Energizer Newsletter
September 24, 2008
Volume 1, Issue 14
The Live Wire EmPowered E3 (Extension’s Energy Exchange)
by Leigh Fortson
Extension Regional Communications Coordinator and REA (Renewable Energy Advocate)
Extension Invited to NREL Wind Training
As mentioned in last month’s Live Wire Newsletter, collaboration between the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden and Extension services across the west, was starting to take form. Well, now the form is starting to take shape!
WindPowering America (WPA) is hosting a WPA-Extension wind training and planning meeting, to be held in the first half of November. Up to four Extension agents are invited to attend from each state. These representatives would come from areas where wind energy is a viable business option rather than from a part of the state where winds aren’t suitable for creating energy.
The event has two purposes. The first is a training that would give the participants an understanding of wind energy and wind energy applications. They will cover:
- wind energy physics
- estimating annual turbine output
- economics
- applications
- and more
WPA will tailor the content based upon the needs of the group. The objective for the training is for attendees to go back to their home state and expertly field wind energy questions from their communities. While at the training, agents can also consult with WPA on the more difficult issues.
The second purpose of the event is to define and plan the WPA-Extension Program collaboration. What challenges do the Extension Programs face? How can WPA best support the Extension program? For example, it has been requested that WPA host a series of webcasts on wind energy. These discussions will provide the framework for how WPA-Extension Program collaboration will function in the short, medium, and long term.
To minimize participant travel costs the tentative agenda is as follows:
Day 1
AM – Travel to Denver
PM – Meetings/sessions at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC)
Day 2
AM – Meetings/sessions at NWTC
PM – Return Home
If you are interested in attending, please email the following information to Tony Jimenez (tony_jimenez@nrel.gov):
- Your interest in attending this event.
- Your available dates. They are looking at the week of November 3rd or November 10th.
- Your desired training/discussion topics.
If you have questions or want more information, you can call Tony at 303-384-7027.
GEO Update (www.colorado.gov/energy)
The Governor’s Energy Office is offering Solar Rebate Program to homeowners wanting to install a solar electric or solar domestic hot water system on their home. GEO has provided matching grants to select program partners with the goal of developing local solar electric and solar domestic hot water system rebate programs. Program partners take part in either the Solar Electric or Solar Domestic Hot Water program and, in some cases, both.
- 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.
- Only residential, grid-tied, net metered systems are eligible.
- 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.
- The Solar Domestic Hot Water Program offers rebates of up to $3,000 per system ($1,500 from GEO and $1,500 from program partners) to qualified homeowners through their local partner.
- Only residential, domestic hot water systems are eligible. Space heating applications are not eligible.
- The Solar Domestic Hot Water Program is available statewide.
This is not a direct-to-homeowner rebate from the state. GEO has partnered with the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (CoSEIA) and local program partners to administer the program. If you are a homeowner, here's how you can participate:
- Review the program guidelines on CoSEIA's website.
- Determine if you reside in an eligible jurisdiction, and who your local program partner is. GEO has partnered with local Colorado partners to implement the Solar Rebate Program. See a list of participating jurisdictions on CoSEIA's website. Contact your local program partner to confirm your eligibility.
- Each program partner determines how they will administer the rebates. Once your eligibility is confirmed by your local program partner, they can assist you with their specific qualification process. For more info go to: www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/ResidentialSolarProgram.asp.
* * *
The GEO has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to identify innovative and viable concepts and models, commercial vendors, service providers, and other interested parties with whom the State might collaborate on improving the efficiency of the state fleet.
Governor Bill Ritter’s Greening Government Executive Orders require state agencies reduce volumetric petroleum consumption by 25 percent from 2005-06 levels by June 30, 2012.
If you have a good idea of how this goal can be accomplished, access the RFI at www.colorado.gov/energy/greening/transportation.asp
Why Community Wind Matters
According to Community Wind 101, a report issued by the National 25x'25 Alliance, Energy Foundation and Harvesting Clean Energy, community-based wind projects are an essential part of growing our wind industry. America is now the world’s leader in wind with billions of dollars in growth each year. That said, current policies favor large institutional investors of wind operations. Opening up wind power ownership to smaller investors, local lenders, farmers, ranchers, consumer-owned utilities, school districts, colleges, Native tribes and other citizens, the report says, will allow more people to enjoy the financial benefits of wind power while accelerating its growth.
Key findings of the report include:
- Wind power economic benefits from local ownership can be multiplied in the range of two to three times or more compared to standard development models.
- Community wind can play a pioneering role for all wind power and accelerate wind development by vastly diversifying the range of players who can invest.
- Smaller investors cannot fully access federal tax incentives vital to wind development. Broadening the usefulness of these incentives and/or targeting incentives to community wind would significantly expand local investment and ownership opportunities.
To learn more, access the report at www.25x25.org/statetoolkit.
Going Green Pays
The Center for American Progress commissioned the University of Massachusetts to prepare a report exploring the impact on job creation in a green economy, according to 25x25. The report "Green Recovery: A Program to Create Good Jobs and Start Building a Low-Carbon Economy," shows that the United States can create 2 million jobs over two years by investing in a rapid green economic recovery program. In addition to 2 million jobs, the $100 billion green economic recovery package, including tax credits, direct government spending and loan guarantees, would:
- Create nearly four times more jobs than spending the same amount of money within the oil industry and 300,000 more jobs than a similar amount of spending directed toward household consumption.
- Create roughly triple the number of good jobs—paying at least $16 dollars an hour—as spending the same amount of money within the oil industry.
- Reduce the unemployment rate to 4.4 percent from 5.7 percent (calculated within the framework of U.S. labor market conditions in July 2008).
- Bolster employment especially in construction and manufacturing. Construction employment has fallen from 8 million to 7.2 million jobs over the past two years due to the housing bubble collapse. The Green Recovery program can, at the least, bring back these lost 800,000 construction jobs.
For more information, and to access and download the report, which is accompanied by fact sheets showing the potential investment and new-job impact on each state, go to www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/09/green_recovery.html.
* * *
Solar Energy International cites yet another economic study with potential good news in the context of Green initiatives. The study was issued by Navigant Consulting, Inc., and shows that if Congress extends the solar investment tax credit for eight years, more than 1.2 million employment opportunities, including 440,000 permanent jobs, and $232 billion in new investments would be generated in the U.S. by the solar energy sector alone through 2016.
The study covers PV, Solar Water Heating, and Concentrating Solar Power. The analysis contrasts the solar industry’s growth prospects with and without an 8-year extension of the solar ITC. It also details the geographic distribution of these new jobs and estimates installations (over 28 GW cumulative installations by 2016. To learn more about the study, go to: www.seia.org/cs/news_detail?pressrelease.id=162
Denver International Airport Turns to the Sky
On August 19th, DIA turned to the sun for two megawatts of its power. The large solar photovoltaic installation takes up seven football field size fields, and is one of the largest solar projects at any airport in the world. The system will generate over three million kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean electricity annually, reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere by more than 6.3 million pounds each year. According to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, this is an example of what can result from Denver’s sustainability program. Greenprint Denver is a long-term, citywide initiative to promote the importance of sustainable development and ecologically-friendly practices throughout the community. To learn more, go to: www.greenprintdenver.org.
Green Reading for Smarter Building
"The Carbon-Free Home", written by Solar Energy International (SEI) instructor Rebeka Hren and her husband Stephen, is a guide for renovating existing homes. The book offers hands-on knowledge necessary to kick the fossil-fuel habit, with projects both small and large. For every aspect of life currently powered by fossil fuels, The Carbon-Free Home offers alternatives for using renewable and sustainable sources of power.
Looking for Bio-Money?
The Sun Grant Western Center (WC) has released an RFA for the 2009 U.S. Department of Transportation-Funded Competitive Grants Program. The grant money primarily funds biofuels and biomass projects. Letters of Intent are due October 15, 2008. Please visit the WC's website for RFA description and submission guidelines at sungrant.oregonstate.edu.
Upcoming Events
September 15
Colorado State University, with support from Governor’s Energy Office, is now offering a Green Homes Certificate Program. The program will consist of thirteen sessions on sustainable residential buildings with meetings on Mondays from 5:30 to 9:00 pm (plus one Saturday site visit).
The program runs from September 15 through December 15, 2008, and takes place at the CSU campus in Fort Collins. Visit the CSU website for more information or call 970-491-3260.
October 7
West Greeley Conservation District, in partnership with Weld County Extension, is sponsoring a Carbon Credit workshop at the Greeley Island Grove Regional Park 7:30 pm. The event will be presented by Agrigate Climate Credit Corporation and will answer questions about Carbon Credits, how to get involved with the market and where to begin. For more information call Joyce R. Wallace (970) 356-8097 Ext. 3, or Email her at joyce.wallace@wgcd.org.
October 14
Colorado’s New Energy Economy: The Path Forward – A Local Focus
Join with others to share local sustainable initiatives that are in place or about to be put in place across Colorado. They will showcase best practice models that power communities into an efficient renewable future. The conference has been designed to ensure maximum networking opportunities.
The conference is sponsored by the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO), the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), and the Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC). The state agencies are partnering with Colorado Counties Incorporated (CCI) the Colorado Municipal League (CML) and Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC) for the event which will be held at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.
The cost of registration is $125.00. For more information go to: www.colorado.gov/energy or www.energyoutreach.org/conf/index.htm
October 15
The GEO is sponsoring a Free Workshop on Local Government Energy & Environmental Sustainability 8 am -3 pm. Located at the GEO 1580 Logan Suite 100, Denver, Colorado. This is an invitation-only workshop for local government sustainability professionals. The workshop will help you find out about resources for developing and implementing local energy and environmental plans. They will also unveil their Workbook for Local Government Environmental Sustainability. To RSVP for this event, please email Susan.Innis@state.co.us.
October 15-16
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer will be the keynote speaker at Transition to a Bioeconomy: Environmental and Rural Development Impacts. The conference will be at the Hyatt Regency-Union Station, St. Louis, Mo. Secretary Schafer will address public policy challenges for the bioeconomy. Also featured on the program will be Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr. Conference program details, registration options and hotel information are available at the Farm Foundation Web site, www.farmfoundation.org. The conference is a collaboration of Farm Foundation, and USDA's Office of Energy Policy and New Uses, Rural Development, Economic Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Forest Service.
November 5-6th, Atlanta, Georgia
The Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Symposium 2008 will highlight the latest technologies and applications of green and energy efficient products and services. The two-day program will focus on industrial, manufacturing and facilities operations and will provide in-depth sessions on these topics, as well as numerous networking opportunities.
Learn Best Practices and New Opportunities in:
- Green Building Practices
- Corporate Sustainability
- Green Manufacturing
- Renewable Energy
- Energy Efficiency
- Financing for Green and Energy Efficient Projects
- How to Make Your Products and Services Green and Sustainable
Details about presentations and times are available online. www.greentechnewsmag.com/energy08_program.php.
You can also download the program in PDF format: www.greentechnewsmag.com/images/EESPreliminaryBrochure.pdf
For questions regarding the program, please contact Joanna Larez at joannal@infowebcom.com.
Solar Energy International
Sustainable Home Design Online
October 27 - December 5
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.
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