A limited number of rebate boosters remain for Garfield County businesses. The booster of up to $5,000 will be stacked on top of existing rebate offers from natural gas and electric utilities to cover up to 80 percent of the cost of approved energy efficiency projects. The rebate boosters are being offered on a first-come basis, so businesses and commercial property owners are encouraged to apply now to take advantage of this offer. To apply, call 704-9200 or visit www.GarfieldCleanEnergy.org. The Garfield Clean Energy Challenge is a project of the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative, a countywide collaboration of nine local governments. Project management and energy coaching services are provided by CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region. Rebate booster funding is provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment under an arrangement facilitated by the Governor's Energy Office and Garfield County, and by the U.S. Department of Energy using funds allocated for Garfield County from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. In the news Sopris Sun, June 10, 2010 Taking a closer look saves dollars and energy
|
.jpg)
A dozen businesses from Battlement Mesa to Carbondale have already signed up for the Garfield Clean Energy Challenge for Business, taking advantage of free Energy Coach services and a rebate booster.
Town of Carbondale Utility Supervisor Ralph Bryant stands near an energy-intensive, 75-horsepower blower that the utility staff was able to take offline at the wastewater plant as part of ongoing improvements. |
The wastewater treatment plant, the single largest energy consumer in the town government’s portfolio, had already cut its energy use by about 30 percent thanks to changes implemented about five years ago. Now Carbondale Utility Director Mark O’Meara and Utility Supervisor Ralph Bryant are tightening the energy use screws in hopes of cutting energy use by at least another 10 percent.
This focused attention on the plant’s operations is expected to boost overall plant efficiency enough that the town can drop its plans for a $15 million plant expansion. Instead, the town is spending about $1.4 million on improvements that have high payback potential in energy savings. The funding includes a $500,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
In addition to saving energy, the ongoing improvements at the wastewater plant have saved staff time and reduced the use of processed water. Town officials say the process has improved the quality of effluent going back into Roaring Fork River, so that a cleaner energy solution is also resulting in cleaner water.
Interval meter tracks energy use
Plant operators can track the plant’s electrical use on a daily basis now that an interval metering system is in place. Installed in September 2009, the interval meter sends a signal every 15 minutes via phone line to Automated Energy Inc. in Oklahoma City. The interval data then is retrieved by New Energy Technology (NET) in Grand Junction and fed into a website.
Plant operators can log on to the site, read the previous day’s interval data graphs and monitor the plant’s electric usage. The interval data, O’Meara said, “will show where we have aberrations in operations. Say a pump is cycling too much, it will show that.”
NET also posts the plant’s utility bills using EnergyCAP, an energy accounting software program. The energy tracking work by NET is funded in part by the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative.
Energy audit targets plant upgrades
Carbondale Wastewater Treatment Plant Electricity Natural gas Total utility
|
Earlier in 2009, Schmueser Gordon Meyer engineers (SGM) in Glenwood Springs conducted a comprehensive energy audit of the treatment plant. Originally SGM was called in to consult on a plant expansion. Instead, SGM engineers recommended a package of efficiency improvements.
The plant upgrades include:
- Installing a new air diffusion system in the digesters
- Replacing low-efficiency blower motors with high-efficiency motors
- Rebuilding motors and pumps
- Rerouting processes
- Incorporating automation at key locations
“It takes a lot of energy to put in a new building, and we would have been utilizing added equipment to run the additional process,” said O’Meara. Instead, he said, “We are reconditioning the plant, similar to rebuilding an old car, and reusing a lot of parts.”
O’Meara and Bryant have also focused on education and awareness for plant operators, creating a team approach to the energy-saving goal.
Plant improvements set a new baseline for energy use
O’Meara said he is excited to see what happens over the next few months as the plant operators use the interval data and the EnergyCAP database to implement more changes suggested in the energy audit.
“If the operation is more efficient, the energy use will be more efficient,” O’Meara said. “The work that we are doing during the next three months will re-establish the baseline for energy use.”
He noted that the current budget crunch is “causing people to take another look” at what they can do cut costs in utility and industrial operations.
The EnergyCAP database information is also being evaluated by mechanical engineer Mike Ogburn, who works in energy tracking for Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER) in Carbondale, the nonprofit that is managing the programs and services of the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative.
Ogburn said one of the biggest challenges in helping towns meet their energy efficiency goals is having accurate, current data to analyze.
“Towns around the region have adopted goals to save energy and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but measuring progress toward those goals is difficult and often not put in place as part of the energy reduction plan. Very few communities have the systems in place to track progress toward those goals,” Ogburn explained.
“Now with both the EnergyCAP monthly database and daily interval data recording, the Carbondale wastewater plant team will be able to refine their processes from day to day. They’ll be able to continue meeting water quality requirements while driving down energy costs,” he said.
City of Rifle to pursue efficient fleet policy
Local governments make gains in vehicle fleet efficiency
By Suzie Romig
Clean Energy Economy News
Buying a hybrid vehicle may be a great step, but local fleet managers are learning there is a lot more to running an efficient fleet than buying a Prius. Forward-thinking fleet managers are now going the extra mile to operate fleets more efficiently, such as setting up a motor pool, buying more efficient vehicles, downsizing their fleets and restricting idling.
Clean energy fleet vehicles on display at the Fleets workshop in February. |
“Throughout the government fleets in the region, I've noticed that fleet managers are moving beyond buying large fleets of large vehicles and are now starting to adopt hybrids, E85-capable vehicles, small pickup trucks, and even moving toward compressed natural gas bi-fuel vehicles and electric vehicles," said Mike Ogburn, an engineer with the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative (G-NECI) clean vehicle technology program.
In early June, the Rifle City Council passed a resolution in support of developing an efficient fleet policy. Mike Braaten, Rifle’s government affairs and energy coordinator, said the formal policy should ready by November. Braaten believes the city policy will largely draw from a comprehensive efficient fleets policy compiled by CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region, which is managing the programs and services of the G-NECI.
Local government and business fleet managers can download this example policy, Efficient Fleets: Adopting a comprehensive fleet policy for cost efficiency, fuel efficiency and fuel diversity, at www.garfieldcleanenergy.org > Transportation > Example fleet policies. Similar fleet policies have produced positive results for such entities as Colorado state government, which reduced fuel consumption by 11 percent in fiscal year 2008-09 compared to 2006-07.
Some of the Efficient Fleets guidelines include:
- Limiting the use of 4x4 vehicles
- Using life-cycle costs in planning vehicle purchases
- Eliminating non-critical trips
- Matching duty requirements of staff to the smallest vehicle possible
Agencies are encouraged to use cars or minivans instead of SUVs for moving people, and to only use 4x4 trucks and SUVs for off-road jobs or bad weather. Rather than permanently assigning vehicles to employees, a motor pool policy allows workers to choose the right vehicle for a job or trip.
Experts say the first and most important step is to track vehicle fuel use and miles to establish a baseline from which to make future maintenance, purchase and use decisions.
“Fleet managers are often surprised when they see exactly how many miles are being traveled by each of their vehicles. With this data, they can learn where savings opportunities might be,” Ogburn noted.
Braaten said Rifle employees are tracking mileage and gasoline consumption of city vehicles, and have:
- Established an informal motor pool
- Reassigned the city’s Prius from the building department to long-distance trips
- Changed the water department vehicle to a two-wheel drive instead of a four-wheel drive
“Historically we looked at worst case scenario and bought vehicles,” Braaten explained. “That worse case scenario (such as snow removal) may be five to seven days a year, so economically it does not make sense to buy that way.”
Rifle officials plan to purchase three electric vehicles by the end of the year from a dealership in Aspen, Glenwood Springs or Grand Junction. Planned purchases of all-electric vehicles include a small truck for the parks department, a small car for administration errands and a van for animal control. The shared city and library parking structure now under construction on 2nd Street will include five parking spots equipped to charge plug-in electric vehicles.
The city also installed large flat screen monitors to use for Web conferencing to reduce vehicle miles traveled to meetings around the state. One long-distance Web meeting with a consultant “pays for the monitor in one shot,” Braaten said.
Other local governments taking steps forward in fleet efficiency
Ellie Kennedy, assistant public works director for the Town of Carbondale, said the town government is taking similar steps: tracking vehicle use, using a plug-in electric service truck, and attempting to use the best vehicle for the day. The town has an informal motor pool so employees can borrow vehicles for special uses, such as using the recreation department van when several staffers need to travel to the same distant meeting.
Deb Fiscus, office manager for the Road and Bridge Department at Garfield County, tracks usage stats for some 200 county vehicles and heavy equipment. The county’s fleet currently includes 43 Ford Escape and three Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles. And to take advantage of a compressed natural gas fueling station to be built soon in Rifle, the county has ordered six bi-fuel vehicles that will be equipped to use compressed natural gas and gasoline.
In this tough economy, some local governments have a wish list for newer, more fuel efficient or alternative fuel vehicles, but budget crunches put that on hold. However, there are many ways to save fuel with existing vehicles, such as regularly checking tire pressure and educating employees about fuel-efficient driving.
“It is a common misconception that you must buy new vehicles to save fuel,” Ogburn said. “Driving the most efficient vehicles you own whenever possible and replacing worn tires with new fuel-efficient tires are just two of many fleet management practices proven to work in Colorado and across the country.”
More info about fleet efficiency solutions
Residents of Crystal Meadows Senior Housing in Carbondale gathered Friday along with community leaders, funders and solar installers to celebrate the completion of the combined solar hot water and solar electric systems at the housing complex. The systems are expected to meet about 15 percent of the complex's electrical needs and to provide about 80 percent of the domestic hot water needs of 15 units in the complex.
Back row, from left, Cathy Tuttle, Betsy Rosolack, Dorothy Doyle, Jerilyn Nieslanik, Grace Sparhawk, Rowen Dietz, Rob Morey, Rusty Burtard, Alyce Perry, Ella Ausum, Stacey Bernot, Marcia Provost, Audrey Blanton, Lorraine Lamoureux, Jason Haber and Matthew Hamilton.
Front row, from left, Mike Ogburn, Tony Hernandez, Erica Sparhawk, John Hoffmann, Dotty Brock, Betty Henderson, Frosty Merriott, Alice Laird, Joani Matranga, Patrick Johnson, Jeff Dickinson, Sue Bacon, Bentley Henderson and Scott Ely.
Solar electric and hot water systems installed
at Crystal Meadows Senior Housing in Carbondale
Carbondale seniors, community leaders and clean energy advocates celebrated the grand opening of a combined solar electric and solar hot water project at Carbondale’s Crystal Meadows Senior Housing on Friday.
Two Carbondale solar companies installed the systems for a total of $86,929. Sunsense Solar installed the 29.5-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system, which is mounted on the roofs of three buildings throughout the senior housing complex. Solar Flair installed the seven-panel solar thermal system on the roofs of five buildings in the newer Phase V section of the complex, which were pre-plumbed for solar thermal systems.
The roof arrays are expected to provide 15 percent of the entire senior housing complex’s electrical needs and an estimated 80 percent of the domestic hot water for 15 units.
Above: Patrick Johnson, left, owner of Solar Flair, explains the inner workings of the solar hot water system installed at Crystal Meadows Senior Housing in Carbondale to Tony Hernandez, director of the Colorado Division of Local Government. Solar collector panels on the roof of the building were heating water to 140 degrees on Friday, when people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the solar hot water and electric systems. Below: Key players in the installation of solar hot water and electric systems at Crystal Meadows Senior Housing in Carbondale celebrate the completion of the project. From left, Joani Matranga of the Governor's Energy Office, Scott Ely of Sunsense Solar, Jeff Dickinson of the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative (G-NECI), Patrick Johnson of Solar Flair, Alice Laird of CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region, Tony Hernandez of the Colorado Division of Local Government, and Mike Ogburn and Rob Morey of G-NECI.
|
“We at senior housing are proud and gratified to see how much interest our seniors have shown at our new solar electric and solar hot water systems,” said Jerilyn Nieslanik, director of Carbondale Senior Housing Corp. “Through lots of hard work, we have been able to get grants to get these installations and become part of the great solar initiative that America is undertaking. The savings that we gain on these solar projects can further enhance our residents’ way of life at Crystal Meadows.”
The installations were jointly funded by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs through the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative (G-NECI), by grants from the Aspen Skiing Co. Environment Foundation and from CORE, the Community Office for Resource Efficiency, and by renewable energy rebates and credits from Xcel Energy.
“This site was chosen as an example to try to lower the ongoing operating costs of affordable housing that serves seniors, and as an example of the partnerships required to make a successful project possible,” said Rob Morey, project manager for G-NECI and a staff member of CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region, the nonprofit organization that is managing the programs and services of G-NECI.
“CLEER worked to leverage the original DOLA grant funding with multiple additional sources to create a more comprehensive project that included hot water and PV, and the project would not have been possible without these partnerships,” Morey said.
“This project has been on the drawing board for a couple years, so it’s great to see the work get completed,” said Frosty Merriott, a Carbondale Trustee and the town of Carbondale representative to the G-NECI Advisory Board. “This is one of two renewable energy projects for Carbondale installed through the countywide Garfield Initiative, and it is part of a string of projects being installed in every community, all the way to Parachute.”
“The Environment Foundation is excited to support projects that demonstrate Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley’s commitment to renewable energy. This project reduces costs to those living in senior housing, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Matthew Hamilton, executive director of the Aspen Skiing Co. Environment Foundation. The Foundation contributed $10,000 for the project.
"CORE was happy to support the Senior Housing solar installations due to their visibility, community component and energy savings. Hopefully, this project will encourage other housing complexes to pursue solar installations as well,” said Nathan Ratledge, director of CORE, which provided a $25,000 Green Key grant for the project.
Tony Hernandez, director of the Colorado Division of Local Government, praised the partners for their effort to make the clean energy projects come to life and for their creativity in combining solar hot water and electric systems in one project.
In the news
Glenwood Springs Post Independent, July 10, 2010
Carbondale senior housing latest to receive solar works
Sopris Sun, July 15, 2010
New solar installations up and running at Senior Housing
Clean Energy Collective breaks ground
on nation's first community-owned solar garden
State Sen. Gail Schwartz lauds new era of accessible, affordable clean energy
The Clean Energy Collective and its utility, government and community partners celebrated the groundbreaking of the Mid-Valley Community Solar Array in El Jebel on June 17. The 80-kilowatt array is the Collective’s first community-owned solar array and the first of its kind in the nation. Panel ownership is being offered to all customers of Holy Cross Energy.
Clean energy advocates gathered for the groundbreaking of the 80-kilowatt Mid-Valley Community Solar Farm on June 17, 2010, in El Jebel, Colorado. |
On hand to celebrate and take ceremonial digs with two bright green shovels were State Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, Holy Cross Energy CEO Del Worley, Holy Cross board president Hal Clark and board member Dave Munk, Basalt Mayor Leroy Duroux, Carbondale Trustee Frosty Merriott, Mid-Valley Metro District board member Nick Looper, Jason Haber of CORE and Alice Laird of CLEER. Andy Lietz and Jeff Lauckhart, both of Sunsense Solar, also attended on behalf of their company, which is handling the installation.
The El Jebel array is being built on land leased to the Collective by the Mid-Valley Metro District. It sits hidden from view just north of the park at Blue Lake.
The array is the first of several community-owned solar array sites for CEC, with others in the works for Holy Cross Energy customers at Rifle, Eagle and Snowmass Village. The Collective created the country’s first model to allow a community to collectively own a clean energy facility, whether it's powered by solar, wind, biomass or micro hydro, and directly reap the benefits.
“Colorado is leading the nation when it comes to attracting industry, attracting innovation, and attracting technology. This is one of the most important parts of it,” said Sen. Schwartz. “We actually have mechanisms now to make renewable energy affordable to all households.”
Holy Cross Energy CEO Del Worley was enthusiastic about the potential for locally-generated renewable energy. “It’s great to get local renewable energy off the ground, and this is one more arrow in our quiver for Holy Cross to meet its goal of 20 percent renewable energy by 2015,” he said.
Holy Cross's residential and commercial customers can reserve panels in the solar array for the net price of $3.15/watt. Holy Cross will then credit the customers’ utility bills directly each month at $.11/kWh, based on actual monthly production and how much solar the customer owns in the array.
“We are extremely thankful to our partner Holy Cross Energy for its commitment to clean energies and collaborating with us on this innovative initiative,” said Paul Spencer, founder of the Clean Energy Collective and its CEO.
In the news
SolarDaily.com, June 30, 2010
First Community-Owned Solar Garden in the Nation
Pressure builds on federal agency
to lift roadblock to clean energy financing
The state of California filed suit last week against the Federal Housing Finance Agency over its action blocking property-assessed clean energy financing, also called PACE, and a New York congressman is calling on the agency's acting director to work with stakeholders or step down.
Since early May, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has staked out a position that prevents Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-chartered mortgage finance companies that it oversees, from issuing or backing mortgages to homeowners who have used PACE financing for energy efficiency upgrades.
In a nutshell, PACE financing allows home owners to use government funds to make clean energy upgrades to their property and repay the money as an annual assessment on their property tax bill over a 15-to-20-year period. The obligation stays with the property when it changes hands, and energy savings are usually enough to offset the annual assessment.
PACE uses the traditional tax assessment model that has been used in communities across the country for decades to finance neighborhood upgrades such as sidewalks, sewer lines and undergrounding utilities.
The FHFA objects to PACE because the assessments are placed as a first lien on the property, ahead of the mortgage, so the assessment would take priority over the mortgage if the homeowner defaults.
PACE was pioneered in California and Boulder County, Colorado, and is now authorized in 23 states. It's been strongly endorsed by the Obama administration, which had directed more than $150 million in Recovery Act funds to capitalize PACE programs across the country. California leaders contend that the assessment model is ideal for public benefits such as meeting community goals for reducing energy demand and increasing generation of renewable energy.
On July 14, California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the state's Democratic candidate for governor, filed suit in U.S. District Court, contending that the FHFA "mischaracterized PACE funding as loans rather than assessments," bringing California's widespread PACE programs to a halt and threatening millions of dollars in stimulus money aimed at funding PACE programs in the state.
The day before, Congressman Steve Israel, D-New York, and 14 other members of congress called on FHFA's acting director Edward DeMarco to start working out a solution or step down from his post.
“PACE programs have been expanding rapidly because they allow homeowners the chance to save money on their utility bills by making energy efficiency retrofits affordable. The FHFA must come to the table and work with the communities that have implemented these successful programs, and find a solution so that PACE programs can continue and move forward with Recovery Act funded pilot programs. Thus far the FHFA has been unwilling to work with us. If the acting director of the FHFA won’t help us seek solutions, then he needs to resign,” said Rep. Israel in a July 13 press release.
Israel is also working with U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., on legislation explicitly directing the FHFA not to block PACE from moving forward, the Apollo Alliance reported.
On Long Island, New York, the town of Babylon is also threatening to sue the FHFA over its PACE policy.
The town of Babylon, New York, has vowed to continue its PACE program, despite pressure from federal agencies, according to the Apollo Alliance. More than 500 homeowners in Babylon have participated in the program. Babylon leaders joined with more than 50 local workers at a rally on Tuesday, July 13, to announce that the town plans to sue the Federal Housing Finance Agency. |
"In the wake of the draconian declaration of Fannie & Freddie last week, Babylon refuses to go along with this job killer," said Stevbe Bellone, town supervisor. "We are not going to abandon what could be the single most effective source of jobs creation in the nation – the retrofitting of America’s existing building stock."
In Colorado, Boulder County launched a successful PACE program in 2009 that helped more than 600 property owners pay for nearly $10 million in energy-related property upgrades such as air sealing and insulation, new windows and doors, high-efficiency furnaces and boilers, and solar electric and hot water systems.
Seeing Boulder's success, voters in Eagle, Pitkin and Gunnison counties approved bond issues in 2009 to fund PACE programs for their counties.
And a statewide bill passed this year, sponsored by state Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, sets up an $800 million PACE financing authority for residential property owners across Colorado. The Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative Advisory Board has unanimously recommended that Garfield County opt-in to the statewide authority as soon as possible.
However, those programs are all on hold, as are dozens of programs in California and across the country, while PACE advocates in state and local government work to convince the FHFA that PACE financing is acceptable.
Further reading and references:
Industry Letter, Freddie Mac, May 5, 2010
Statement on Certain Energy Retrofit Loan Programs, Federal Housing Finance Agency, July 6, 2010
Letter to FHFA, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, May 17, 2010
State of California lawsuit, complaint, July 14, 2010 (32 pgs, 1.1 MB)
In the news
Aspen Times, July 19, 2010
Energy loans tied up in nationwide fight
By Janet Urquhart
Sacramento Bee, July 16, 2010
Viewpoints: Fannie and Freddie put brakes on local clean-energy financing
By San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders
Los Angeles Times, July 14, 2010
California seeks to lift federal block on energy-saver program
By Tiffany Hsu
New York Times Green Blog, July 14, 2010
Fannie and Freddie are sued in California
By Todd Woody
GRIST, July 3, 2010
Obama admin unable to resolve shutdown of PACE clean-energy program
By Jonathan Hiskes
New York Times, July 3, 2010
Loan Giants Opt to Block Energy Programs
By Todd Woody
New York Times Green Blog, July 2, 2010
Analysis: Energy Lien Is Little Threat to Loan Giants
By Todd Woody
GEO wins $1 million for weatherization job training
The Colorado Governor’s Energy Office was awarded nearly $1 million in federal stimulus money to expand and improve job training for weatherization professionals – the people who install insulation, replace doors and windows, and air seal buildings and ductwork.
Weatherization of homes reduces energy consumption, helps families save money on their energy bills and makes homes safer and more comfortable.
The grant funds -- $963,130 to be exact -- will be used to establish certificate programs to be offered at Red Rocks Community College and Pueblo Community College. Weatherization training will use online, classroom and field teaching, with a goal of training 460 Colorado workers in various aspects of weatherization.
"Weatherization helps families save money and reduce their energy consumption," said Gov. Bill Ritter. "This grant will help build our workforce to meet the increased demands for energy efficient services. The growth of the weatherization program shows that Colorado's New Energy Economy is growing strong and helping our economy recover quicker and stronger."
Colorado’s training program will be one of 34 in 27 states to receive a share of $29 million in DOE funding. It will support expansion of eight existing weatherization training centers and open 26 new training centers, more than tripling the number of DOE-funded weatherization training centers nationally.
"A well-trained workforce will be a crucial part of America's clean energy economy in the years ahead," said Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman. "These investments in efficiency training programs will help build a foundation for long-term growth in America. Energy efficiency improves the competitiveness of our economy, benefits the environment, and puts Americans back to work."
The GEO has been using Recovery Act funds to significantly ramp up work to assist low-income households by weatherizing homes and making them more energy efficient. The work lowers energy bills for those who most need the help, creates jobs, conserves energy and reduces pollution.
GEO hits weatherization milestone with other leading states
In related news, GEO’s weatherization program for Colorado is among the first 13 in the country to win approval from the U.S. Department of Energy to receive its entire $79.5 million award from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Colorado is ahead of most other states in providing free weatherization improvements in the homes of thousands of low-income individuals and families across Colorado.
DOE awarded the Recovery Act funds to states over a three-year period, but set aside half the funding until the states hit at least 30 percent of their production goals and met monitoring and inspection requirements.
Colorado has hit those federal program goals and can now tap the remainder of its grant award. More importantly, the Recovery Act funds spent to date have yielded tangible results: weatherization of nearly 3,400 single and multi-family homes, and the creation of 150 news jobs and preservation of 250 existing jobs.
The GEO’s Weatherization Program has set a goal of serving 6,000 homes in the coming year with Recovery Act funding.
To learn more about the Governor’s Energy Office Weatherization Program visit rechargecolorado.com or call the Recharge Colorado call center at 1-800-462-0184.
GEO teams with Holy Cross Energy
to quantify benefits of rooftop solar, small hydro
Partners join to assess the economic value for utilities and ratepayers
of linking on-site solar photovoltaic and small hydro systems into power grid
The Governor's Energy Office (GEO) will join with Holy Cross Energy and two other local utilities -- Fort Collins Light and Power and the San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative -- to study the economic benefits and impacts of tying rooftop solar energy and small hydropower operations into utility electrical grids.
The study will, for the first time in Colorado, attempt to quantify the costs and benefits associated with distributed generation of renewable energy for municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives. Typically, adding locally produced clean energy using sun, water or wind, called distributed generation, can benefit utilities by reducing or delaying the need to build costly new utility-scale power plants and transmission lines. Distributed generation can also reduce the need to purchase more costly electricity from other sources during times of peak use.
This study, to be led by the established consulting firm R.W. Beck, will "investigate fully the operational, economic and societal impacts of distributed solar photovoltaic and small hydro on existing and future electric systems," according to the firm. The work is intended to "provide GEO and the utility partners with well-supported and factual basis to determine the impacts from distributed resources to the New Energy Economy."
The study compliments legislation passed in Colorado this year, HB10-1001, which requires the state's investor-owned utilities generate 30 percent of their electricity from renewable power, with a sizable component of 3 percent coming from distributed systems, such as rooftop solar and small hydropower projects.
"We're excited to work with our rural and municipal utility partners in northern, southern and western Colorado to understand more clearly how distributed generation can benefit their operations, and their ratepayers," said Matt Futch, the GEO's utilities program manager.
"Our cooperative is located in one of the best areas of the state for solar power generation. Yet, we don't have a good way to quantify the implications of implementing solar and hydro power at a level beyond PV on homes," said San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative CEO John Villyard. "We look forward to this project as a way to provide valuable information from a much larger perspective and to help us understand the long-term and big-picture cost aspects of solar and hydro power generation in our communities and our Valley."
R.W. Beck has undertaken a similar study on behalf of Arizona Public Service, which also sought quantification of the benefits of distributed solar generation on its operations. The Arizona study was recognized as an influential, objective report with findings accepted by a broad group of stakeholders inside and outside the renewable energy industry.
Existing Holy Cross election policy mirrors House Bill 1098
Minor revisions to co-op’s election policy ensure full compliance
with new state legislation
Only minor revisions were necessary to bring Holy Cross Energy’s existing election policy into full compliance with new state legislation, REA Electric Cooperative Board of Director Elections.
Bill sponsor State Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, wanted to bring “basic openness and transparency to REA elections and meetings,” a philosophy that Holy Cross Energy, continues to embrace and refine through corporate policy.
The new legislative requirements of House Bill 10-1098 include:
- Access to board meetings
- Availability of meeting minutes
- Information posting protocols on the Holy Cross website
- Third party oversight on ballots
- Written policy governing director elections
These requirements have essentially been complied with for years, starting with a voting and election policy first adopted in 2004, according to Steve Casey, member services administrator for Holy Cross Energy.
To fine-tune its policy to meet the new legislative requirements, the seven-member Holy Cross Energy board of directors unanimously adopted a revised corporate policy statement covering voting and elections at their June 16 meeting. The policy creates general guidelines governing the voting process board members, which are “intended to ensure the fairness, impartiality, confidentiality and integrity of the voting process.”
Holy Cross has posted the new legislation and its corporate policy on its website. Go to www.HolyCross.com > About Us > Board of Directors > Corporate Policy Statement C-24.
In related news, voting results for Holy Cross board candidates and the proposed bylaw change are available on the Holy Cross Energy website. Go to www.HolyCross.com > News & Events > Board of Director Election Results.
Roaring Fork teachers learn solar skills,
become energy champions
Above, Grace Tennant, PEAK Coordinator for Glenwood Springs Middle School, and fellow students in the Renewable Energy for Educators 201 class display the solar suitcases they built to provide power in remote areas. Tennant is second from right. The SEI instructors are Hal Aronson, third from left in back row, and Soozie Lindbloom, at far right in front row. Below, Cora Carballeira, Carbondale Middle School science teacher, at right, wires a solar panel into an electrical circuit during a Renewable Energy for Educators 101 class at Solar Energy International in Carbondale. Photos courtesy Solar Energy International.
|
G-NECI scholarship helps two teachers attend Solar Energy Int'l summer classes
Two Roaring Fork School district teachers attended Renewable Energy for Educators classes at Solar Energy International in June, thanks to scholarships awarded by the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative (G-NECI).
“These teachers will be able to take skills back to their classrooms and schools and increase understanding of important energy concepts,” said Alice Laird, director of CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region, the nonprofit organization delivering the programs and services of the G-NECI.
“Through the G-NECI scholarships, we want to cultivate connections between classroom learning and our ENERGY STAR schools program, which provides opportunities for students to get practical experience saving energy -- and help their school at the same time," Laird said.
Grace Tennant, PEAK Coordinator at Glenwood Springs Middle School, attended the 201-level class. Students in that class built six solar suitcases, which are self-contained, portable energy plants that are used as emergency power supplies for lamps, radios and cell phone chargers. Some of the suitcases will be sent to Haiti to help earthquake survivors.
Cora Carballeira, science teacher at Carbondale Middle School, attended the 101-level class. She and other teachers attending the class built solar ovens, model wind turbines, and learned how to wire solar panels into an electrical circuit (shown in photo at right).
“In addition to learning quite a bit about renewable energy myself, I have many, many ideas for ways to integrate renewable energy education into the standards that I need to teach in science and math. It was truly refreshing to have a few days to swap ideas with educators from such diverse backgrounds,” Carballeira said after taking the class.
A total of 29 educators attended the two classes this year, according to Solar Energy International’s program coordinator, Noah Davis.
“Within these workshops, we strive not only to show how our Solar In the Schools outreach program teaches youth, but also to create a fertile, open environment in which teachers can grow their own ideas -- and the idea garden really bloomed this year,” Davis said.
“Many lucky students across the nation will benefit from the renewable energy knowledge, materials, resources and passion that these teachers bring back to their classrooms,” Davis added.
In the news
Sopris Sun, July 8, 2010
Local teaches how to save lives with solar power in a suitcase
By Chris Van Leuven
KDNK-FM public radio
A solar class that teaches the teachers
By Marilyn Gleason
Colorado Geological Survey maps geothermal hotspots
The Colorado Geological Survey has published two new maps of Colorado’s geothermal resources which may one day be used to help the state diversify its renewable energy generation portfolio.
One of the maps shows the state’s geothermal gradient, or the rate at which temperature increases underground. The second plots the location of inactive or abandoned oil and gas wells located near promising geothermal resources, wells which might be repurposed for electrical generation.
“Most of Colorado has temperature gradients that are higher than average for the earth’s crust, but we now have a map that shows us specific areas where temperatures are much higher than average,” said Matt Sares, deputy director of the Geological Survey.
Several other western states produce electricity from geothermal power plants, the top two states being California and Nevada. Colorado does not yet have a geothermal plant, though the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has begun the process of leasing federal lands for geothermal development.
The new map of Colorado’s geothermal hotspots was compiled using geothermal data from several sources including past Colorado Geological Survey publications, national and global heat flow databases, and oil and gas well data.
It identifies several areas of high geothermal potential in mountainous areas of Colorado, including Mt. Princeton and Poncha Springs in Chaffee County, Waunita Hot Springs in eastern Gunnison County and much of the San Luis Valley. Other areas lie in or near Trinidad, Pagosa Springs, Rico, Ouray, Somerset, Cañon City and North Park, Sares said.
The second map identifies inactive oil and gas wells located in promising geothermal areas, which could potentially be re-entered and deepened to access commercially promising geothermal resources.
“The Raton Basin near Trinidad and the San Juan Basin near Durango jump out as favorable areas on this map,” said Paul Morgan, senior geothermal scientist at CGS. Other “temporarily abandoned” or “shut-in” well locations in the Denver Basin are also highlighted.
Funding for the compilation of data and production of the maps came from the Governor’s Energy Office to help develop renewable energy in Colorado.
“This work is truly a collaborative effort between our state agencies to develop the geologic data that will attract geothermal development in Colorado,” said Francisco Franco, GEO’s Renewable Energy Program senior associate.
The new maps, Interpretive Geothermal Gradient Map of Colorado and Oil and Gas Wells in Areas of Colorado with Superior Geothermal Properties are available in digital format only.
CD-ROMs containing the maps and associated databases can be purchased through the Colorado Geological Survey’s online bookstore.
TRAININGS
GEO webinar
Commissioning, Measurement and Verification 201
Tuesday, July 27
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Register
This webinar will outline the value of commissioning, measurement and verification for high performance buildings. On commissioning, the webinar will cover:
- Third party verification that commissioned building systems are operating as designed.
- Documentation of owner's project requirements.
- Confirmation that the design and construction meets the owner's project requirements.
On measurement and verification of building system performance, the webinar will cover:
- Turning the predicted energy savings into real performance.
- Solving problems with diagnostic feedback before they cause comfort headaches or maintenance and energy budget issues.
- Building on requirements in LEED, CO-CHPS, and ASHRAE 189 to give maintenance and facilities management staff the tools to proactively manage the building system.
.........................
GEO High Performance Building Program
High Performance Building Workshop 101 & 102
Course now approved for LEED continuing education units
Thursday, July 29
Tour: Noon to 1 p.m.
Workshop: 1 to 5 p.m.
Steamboat Springs Community Center, 1605 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs
Free, advance registration required
Benefit from the free energy of leading architects and engineers as they illuminate high performance building in a workshop for planners, funders, designers, builders, operations and maintenance managers.
Representatives of the Governor's Energy Office (GEO) are touring the state to meet with individuals involved in all phases of achieving high performance building in their communities. The High Performance Building Program works through a collaborative process encompassing planning, funding, design, construction, operations and maintenance.
Agenda
- With the goal of creating energy champions across the state, the workshop will:
- Provide an overview of the High Performance Building Program, which includes public education, outreach and partner participation.
- Demonstrate how integrated design brings all stakeholders to the planning table.
- Offer strategies to maximize energy efficiency in your new construction projects.
- Feature examples and success stories from around Colorado.
- Identify funding opportunities.
- Strengthen your networking community.
Benefits
- Discover opportunities to partner with GEO’s High Performance Building team on your project.
- Learn about financial, social and environmental advantages of high performance building.
- Uncover resources available to projects with state-mandated LEED requirements.
- Network with other regional professionals who are implementing high performance building techniques within similar organizations.
- Get to know GEO representatives currently working in your area.
Who should attend
- Planners, funders, designers, builders, or operations and maintenance managers responsible for state-funded building projects.
.........................
Previous High Performance Building Program
webinar and workshop presentations available online
The following Governor’s Energy Office High Performance Building Program webinars and workshop PDF presentations are now available online for download.
Visit this page on the RechargeColorado website and scroll down to > Archives
Webinars:
- Daylighting 101 and 102
- ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guides
- High Performance Building Energy 101
- Operating & Maintaining a High Performance Building For Operators
- Choosing Your Renewables 201
- Tipping Point 201: How to Reach the Energy Savings Needed for Net Zero Buildings
- Evaporative Cooling 201
- Intro to GeoExchange and Ground-Source Systems 201
High Performance Building 101 and 201 Workshops:
- Pueblo
- Grand Junction
- Greeley
- Breckenridge
- Durango
Deep Energy: Major Renovations 201 Workshop
EVENTS
A screening of the film Tapped
Wednesday, July 21
7 p.m.
Battle Mountain High School, Eagle-Vail
Free
From the plastic production to the ocean currents where so many bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities that were the unwitting chips on the table.
Presented by the Eagle River Watershed Council
............................. back to top
Carbondale Green Drinks
Thursday, July 22
5 to 7 p.m.
Russets Restaurant, 225 Main St., Carbondale
Hosted by CLEER
............................. back to top
Crystal Valley Trail Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Friday, July 23
1:30 p.m.
Roaring Fork High School, 2270 Highway 133, Carbondale
Runners, cyclists, rollerbladers, skaters, longboarders, dog walkers, horseback riders, kite boarders, wheelchair drivers and birdwatchers are invited to attend this ribbon cutting. The event will include short speeches, refreshments, prizes, a bike bell giveaway with installation, trail maps, followed by a trail tour.
Sponsored by Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, Great Outdoors Colorado, Garfield County, Pitkin County, Colorado State Parks, Colorado Department of Transportation, Town of Carbondale and the Aspen Skiing Co.
............................. back to top
Aspen Institute Environment Forum
July 25 to 28
Aspen
Fee: $1,800 full pass, $550 for a day pass
The Aspen Institute and National Geographic host the Environment Forum, a gathering of experts, government and business leaders, writers and photographers, and other knowledgeable and committed voices to explore pressing energy and environment issues critical to the well-being of humans, animals, and our planet.
............................. back to top
The EverGreen Ball & Expo
Saturday, August 14
6 p.m.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa
Tickets: $150
The EverGreen Ball, a "green tie" soiree, is both a raucous party and a learning experience. This year's ball promises to leave you with a smile and new ways to think about our world.
Hosted by and benefitting the Eagle Valley Land Trust, The Eagle River Watershed Council and the Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability.
More info and registration or call (970) 748-7654
............................. back to top
American Renewable Energy Day
August 19 to 22
Aspen
National and international speakers along with renewable energy organization booths from all over the world.
More info
............................. back to top
8th annual Sustainable Settings Harvest Festival
Sunday, Aug. 22
3 to 8 p.m.
Sustainable Setting, 6107 Highway 133, Carbondale
Tickets: $125, reservations at 963-6107
Sustainable Settings will serve fire-roasted lamb, beef, yak, and veggies, plus side dishes made with their own eggs, milk and cream. They will be pouring local biodynamic wine and spirits, organic beer, and there will be dancing to live music.
More info
............................. back to top
2010 Green Building Summit and Expo
Thursday, Oct. 7
7:15 a.m. to noon
Inverness Hotel and Conference Center, Denver
Fee: $125, click here for advance registration
Hosted by the Colorado Real Estate Journal. Four hours of continuing education and USGBC credit available.
Clean Energy Bits ‘n Bobs
Photos by Erica Sparhawk, CLEER |
Work is complete on two of the four solar electric systems being installed in Parachute as part of the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative. Save the date for the grand opening of the Parachute Branch Library and its solar array (top, at right,) on Saturday, Sept. 11, and watch for a grand opening event to be held soon for the completely unique solar flowers now installed at the Parachute Rest Area (bottom, at right, with Rest Area volunteer Fern Stone). And the solar panels are up – but not yet connected - on Silt Town Hall, the first of three solar PV installations for Silt. Some of the town hall panels are hung off the south side of the building to create a solar awning to shade south side office windows, and town staffers are already noticing the difference. Both projects are being installed by Carbondale-based El Sol.
Habitat for Humanity Solar Day: On Saturday, July 17, the Sunsense Solar team from Carbondale installed a 3-kilowatt solar electric system on one of the three showcase ENERGY STAR homes being built in Rifle by Habitat for Humanity. The homes have already been built to be super energy efficiency using ENERGY STAR standards (rated as 61 percent more efficient than homes built to code), and now they will generate much of their expected electricity use using solar energy.
Solar installers were also on the ground during the day to answer questions from people who stopped by to view the project, after Habitat for Humanity and Sunsense issued a broad invitation to the community.
This is the fourth Habitat installation for Sunsense. The house at right also boasts solar panels on porch roof. Sunsense donated some of the equipment and all the labor for this project. The Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards rebate and contributions to Habitat for Humanity paid for the remaining costs. Members of the Sunsense team who volunteered their time for this installation are Andy Lietz, Dan Whitney, Isaac Ellis, Jeff Lauckhart, Mark Item, Scott Ely, Steve Haines and William Steindler.
A Delta County company, West Range Reclamation of Crawford, received a $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of a larger project in Western states to develop innovative renewable energy projects using woody biomass. West Range will buy a delimber-debarker for processing beetle-killed trees. The project has a direct side benefit of reducing hazardous fuels in forests hit by pine and spruce beetles. More info on the U.S. Forest Service Woody Biomass Utilization website, and read the USDA press release on the $4.2 million in woody biomass grant awards.
Growing U.S. supplies of natural gas will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electric power plants over the next several decades, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). An interim report concludes that highly efficient natural gas plants will replace older, inefficient coal plants. MIT estimated global recoverable natural gas at 16,200 trillion cubic feet, enough to last more than 160 years at current consumption rates. Assuming that industrialized countries and large emerging economies adopt greenhouse gas emissions limits, natural gas will largely displace coal to fuel power plants by 2050, according to the report. See the MIT press release and summary of findings, with a link to the interim report.
A new report, Land Use and Driving: The Role Compact Development Can Play in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, synthesizes the analysis and findings of three recent reports that connect the dots between development patterns, the amount of driving people do, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The report builds on Moving Cooler and Growing Cooler, both published by the Washington, D.C.–based Urban Land Institute, and Driving and the Built Environment, produced by the National Academy of Sciences’ Transportation Research Board.
Download the report (32 pgs, 1.5 MB)
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published another in its “Energy in Brief” series, How much of the world's electricity supply is generated from wind and who are the leading generators? Worldwide wind power generation topped 200 billion kilowatt hours in 2008, equal to the annual electricity consumption of over 18 million average U.S. households. Wind generation increased by about 25 percent from 2007 to 2008, and has more than tripled since 2003. This growth is mostly due to capacity increases in the United States, China, India, and Western Europe. Despite this growth, the world still generated less than 1 percent of its total electricity from wind power in 2008.
Read the entire article
Looking for a simple way to explain how greenhouse gases are causing global warming? In this video produced by the BBC,
Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock runs a simple experiment at the the Royal Institution’s
new Young Scientist Centre to demonstrate how increased carbon dioxide traps heat.