Energizer Newsletter
November 12, 2008
Volume 2, Issue 1
Extension Clean Energy Outreach
by Leigh Fortson
Extension Regional Communications Coordinator and REA (Renewable Energy Advocate)
New Name for Changing Times
After months of working on this newsletter, I decided to simplify and give it a new name in consort with the new times that we’re entering. It is now called Extension Clean Energy Outreach (ECEO). It’s a timely change because all indications point to a new era of energy independence and a broader commitment to clean and sustainable living in our communities. I say this in part because we’re getting more calls from people who want to learn how to save energy or tap into new, clean energy options. Also, more and more agents are requesting knowledge that they can pass on to their communities on these topics. Many of the people I’ve met in the renewable energy world agree that critical mass has finally hit, and with the incoming presidential administration, we’re bound to see some very positive advances.
Both presidential candidates talked about investing in clean energy. That, in itself was a good sign. With President-Elect Obama headed for the White House, those of us working toward a more energy independent and sustainable nation will look to him to stay true to his words:
“As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.”
Meanwhile, the tides of change are also hitting closer to home with the resignation of President Penley. As CSU’s leader for the past five years, he’s done wonders in putting us on the map as the nation’s leading Green University. He’s advocated the intelligent growth of green industries by offering courses at CSU that feed directly into those new professions through the School of Environmental Sustainability. He’s teamed up with the National Renewable Energy Lab, the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines to participate in the Renewable Energy Collaboratory. He’s appeared on national television promoting CSU as the cutting edge university for sustainable studies. And last month, he appointed Aaron Levi, formerly his chief of staff, as managing director of Climate Initiatives and Carbon Assets to manage the university's plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2020 and oversee other university-wide environmental efforts.
In short, President Penley has helped create a new agenda for both the academic world, and for our national culture. We’re grateful for all he’s done to promote clean energy research and practices, and we wish him the best in his future ventures.
CSU In the News
Newsweek magazine praised Colorado State as one of the nation's greenest universities, and the Chronicle of Higher Education featured CSU's Live Green Team - a group of students who led the sorting of recyclables for the Democratic National Convention, helping divert trash from the landfill. In September, Denmark and Spain recognized CSU's Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory with the 2008 Royal Award for Sustainable Technology Transfer.
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Dennis Kaan, Extension’s Golden Plains Area Director, penned “Wind Energy Development and Education in Northeastern Colorado” in Rural Connections, a publication of the Western Rural Development Center. In the article, Kaan refers to the economic impact of wind in the area, how Extension partnered with other entities to educate their communities on wind, and his perception of what’s next in the way of wind in his region. To read the article, go to: wrdc.usu.edu/files/uploads/Newsletter/RC_nov08/WindEnergyColorado_1108.pdf
Governor’s Energy Office Update (www.colorado.gov/energy)
The GEO awarded grants to four solar innovators around the state to promote new solar technologies and programs to benefit Colorado's homes and business.
The selected projects will help train Colorado's solar energy workforce, provide solar for low-income homes, promote solar programs to utilities for Demand Side Management programs, and create a solar utility co-op farm. All grant awards were contingent upon a 100% match from the applicant, allowing the GEO to directly leverage the GEO's $181,995 of Clean Energy Funds. The grantees are:
Red Rocks Community College: Develop a training program that will prepare students and professionals to sit for existing state and national solar photovoltaic and solar thermal certifications. The GEO granted $50,000. Contact: Paulann Doane, 303-914-6425 or paulann.doane@rrcc.edu.
Habitat for Humanity - Metro Denver: Develop and implement a solar installation pilot that would result in 11 new homes with photovoltaic systems solar, with the goal of including solar on all new homes by 2010. The GEO granted $42,000. Contact: Phillip C. Watkins, 303-534-2929 or chuck@habitatmetrodenver.org.
Millennium Energy, LLC: Develop a model based upon real system installation data for solar hot water heating installations for utility natural gas Demand Side Management programs. The GEO granted $49,995. Contact: Joseph D. Bourg, 303-526-2972 or jbourg@q.com.
NEO-West: Develop a report focusing on finance and development models for large, greater than 400 kW, photovoltaic solar projects. The program will focus on rural Colorado, working with Colorado's rural electric associations, and with consideration of local ownership or community opportunities. The GEO granted $40,000. Contact: Brad Haight, 303-623-3202 or bhaight@neo-west.com.
The GEO will offer a second Solar Innovation Grant cycle in early 2009. For more information visit the funding opportunities section of the GEO website, www.colorado.gov/energy.
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The GEO is looking to partner with local governments, non-profits, and utilities who will administer specific programs to homeowners. Interested Extension agents could get involved in the Renewable Energy Program - "Solar Rebate Program." The GEO is working with the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association to solicit new program partners to develop local residential solar hot water (SHW) or photovoltaic (PV) rebate programs. New categories have been added to the program including Small Business PV and Solar Hot Water, and an "Orphan" Solar Hot Water program to assist with assessments and repairs of old SHW systems.
Additional program information, including applications can be found at the Governor's Energy Office's website at www.colorado.gov/energy.
25x25 Guides Congress on Clean Energy Initiatives
According to 25x25, creating a renewable energy future supported by sound, enabling policies can create new jobs, strengthen the economy, improve national security and enhance our ability to address climate change challenges through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Energy Independence and Security Act adopted by Congress last year embraced the tenets of 25x25 as a national goal. 25x25 believes that the time has come to construct and pass a comprehensive, long-term energy plan that will accelerate the production of all forms of renewable energy, create new renewable energy markets and deepen our commitment to conservation of natural resources, sustainability and protection of the environment. 25x25’s overarching national energy plan recommendations are as follows:
- Ensure that the enabling policies that are adopted will result in the successful achievement of the 25 percent renewable energy by 2025 national goal.
- Create a market for carbon using a mechanism that values the role of agriculture and forestry in reducing and sequestering greenhouse gas emissions.
- Expand and extend federal loans and loan guarantees for renewable energy production.
- Pass long-term (6-8 years minimum) renewable energy and energy efficiency financial incentives including investment and production tax credits and Clean Renewable Energy Bonds.
- Provide incentives for utilities to aggressively pursue cost-effective energy efficiency.
- Expand and fund federal soil and water conservation programs to ensure the sustainable production of food, feed, fiber and fuel.
- Create incentives to accelerate the production and deployment of flex flue and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
- Modernize and improve access to the grid, build new transmission lines and remove siting impediments to facilitate the delivery of renewable electricity to markets and to improve transmission efficiency and reliability.
- Create and expand pipelines, rail lines, ports, pumps and other infrastructure needed to deliver renewable fuels and feedstocks to markets.
- Increase federal research development and deployment funding to accelerate the commercial deployment of next-generation biofuels; solar power; wind energy; geothermal energy; and hydropower; energy efficiency tools; carbon capture and storage and other renewable energy technologies.
Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Requires More Clean Energy
A 132-page decision written by the Colorado PUC established the framework for Xcel Energy to balance environmental, reliability and economic goals in supplying its customers’ electric needs through 2015. The document promotes energy savings, adds renewable energy resources, advances Colorado toward the governor’s carbon reduction goals, ensures an adequate supply of resources in the future; and aims at keeping consumers’ energy costs as low as possible.
The decision:
- Calls for energy savings of at least 1,744 GWh (energy) and 421 MW (demand) by 2015, via demand-side management (DSM) programs, the equivalent of two medium sized power plants.
- Adds a minimum of 200 MW (up to 600 MW) of developmental renewable energy resources with storage capability, such as concentrating solar power, and also approves up to an additional 850 MW of established intermittent renewable energy resources.
- Approves the closure of two, older coal-fired plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, citing substantial health and environmental benefits.
- Affirms that competitive bidding be used to acquire new generation, but allows the PUC to examine the benefits of portfolios containing a range of utility ownership options.
The complete decision may be viewed at: www.dora.state.co.us/puc/DocketsDecisions/decisions/2008/C08-0929_07A-447E.pdf
Facts & Figures
In late October, I attended the 2008 National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference in Denver. Titled A New Climate for Change, the conference was attended by about 300 people from all over the nation. Many of the attendees were looking to market their renewable energy product or service, and when introduced to the idea of using Extension agents to help them (if they were a non-profit or government agency), the response was nothing short of enthusiastic.
Here are some interesting points made throughout the week that heralds the coming of a new energy era:
- Non-residents bought more wind power in 2007 than residents. That means that despite early predictions that businesses wouldn’t buy into alternative power, they are doing it willingly, especially when they consider the long-term savings on their bill.
- The wind market has grown 29% on average annually over the past five years.
- It took 20 years to generate 10,000 megawatts of wind in the U.S. But it only took two years to double that amount from 2006 to 2008. We now generate 20,000 megawatts of wind each year. The best suppliers of wind (in order of output) are Texas, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Colorado.
- The US Department of Energy says that 20% of energy should come from renewable energy by 2030. To do that, we need to generate 300,000 megawatts in the grid, which means an annual increase of 16,000 megawatts per year. Furthermore, it needs to be affordable and easy to access. Infrastructure and transmission are currently our biggest obstacles.
- Several different speakers at the conference said, “We have the potential to be the Saudi Arabia of wind energy.” There’s enough wind here to produce enormous amounts of energy! To play it out, however, we’ll need $43 billion just for the wind technology. That’s 50 cents per household per month. Given that it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, reduces water use, would supply one half million jobs, and reduces natural gas consumption, many people would probably be happy to contribute.
- The barriers that keep us from delivering our abundant supplies of wind include:
- Transmission: It’ll cost about $60 billion nationwide to get an interstate infrastructure in place.
- Manufacturing: Although manufacturing is on the rise (there’s already one facility in Colorado, one in progress, and four slated for ’08), we’re still not producing enough hardware to meet the potential demand.
- Project sites: There are issues we still have to work out regarding wildlife, radar, noise and land use.
- 60% of home energy use is wasted on what’s called PHANTOM LOAD. That’s simply an appliance, such as a TV, computer, clock, cell phone charger, hair dryer, etc that is off but still plugged in. Unplug!
- What we teach our children will stick with them throughout their lives. Children of the depression still maintain the same practices they used during the depression.
- In these times of economic fears, it’s important to remember that the least amount of energy people use equals the least amount of money they will have to expend. Least cost energy = energy efficiency.
- 84% of American people say they will buy clean energy but only 3% do.
- We need to create voluntary reasons to be energy efficient rather than mandate them so that when the federal and state administrations change, the policies will be dropped. Rather, if they are voluntary, people will continue doing what they have learned to do. In other words, don’t let politics control the industry. That said, 35 states have created renewable energy portfolio standards (RPS) which are government policies regarding renewable energy mandates. That means half of the U.S. population is adhering to these new standards, which in effect, is changing the energy structure in U.S.
Agent News
The Downside:
Baca County Extension agent, Deborah Lester, reports that two of the big wind projects in Southeast Colorado have now been put on hold. General Electric was supplying parts for 80 turbines to go in east of Walsh, but the project has been halted. The second farm (closer to Pritchett) has also been put off indefinitely. Stock market losses are said to be the reason.
The Upside:
Gilpin County Extension Director, Irene Shonle, has better news. She says the new woody biomass facility at the County Road and Bridge building is saving far more money for the County than projected. That’s because the costs of natural gas keep rising, and because wood product prices keep dropping due to the pine beetle infestation. The facility is also helping to improve forest health. Irene worked with the Commissioners and Road and Bridge to get a new chipper which can process shorter (down to 4’) logs. This allows homeowners to get rid of their beetle infested wood, even if they don’t have heavy equipment or a trailer. The wood then gets chipped, which prevents the spread of the beetle, and the chips are a source of renewable energy. Homeowners have the option of getting paid for their wood, but most people just want to get rid of it This, of course, brings the cost of heating with the biomass even further down.
Irene was also at the NREL sponsored wind meeting and has this to report:
Extension Agents and Educators from Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Indiana met at the National Renewable Energy Wind Technology Center November 4 and 5 to learn more about small and large scale wind energy and to explore potential collaborative projects between Windpowering America and Extension. It was an exciting time, especially as we learned that wind power has the greatest potential to provide significant amounts of renewable power in the shortest time frame -- Windpowering America has a goal of creating 20% of the United State’s energy by 2030. We toured the facility, learned about different turbines, learned how to assess wind resources, and discussed some of the issues involved with landowners leasing land to utility-scale wind operations (including transmission).
In the end, it was decided that there was a great deal of potential in the collaboration. We laid out a series of action steps, including the creation of more brochures that will address small-scale (homeowner) wind issues, potential train-the-trainer meetings, creation of a booklet on issues to consider about leasing wind, and more. Between the training and the current and future resources on the Windpowering America website (www.windpoweringamerica.gov/index.asp), the agents in each of the states should be able to answer many of the basic questions about wind.
Dennis Kaan and Irene Shonle will be the point people for other agents in Colorado to ask wind questions (Dennis will be more involved with the Utility-scale wind, and Irene will be more involved with small scale wind). If we can’t answer the question, we have NREL and Windpowering America to back us up!
Upcoming Events
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.
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