Clean Energy Economy News | Online edition

Aug 17, 2010 | Vol. 3, No. 8

In this issue

• Lighting, cooling upgrades cut The Pit Stop’s energy bills
• Efficiency upgrades equal comfort at Glenwood Sewing Center
• Garfield NECI proposes energy efficiency and economic development goals
• Grand opening celebrations for Parachute and Silt solar arrays
• Parachute’s completely unique I-70 Rest Area solar flowers
• CNG Conversions offers vehicle upgrades in Rifle
• New GEO report profiles Colorado's 65 electric and gas utilities
• Colorado Utilities Quiz
• CU issues report on how Colorado can deploy a smart electrical grid
• Trainings
  • 8/18: ENERGY STAR webinar for lodging owners
  • 8/18: Designed to earn ENERGY STAR
  • 8/20 to 9/2: GEO Air Sealing Technician Trainings, 6 venues
  • Ongoing: Solar Energy International workshops
  • Ongoing: Colorado Mountain College Green Building Academy
• Events
  • 8/18: Aspen Green Drinks
  • 8/19: Carbondale Green Drinks
  • 8/19-21: AREDAY, Aspen
  • 8/22: Sustainable Settings Harvest Potluck
  • 8/27: Grand Opening Parachute Rest Area Solar Flowers
  • 9/2: Grand Opening Silt solar arrays
  • 9/11: Grand Opening Parachute Branch Library & solar array
  • 9/18-19: Natural Building Conference, Gunnison
  • 10/2: Garfield County Solar Home Tour
  • 10/7: 2010 Green Building Summit and Expo, Denver
• In the news
• Clean Energy Bits ‘n Bobs

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Glenwood Springs CARD case study

Upgrades help The Pit Stop lower energy bills

By Suzie Romig
Clean Energy Economy News

On a toasty 91-degree afternoon outside, it’s cool, comfortable and relatively quiet inside the offices of The Pit Stop, a busy automotive service business in Glenwood Springs.

That was not the case last summer, when the offices were noisy from the use of four fans, a freestanding swamp cooler and a 15-year-old larger swamp cooler unit.

Now the office has one, energy-efficient indirect evaporative cooler. The programmable cooler installed in May keeps the indoor office temperature comfortably in the 70s, compared to temps in the 80s at last summer’s peak. Employees and office computers are working more productively now, and customers aren’t complaining about the heat.

“There is a night and day difference,” said The Pit Stop Vice President Steve Kyle. “It’s a more professional work space, by far.”

Better yet, the cooling upgrades and a variety of other efficiency projects done by The Pit Stop have yielded impressive savings on the company’s electric bills. In the first six months of 2010, the business saved $1,328 on electric bills compared to the same months in 2009.

After applying in 2009 to the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative CARD project, or Commercial Audit and Retrofit Demonstration, The Pit Stop was selected to receive a free energy audit and rebates totaling $6,558. The shop, which opened in 1983, was one of six businesses in Glenwood Springs chosen based on business variety and a high potential for energy savings.

The energy audit, done by Schmueser Gordon Meyer engineers of Glenwood Springs, resulted in a prioritized list of energy upgrades that focused on lighting, heating, cooling and auto service equipment. The cost of electric efficiency measures were offset by the CARD rebate; other measures that will lower natural gas use showed a short enough payback that Kyle pursued those too. In total, the business spent about $15,000 on efficiency upgrades.

Lighting changes were a key target. In the adjacent auto bays of the detail shop, the employees work under long rows of bright fluorescent lights. Inefficient T-12 ballasts were replaced with more efficient T-8 lighting. Lighting ballasts also were upgraded in the office and oil change bays.

Another suggestion from the audit, an energy-saving vending miser, was added to the soda machine so the cooling system does not run as much when the machine is not used. At $170, vending misers deliver an energy-savings payback in a year or less.

The audit also spotted leaky connections on the shop’s pneumatic lines. The Pit Stop’s automotive technicians repaired the lines so that compressors operating power equipment and running some functions in the car washes would not have to stay on as often. Kyle said the connections had started to leak gradually over time without anyone noticing, but now he notices the compressor running less often.

The audit also analyzed The Pit Stop’s heating systems, which use three boilers spread over the property. The oldest boiler -- circa 1987 -- was estimated to be operating at 35 percent efficiency.

The Pit Stop replaced the energy-hogging boiler, which heats the car wash bay floors, with a 90 percent efficient model. The company also replaced an old, leaky 200-gallon hot water tank with a better-insulated model that helps keep the boiler from coming on as often.

The upgrades cut the natural gas usage approximately in half for the first month, so Kyle hopes to upgrade the other two boilers one day.

And to help conserve heat in the detail auto bays during winter, The Pit Stop installed a man-sized door so that the workers will not have to raise and lower the large auto bay doors just to go in or out.

The boiler, hot water tank and man-sized door jobs didn’t benefit from a CARD rebate, Kyle said, but they made sense because the payback on energy savings will quickly recoup the investment costs.

Kyle suggests other local business owners order an energy audit and look into energy upgrades.

“It’s an interesting and beneficial process. It was very useful because there are some technologies out there that we didn’t even know existed,” Kyle said.

With the recession causing customers to stretch their auto tires, oil changes and maintenance further, Kyle has to watch his business budget too.“We have to be more and more efficient all the time,” he said.

Quick facts

• Costs for rebate-funded measures
  • Total retrofit cost: $12,035
  • CARD rebate: $6,558
  • Owner investment: $5,477
• Savings in first six months: $1,368
• Funded energy efficiency measures:
  • Office and work bay lighting, replace T12s with T8s: $8,575
  • Indirect evaporative cooler for office: $3,290
  • Vending Miser: $17
  • Repair air leak on pneumatic lines: $0, done in-house

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Glenwood Springs CARD case study

Efficiency upgrades = comfort at Glenwood Sewing Center

By Suzie Romig
Clean Energy Economy News

The recent energy efficiency upgrades at Glenwood Sewing Center have bought a breath of fresh air into the downtown store. Even before the comparative electrical bills are in to measure cost savings, customers and staff are enjoying cool, fresh air throughout the store.

Customers who walk in the west-facing front door on a hot summer afternoon are greeted with a cool breeze that is immediately refreshing, and students who attend a class in the store’s basement classroom enjoy clean, fresh air.

The basement classroom used to have a slightly musty smell that evoked the long history of the building, said Sandy Boyd, who owns Glenwood Sewing Center and the 123-year-old building at 822 Grand Ave. with her husband, Bob.

“We’ve never had fresh air to the basement. It was stuffy,” said Sandy Boyd. Nowadays, the brick-walled classroom is brighter and cooler, and it smells fresh. The sewing teachers and students are happier, and Boyd couldn’t be more pleased.

“The fresh air is huge,” Boyd said. “We all like having this source of fresh air and air conditioning in the basement. It doesn’t smell like an old basement any more.”

The change came as part of a package of energy-saving improvements that the Boyds commissioned for their store this past winter and spring. They were able to move forward with a variety of air sealing, lighting and air conditioning upgrades with help from the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative CARD project, or Commercial Audit and Retrofit Demonstration project. The Boyds completed $14,438 in work, done by local contractors, and received $8,197 in rebates.

The Boyds have operated the sewing business since 1977, and they knew when they purchased their current location in 1994 that the old building would have extra maintenance and energy-use issues. But the quaint building fits their needs well and is in a great location.

Sandy Boyd said they knew some of the needed improvements – such as eventually replacing the single-pane storefront windows and a circa 1905, formerly coal-fired boiler – but they didn’t really know where to begin. They needed help in establishing priorities for cost effective energy-efficiency improvements.

Through the CARD program, the store received a free energy audit by Schmueser Gordon Meyer Engineers in Glenwood Springs. Boyd said she was intrigued by the infrared thermal imaging done by auditors.

“We never would have had access to find out exactly where all the leaks were and which ones were the worst,” Boyd said. “These old buildings can just suck up money.”

One priority suggestion for cost savings and store comfort was to install a new evaporative cooler at the second-floor windowed hallway to deliver cool air to the front of the store and fresh air to the basement classroom area. A programmable thermostat added to the new cooling system’s efficiency.

The evaporative unit replaced a 20-year-old wall-mounted air conditioner that was in back of the first floor. The Boyds were happy to decommission the old unit for reasons beyond energy efficiency: it didn’t work all that well, and was once the access point for a burglar who pushed his way inside.

To help save on electricity and to improve the lighting quality, Nordsiek Electric replaced eight-foot lighting ballasts that were more than a half-century-old with new energy-efficient T-8 units. The T-8 bulbs also last longer and don’t visibly flicker like the older bulbs.

To prepare for winter and tighten up the leaky building, windows were caulked and aged window woodwork replaced. The antique freight elevator shaft was insulated, the rubber seal on the elevator door replaced, and the air seal on the alley door was tightened up.

Boyd encourages other business owners to order an energy audit to plan upgrades and to take time to look for the simpler things they can do each year to save on energy bills. For example, she replaced incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs and changed the exit light to a unit lit by LED bulbs.

“As people and business owners, we all gripe about our bills. We just don’t get around to acting on the things that could be done. Some things that you can do are really simple and not that expensive,” Boyd said.

Quick facts

• Costs for rebate-funded measures
  • Total retrofit cost: $14,439
  • CARD rebate: $8,197
  • Owner investment: $6,242
• Savings
  • (Too soon after improvements to collect comparative figures)
• Funded energy efficiency measures:
  • Ceiling lighting: replace T12s with T8s: $5,250
  • Replace incandescent floodlights with CFLs: $24
  • Replace exit light with LED-lit unit: $50
  • Air seal building: $1,180
  • Purchase and install efficient evaporative cooler: $7,935

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Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative
proposes countywide energy efficiency
and economic development goals

The Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative is merging the parallel goals of energy efficiency and economic development by circulating a resolution that sets energy goals for communities throughout Garfield County.

The Carbondale Board of Trustees unanimously approved the resolution on Aug. 3, and it will be presented to other local governing boards in the coming weeks. The Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative Advisory Board approved the resolution on July 14.

“Energy efficiency goes hand-in-hand with economic development,” said Shelley Kaup, chair of the Initiative Advisory Board. “As we work to improve the energy efficiency of government, commercial and residential facilities, it creates jobs for the local companies that make buildings more efficient and develop renewable energy. Long-term savings from these improvements help us to be more cost effective and energy independent.”

There are three targets within the “Energy Efficiency and Economic Development” resolution.

• The first target sets a countywide goal to increase energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption by 20 percent by 2020.
• The second target calls for reducing petroleum consumption by 25 percent by 2020.
• The third target sets a goal of 30 percent of our electricity to be generated from renewable energy sources by 2020.

All the percentage reduction goals start from a 2009 energy use baseline, which was carefully measured in the Initiative’s recently published 2009 Garfield Energy Inventory. The inventory revealed $219 million in total energy spending in Garfield County in 2009. Of that, $95 million was spent on electricity, natural gas and propane, and $124 million was spent on transportation fuels.

A 20 percent reduction in spending on electricity, natural gas and propane would mean $19 million in savings per year, while a 25 percent reduction in spending on transportation fuels would yield $24 million a year in savings across the county – a total of $43 million.

“Reaching the 20 and 25 percent targets over the coming 10 years sounds like a lot, but it really means just 2 to 2.5 percent per year,” said Mike Ogburn, lead author of the Garfield Energy Inventory and the energy tracking manager for CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region.

“As we save more and more on energy, more of that money stays in our communities. I’m sure we could all think of more appealing ways to spend 20 percent of our utility bills or 25 percent of our gas money,” Ogburn added.

Other community organizations are encouraged to adopt the resolution as well.
To download a copy of the resolution and get the resolution toolkit, visit www.GarfieldCleanEnergy.org > Government > Energy Goals Resolution

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Grand openings for solar arrays in Parachute and Silt

Events set for Aug. 27, Sept. 2 and Sept. 11

Grand opening events are set to celebrate the installation of 63 kilowatts of clean solar energy on seven public buildings in Parachute and Silt. The events will include comments from key players, tours of the facilities and refreshments, and everyone is invited at attend.

Parachute I-70 Rest Area Solar Flowers

Friday, Aug. 27
10 to 11 a.m.
Parachute I-70 Rest Area
This event will also be a celebration of the arrays installed at Parachute Town Hall and the Parachute Water Treatment Plant

Silt Town Hall and Senior Housing arrays

Thursday, Sept. 2
10 to 11 a.m.
Silt Town Hall, 231 N. 7th
This event will also be a celebration of the array installed at the Silt Wastewater Treatment Plant

Parachute Branch Library remodeling and solar array

Saturday, Sept. 11
10 a.m. to 2 p.m., comments at 10 a.m.
Parachute Branch Library, 244 Grand Valley Way
This event is hosted by the Garfield County Public Library District to celebrate the remodeled library and solar array

The seven solar installations are part of the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative, which is using a large part of its grant money from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to install solar arrays on public buildings and facilities from Parachute to Carbondale.

The towns of Parachute and Silt and the Garfield Public Library District are partners in the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative.

Susan Kirkpatrick, the executive director of DOLA, will be among the speakers at the Parachute Library grand opening event on Sept. 11.

Xcel Energy Solar*Rewards rebates are also helping to fund the arrays.

The Town of Parachute’s three solar projects include two conventional roof-mounted arrays on Town Hall and the Water Treatment Plant. The Town Hall array has 54 panels and the Water Plant array has 44 panels. Both will be capable of generating nearly 10 kilowatts of electricity, offsetting electric use in the buildings. The solar flowers at the I-70 Rest Area are completely unique, and more details about this installation are in the story below.

The Town of Silt’s three solar projects are roof-mounted arrays located on Town Hall, Silt Senior Housing and the Silt Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Town Hall array also features an awning mount for some of the panels, which are providing welcome shade on the building’s south side. All three arrays have 39 panels capable, and each system will be capable of generating 9 kilowatts of clean electricity.

The Parachute Branch Library array was installed as part of a larger remodeling project, which has doubled the size of the library to 9,000 square feet. As in Rifle, the library had to move to another location during the construction project, but will be moving back to the 244 Grand Valley Way address in early September.

Parachute’s new library includes a 1,250-square foot community meeting room, lots more natural lighting, an overall energy efficiency upgrade, better access to the drive-up book drop, wireless Internet throughout the building, and appealing landscaping. The solar array of 42 panels is mounted on the roof of the building, and will generate 9.6 kilowatts of electricity. The overall project cost about $2.7 million, and is a remarkable transformation for the library.

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Planting and cultivating Parachute’s
completely unique solar flowers

First-of-their-kind Parachute solar flowers blend clean energy, artful design
and structural engineering

The Town of Parachute jumped outside the conventional grid of rectangular solar panels with the installation of three completely unique solar flowers at the town’s I-70 Rest Area.

The flowers look like they just sprang up out of the small pots on a sunny spring day, in time to catch the sun’s rays and turn them into clean electricity. In fact, the flowers are the result of intensive engineering for weight, width and wind, followed by exacting metal fabrication of the flower stems, petals and the underground roots that will hold the flowers in place.

The three flowers are 17 feet tall at their center points, and 17 feet in diameter. The eight-petal flowers are made from 16 triangular solar panels, two panels per petal, and the flowers are tilted to 34 degrees to maximize solar power generation.

Each flower can generate about 1.2 kilowatts of electricity. The power they generate will offset lighting and electric heating in the rest area bathroom facility.

El Sol Solar, owned by Ed Cortez of Carbondale, installed all three arrays after winning a competitive bidding process. Pattillo Associates Engineers of Glenwood Springs engineered the solar flowers, and Garfield Steel and Machine of Rifle manufactured the flower framework.

Extra engineering was needed to make sure the solar flowers would stand up to the gusty winds that blow through Parachute, said Mic Baca, a professional engineer with Pattillo. Because they stick up in the air, the solar panels on the flowers will act like sails and exert strong forces on the 11-inch steel pipe that forms the stem of the flower. The goal was to make the flower structures rigid and ensure that they won’t vibrate or topple over, Baca said.

Although the steel flowers look like they are planted in concrete pots, they are actually anchored by huge concrete footings, 5’ by 11’ by 15 inches deep, buried a foot below ground level, Baca explained.

“It was a design challenge connecting this tall, slender wind sail into a concrete footing,” Baca said. “We had to come up with a special base detail, which Ed Cortez enclosed in the flower pot.”

At the grand opening on Aug. 27, the installation team will be present to give tours and explain this unique and special solar array design that is making its debut in Parachute.

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CNG Conversions offers vehicle upgrades in Rifle

CNG Conversions of Colorado, operating at Western Slope Trailer Sales in Rifle, is now offering certified vehicle conversion services to compressed natural gas (CNG). The service is being operated by Scott Robinson, owner of Western Slope Trailer Sales, in collaboration with Glenwood Springs Ford.

The new service, which converts several models of Ford cars and trucks to burn CNG, comes as Rocky Mountain Alternative Fueling and Swallow Oil are installing a public CNG fueling station at the Shell station on Highway 6 in Rifle.

“We couldn't be more proud to offer this cutting-edge service and help pave the way for a cleaner, greener Colorado,” said Brittany Beaudry, spokeswoman for CNG Conversions of Colorado. “With the new CNG filling stations arriving in the fall, we couldn't think of a better time to make this announcement.”

CNG Conversions is already working on three 2010 model Ford Fusions purchased by Garfield County, according to Bruce Klein, fleet sales manager for Glenwood Springs Ford. The passenger cars will be able to run on CNG or gasoline. The “bi-fuel” set-up allows drivers to use the cleaner, locally-produced natural gas fuel on most in-county trips, but switch to gasoline on the fly on longer trips when they can’t access another CNG fueling station.

Klein said the 3 cars will be ready to go later this week, and they can run on gasoline for the next few months until the CNG fueling station is ready.

CNG Conversions has already converted a 2008 model Ford pickup that was already in use in the Garfield County fleet, and its fuel mileage has nearly tripled, Klein said.

Garfield County has committed to placing six CNG-powered vehicles in its fleet this year, and another six in 2011. Commitments to switch to CNG-fueled cars and trucks have also come from the City of Rifle, Colorado Mountain College, Williams Production Co, Bill Barrett Corp. and EnCana, building the market demand that will make a CNG fueling station in Rifle viable.

Rocky Mountain Alternative Fueling is also planning to install a CNG fueling station in Parachute, likely by next year.

Substituting natural gas for petroleum brings environmental benefits. Powering vehicles with CNG compared to gasoline reduces greenhouse gas emissions 21 to 26 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Vehicles running on CNG also produce fewer emissions that contribute to ground-level ozone, a pollution problem in several regions of Colorado.

CNG Conversions of Colorado is located at Western Slope Trailer Sales, 3150 Airport Road in Rifle. For information, call 625-2624 or e-mail CNGconversionsofColorado@yahoo.com.

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New GEO report profiles Colorado's
65 electric and gas utilities

2010 Utilities Report brings together unprecedented level of data;
details power supply mix, energy efficiency incentives, customer breakdowns

The Governor's Energy Office has released the 2010 Colorado Utilities Report, a first-of-its kind document that gives Colorado residents an unprecedented level of detail about the state's 65 electric and gas utilities.

The report provides an in-depth description of the state's sprawling utility marketplace, and includes individual profiles of all 65 utilities, complete with a breakdown of their generation fuel mix, incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy, governance structure, customer split between residential, commercial and industrial, rate information and policy perspectives on climate change.

"The GEO is pleased to provide this report to the public, and we invite people to use it to learn more about Colorado's statewide utility picture, as well as access details about their own power provider," said GEO director Tom Plant. "The report brings greater transparency to this important and complex sector, and provides an educational tool to help residents better understand their utilities and learn about utility programs that can help them use less energy in their home or business."

The report provides an overview on how the state’s utility system has evolved to serve customer needs, and how utilities have responded to energy policies within the state. It explains the three main categories of electric utilities in the state - investor-owned, municipal and rural electric cooperatives - and offers information on gas utilities and wholesale power suppliers that play important roles in delivering power to these utilities.

Data for the report was gathered from a variety of sources, including utilities themselves, federal agencies, regulatory authorities and the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. Colorado's utility representatives also played a key role in supplying data to fill gaps and verify accuracy of data gathered. Navigant Consulting assisted in compiling the report on behalf of GEO.

The new utilities report adds to a series of GEO reports providing first-time compilations of information critical to understanding energy in Colorado and expanding the New Energy Economy.

Connecting Colorado's Renewable Resources to the Markets, issued in 2007, provided new details about the state's potential for utility-scale renewable energy. The Renewable Energy Development Infrastructure (REDI) report, published in 2009, outlined steps to bring more utility-scale renewable energy to market via high-voltage transmission. These reports provide the background data for clean energy development to ensure Colorado meets Gov. Bill Ritter's Climate Action Plan goals of reducing carbon emissions 20 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels.

View the report online: go to rechargecolorado.com and navigate to > Resource Library > Publications > scroll down to Reports and Industry Studies > 2010 Colorado Utilities Report.

Download the report (96 pgs, 6.6 MB)

To obtain hard copies of this report, contact the GEO's Carly Gilbert at carly.gilbert@state.co.us with your address and the number of reports you're requesting.

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Summer fun from the Clean Energy Economy News

Colorado Utilities Quiz

The 2010 Colorado Utilities Report just issued by the Governor’s Energy Office contains a broad range of information about utilities and energy. Test your knowledge of Colorado’s energy picture and plans for the future by taking this quiz. Click here for the answers.

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CU issues report on how to deploy a smart electrical grid

University of Colorado researchers have released a new report, Smart Grid Deployment in Colorado: Challenges and Opportunities. Commissioned by the Governor's Energy Office, the report provides detailed analysis and recommendations for a wide array of critical smart grid issues:

• Consumer privacy
• Grid architecture
• Energy storage
• Grid stability
• Inter-operability
• Cost recovery
• Retail rates
• Communications architecture
• Cyber security
• Electric transportation
• Carbon dioxide emissions privacy
• Workforce development
• Safety
• Emergency services
• Consumer behavior

The paper is intended to support the efforts of Colorado's newly convened Smart Grid Task Force, created by SB 180 passed earlier this year. The purpose of the task force is to examine and recommend management options to develop and implement a smart energy grid in Colorado.

Download the report here. (128 pgs, 3.3 MB)

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In the news

Extreme temperatures and weather pummel Northern Hemisphere

The New York Times, Aug. 14, 2010
In Weather Chaos, A Case for Global Warming
By Justin Gillis

NOAA press release, Aug. 13, 2010
Second Warmest July and Warmest Year-to-Date Global Temperature on Record

NOAA Satellite and Information Service
State of the Climate Global Analysis, July 2010

The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for July 2010 was the second warmest on record, behind 1998, at 61.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 1.19°F above the 20th Century average of 60.4°F.

The July worldwide land surface temperature was 1.85°F above the 20th Century average of 57.8°F, making July 2010 the warmest July on record.

The worldwide ocean surface temperature was 0.97°F above the 20th Century average of 61.5°F and the fifth warmest July on record. The warmth was most pronounced in the Atlantic Ocean.

For the year-to-date, the global combined land and ocean surface temperature of 58.1°F was the warmest January-to-July period on record. This value is 1.22°F above the 20th Century average.

Xcel Energy plans aggressive fuel conversion from coal to natural gas

Associated Press summary: Xcel Energy is proposing to spend $1.3 billion to convert coal-fired power plants to natural gas and close a plant to comply with a new Colorado law aimed at cutting pollution from power plants. Xcel Energy, Colorado's largest electric utility, said the plan will help meet statewide goals of reducing emissions of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury.

Denver Post, Friday, Aug. 14, 2010
Xcel lays out natural-gas conversion plan for metro area
Plants near Brush and Hayden would still burn coal
By Drew FitzGerald

Xcel Energy press release, Aug. 12, 2010
Xcel Energy recommends Clean Air Clean Jobs plan

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TRAININGS

Free ENERGY STAR training webinars for lodging owners and managers

Session 1: Benchmarking Your Hotel’s Energy Performance, held June 2

Session 2: Best Practices for Hotel Energy Management, held July 14

Session 3: Everyone on Board! Effective Communications to Promote Your Hotel’s Green Practices
Wednesday, Aug. 18, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Advance registration required

More info and view materials from past sessions

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Air Sealing Technician Training

One-day sessions being held around the state, hosted by the Governor's Energy Office and US Weatherizing

Montrose, Aug. 20
Monte Vista, Aug. 21
Frisco, Aug. 26
Steamboat Springs, Aug. 27
Denver, Aug. 31
Fort Morgan, Sept. 2

Fee: $68 includes materials and lunch

Advance registration required. Classes are limited to 10 students each

Download training flyer

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Ongoing: Solar Energy International workshops

For 20 years, SEI has been dedicated to providing hands-on and online solar training and renewable energy education. SEI also works with grassroots and development organizations to promote sustainability and improve quality of life worldwide through outreach programs. Ride the renewable energy wave with training onsite or online through SEI.

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Ongoing: Green Building Academy at Colorado Mountain College

Courses offered through the academy help prepare students to:

• Analyze the energy efficiency of existing buildings
• Use energy-efficiency analysis to recommend retrofit and remodeling options
• Design and complete projects
• Use energy, water and other resources efficiently
• Develop and build landscape and construction projects in line with sustainable practices
• Use building analysis science and technology to manage properties more efficiently
• Successfully complete required certification exams

The academy offers two certification tracks:

• Building science, to train envelope, heating and cooling professionals and building analysts
• Green professional certification, which helps students become certified green professionals

More info

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EVENTS

Aspen Green Drinks

Wednesday, Aug. 18
5 p.m.
Cruiser bike ride from Paepcke Park
5:30 to 7 p.m.
Green Drinks at Rowland and Broughton Architecture and Urban Design
117 S. Monarch, Aspen

Hosted by Aspen ZGreen

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Carbondale Green Drinks

Thursday, Aug. 19
5 to 7 p.m.
Mi Casita, on the covered patio
580 Main St., Carbondale

Hosted by CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region

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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

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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

Home-grown and home-made dinner, local biodynamic wine and spirits, organic beer, and dancing to live music.
More info

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Grand Opening Parachute Rest Area Solar Flowers

Friday, Aug. 27
10 to 11 a.m.
Parachute I-70 Rest Area

Hosted by the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative. Comments from key players, tours of the flowers, refreshments.
More info

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Grand Opening Silt solar arrays

Thursday, Sept. 2
10 to 11 a.m.
Silt Town Hall & Senior Housing
231 N. 7th St.

Hosted by the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative. Comments from key players, tours of the arrays, refreshments.
More info

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Grand Opening Parachute Branch Library & solar array

Saturday, Sept. 11
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Dedication ceremony at 10 a.m.
244 Grand Valley Way
Parachute

Hosted by the Garfield County Public Library District. Comments from key players, tours of the newly remodeled library and the solar array, refreshments.

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Natural Building Conference

Sept. 18 and 19
Western State College campus
Gunnison
Early registration: $100

Hosted by the Colorado Straw Bale Association. Discussions, presentations, home tours and hands-on workshops. Featured speakers include Laura Bartels, Randy Udall and David Eisenberg.
More info

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Garfield County 2010 Solar Home Tour

Saturday, Oct. 2
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Homes to tour in Rifle, Glenwood Springs and Carbondale
And tour the Clean Energy Collective array at Blue Lake

Hosted by the Roaring Fork Group of the Sierra Club and CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region
More info

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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.

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Clean Energy Bits 'n Bobs

The Garfield Re-2 School District posted a 3 minute video on YouTube featuring Steve Raffensberger, the school district’s facilities manager, talking about the energy savings the distirct has accomplished in recent months:

The latest new solar energy installation in the Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative is a 20 kilowatt installation on the roof of the Glenwood Springs Community Center. The bid has been awarded to Sunsense Solar of Carbondale.

Xcel Energy is now operating a first-of-its-kind hybrid solar and coal power plant, using parabolic-trough solar technology integrated with Xcel’s Cameo coal-fired power plant in De Beque Canyon near Grand Junction. The dual-fuel demonstration is expected to increase the plant’s efficiency, decrease the use of coal, test the commercial viability of concentrating solar power thermal integration, and lower carbon dioxide emissions. More info.

Congressman John Salazar reports that the U.S. House Appropriations Committee has approved a $24 million federal appropriation for RFTA’s Bus Rapid Transit project. The bill now awaits a vote on the House floor. If the bill wins final approval in Congress, it will be paired with $15 million in local match to build and equip the VelociRFTA bus service between Glenwood Springs and Aspen. It will be the nation’s first bus rapid transit project in a rural area.

The Aspen Chamber Resort Association is among a few dozen chambers around the country objecting to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s positions on climate and energy. Together they have formed a new coalition, Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, which will officially launch later this year. The new coalition was under wraps until July 30, when Aspen Daily News reporter Brent Gardner-Smith broke the story. Grist followed up with additional reporting on Aug. 3.

Berlin, Germany, is collecting household compost to run a 3 megawatt biogas power plant, according to Piper Foster of the Sopris Foundation, who is studying sustainability efforts in Europe. For more details about what she learned, check out Piper’s blog at www.soprisfoundationineurope.blogspot.com.

Our friends at Structural Associates are part of the team rebuilding the Fowler Hilliard Hut in the 10th Mountain Hut Association's system, using a variety of sustainable design and contraction techniques. The hut was destroyed by fire in September 2009; the rebuilding is on track for the hut to be open for the coming ski season. Structural Associates led an effort to use materials salvaged from nearby abandoned mines to rebuild the hut, and developed a rainwater and snowmelt capture system to provide fresh water for hut visitors. Check out the project's online showcase and photo gallery.

Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability is putting together the inaugural issue of the Vail Valley Green Guide, a local directory of green products and services and an educational resource packed with green tips, waste reduction information, and other resources for sustainable living. The Guide will give businesses a new outlet to communicate their green message to customers. The ad deadline is Aug. 20. For info, e-mail EVAS at greenguide@eaglevalleyalliance.org or call (970) 827-9999.

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Colorado Utilities Quiz answers

Here are the answers to the quiz. Each answer includes the page number in the Colorado Utilities Report where the information can be found.

Download the report (96 pgs, 6.6 MB)

1. No. 3, Colorado gets 57% of its electricity from coal. Page 3
2. No. 2, Colorado ranks 12th lowest for average monthly household use of electricity. Page 8
3. No. 3, average monthly household consumption of electricity in Colorado is 680 kWh. Page 8
4. No. 1, just 3% of utility customers in Colorado buy wind power. Page 9
5. No. 4, Xcel Energy is the largest generator of wind power nationwide. Page 11
6. No. 1, Ponnequin was the first commercial wind farm developed in Colorado. Page 11
7. No. 3, the Colorado Climate Action Plan targets a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Page 17
8. No. 1, Xcel Energy obtains 13% of its power from solar, wind and hydropower. Page 22
9. No. 2, Xcel Energy plans to hit its new 10 percent reduction target by 2017. Page 22
10. No. 4, Aspen Municipal Electric obtains 65% of its power from wind and hydropower. Page 24
11. No. 2, Glenwood Springs Electric obtains 19% of its power from wind and hydropower. Page 36
12. No. 1, Holy Cross Energy obtains 13% of its power from solar, wind and hydropower. Page 61

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