Energizer Newsletter

July 9, 2008

Volume 1, Issue 10

Past Issues

The Live Wire EmPowered E3 (Extension’s Energy Exchange)

by Leigh Fortson
Extension Regional Communications Coordinator and REA (Renewable Energy Advocate)
Extension

An Idea Worth Repeating?

If you’re willing to pay the big bucks to go on a road trip this summer, take note of what’s growing on the side of the highway. Most likely you’ll see weeds, hearty grasses, perhaps some wildflowers. If you’re driving in Utah across Interstate 15, you’ll see some newly tended soil that the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has planted with biodiesel crops.

Growing safflower, canola and perennial flax

UDOT partnered with Utah State University Extension to experiment on growing safflower, canola and perennial flax that they will turn into biodiesel. Utah owns 5000 miles of roads and 100,000 acres of right-of-way that they figure could produce roughly 2.5 million gallons of biodiesel each year. That’s about 500 gallons per mile on a highway that has no other use (except for vehicles, of course). The idea is that they’ll create enough biodiesel to fuel their entire state fleet. If the first phases of the experiment work, they’ll consider constructing portable converters along the road so trucks can make pit stops along the highways themselves and fill up with the biodiesel grown under foot.

To see a news clip of the program, go to: www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1196168

Legislative Updates

Colorado House Bill 1270 has now lifted restrictions that prohibit people from sun-drying their clothes. Subdivision covenants, landlord prohibitions, and zoning laws throughout the United States—including Colorado—banned citizens from drying their clothes outside on a clothesline. No longer! It’s time to let it all hang out—in honor of conserving energy and easing the blow on the climate. According to Solar Energy International, six to ten percent of residential energy use goes toward running clothes dryers, and the average American uses more energy running a clothes dryer than the average African uses in a year for all her energy needs.

Clothes hanging on line

Your neighbor’s clean laundry isn’t all that will be blowing in the wind. HB 1270 also removes homeowner covenants restricting use of wind turbines, shade structures, shutters, attic fans, evaporative coolers, and energy efficient outdoor lighting devices. This is good new for those of us who want to save energy costs and ease the toll we take on the environment.

GEO Update (www.colorado.gov/energy)

The Governor’s Energy Office currently offers the Insulate Colorado Program in partnership with city and counties so homeowners wishing to make energy efficiency improvements to their existing homes now have financial incentives. Several local Colorado governments will partner with GEO to offer rebates directly to qualifying homeowners for the installation of insulation and air sealing measures through the Insulate Colorado program. The program provides a rebate to homeowners that insulate and air-seal their attics and exterior walls to the recommended R-Values presented in the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (2006 IECC). To see if your city or county has signed up as a partner, visit the GEO website.

* *

The GEO is also offering a Residential Solar Program to those who want to install a solar electric or solar domestic hot water system in their home. The GEO is giving matching grants to program partners to help develop solar rebate programs.

The Solar Electric Program offers rebates of up to $6,000 per system ($3,000 from GEO and $3,000 from program partners) to qualified homeowners through their local partner. People who apply will need to be residential, grid-tied, and have net metered systems. Solar Electric Program participants will be required to demonstrate that a residential energy audit has been performed on the home prior to system installation. The Solar Electric Program is not available in Investor-Owned Utility (Xcel Energy and Aquila Colorado) service territories. For more information, go to the GEO website.

* *

The GEO announced four partners selected for the Small Wind Incentive Program: Highline Electric Association, Sangre De Cristo Electric Association, Inc, Southeast Colorado Power Association, and the Town of Estes Park. This program was designed to respond to the growing interest in harnessing wind power to provide local, renewable power. Partners will administer and promote the incentive program to increase the number of wind turbine installations by homeowners and businesses. GEO will use $150,000 in Clean Energy Funds to support this initiative and each partner will contribute matching funds. To learn more, contact:

The Biofuel Debate

From the 25x25 Newsletter

A new report from New Energy Finance concludes that biofuels are responsible for at most 8 percent out of the 168 percent rise in grain prices since 2004, and for at most 17 percent out of the 136 percent rise in global food prices. As a proportion of the total rise in prices, biofuels can take the blame for less than five percent of the rise in grain prices and at most 12.5 percent of the rise in global food prices. The report concludes that population growth placed the greatest pressure on grain prices, and that growth was not matched by increases in yields. The increasing price of fossil fuels also caused 35.2 percent of the increase in grain prices. For more information on the New Energy Finance study, Click Here.

Fuel pump

Meanwhile, the DOE and USDA estimate that the United States would use an additional 7.2 billion gallons of gasoline in 2008 if there were no biofuels available. Ethanol production alone has moderated U.S. gasoline prices by an estimated 20-35 cents per gallon, saving a typical U.S. household as much as $300 per year. In addition, the price of food commodities has a limited impact on retail grocery costs in the United States, so ethanol and biodiesel consumption account for only about three to five percent of the increase in U.S. retail grocery prices over the past year and a half. These statistics were included in a letter sent earlier this month to Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, by Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Agriculture Secretary Edward Schafer. To read and download the secretaries' letter to Bingaman, Click Here. To see a related DOE fact sheet, go to: www.energy.gov/news/6335.htm

A Bipartisan Salute to the Sun

From Solar Energy Industries Association

A vast majority of Americans across all political parties support development and funding of solar energy, according to a poll commissioned by the Solar Energy Industries Association. According to the SCHOTT Solar Barometer Survey conducted by Kelton Research between May 29th and June 2nd, 91 percent of Republicans, 97 percent of Democrats and 98 percent of Independents agree that developing solar power is vital to the United States.

The survey also revealed that 77 percent of Americans feel that the development of solar power, and other renewable energy sources, should be a major priority of the federal government. Independent voters felt strongest about this, compared to voters in other political parties, with 86 percent of independents supporting the statement. When asked which one energy source they would support if they were U.S. president, 41 percent of Americans picked solar. Solar and wind together were favored nearly 20 times more than coal (3 percent). "These results are an undeniable signal to our elected leaders that Americans want job-creating solar power, now," said Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

solar

According to the survey, nearly three-quarters of Republicans (72 percent), Democrats (72 percent) and Independents (74 percent) favor an extension of the federal investment tax credits (ITC) as a way to encourage development of solar power and fund continued development of the technology. In contrast, only 8 percent of those polled believe the ITC should not be extended. Current federal legislation, which provides incentives to spur the growth of renewable energy, is set to expire at the end of the year. Several legislative attempts in Congress to extend the tax credits over the past year have so far been unsuccessful. Advocates say that without long-term renewal of the tax credits, 116,000 jobs in the solar and wind industries, and $19 billion in investment are at risk.

For more on the survey, go to www.seia.org/solarnews.php?id=184.

Of Interest

From the 25x25 Newsletter

World energy consumption is projected to grow by 50 percent between 2005 and 2030, driven by robust economic growth and expanding populations in the world's developing countries, according to an international outlook released this week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Average world oil prices in every year since 2003 have been higher than the average for the previous year and prices in 2007 were nearly double the 2003 prices in real terms, the EIA reports. Although liquid fuels are expected to remain the largest single source of energy through 2030, the liquids share of marketed world energy consumption are expected to decline from 37 percent in 2005 to 33 percent in 2030, the report says.

Sustained high prices for oil and natural gas encourage expanded use of renewable fuels, the EIA says. "Renewable energy sources are attractive for environmental reasons, especially in countries where reducing greenhouse gas emissions is of particular concern. Government policies and incentives to increase renewable energy sources for electricity generation are expected to encourage the development of renewable energy even when it cannot compete economically with fossil fuels" says the EIA.

Worldwide, the EIA says consumption of hydroelectricity and other renewable energy sources increases by 2.1 percent per year between 2005 and 2030. In contrast, world coal consumption increases by 2.0 percent per year; natural gas by 1.7 percent per year; nuclear by 1.5 percent per year; and liquids by 1.2 percent per year.

CSU Energy Website

To learn more about wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels, visit our energy website at: www.ext.colostate.edu/energy.

Furthermore

Go to hes.lbl.gov/hes/db/zip.shtml and you can do an online calculation of your own energy use and carbon footprint. It’s easy to use. Tell your communities about it.

To find out about solar panel installation programs or other educational opportunities on solar energy, go to: www.solarenergy.org/

Send me anything that’s newsworthy that you’re doing in the world of clean energy and renewables. We need to keep our colleagues up to date on what’s going on in Extension and the value of our role!

Leigh Fortson
Extension Regional Communications Coordinator and REA (Renewable Energy Advocate)
Colorado State University Extension
2764 Compasss Drive, Suite 232
Grand Junction, CO 81506-8746
(970) 241-3346, FAX (970) 241-3643
leigh.Fortson@ColoState.EDU

Updated Monday, August 29, 2011