Energizer Newsletter
November 24, 2008
Volume 3, Issue 1
Extension Clean Energy Outreach
by Leigh Fortson
Extension Regional Communications Coordinator and REA (Renewable Energy Advocate)
CSU In the News
Ten years after attending CSU and working at CSU’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory, Tim Bauer, vice president of operations for Envirofit, was awarded $100,000 for project support from the Rolex Awards for Enterprise. Bauer was, along with nine other winners, selected for the international prize from among 1500 applicants in 127 countries, He was presented with the award in Dubai.
In 2003, Bauer and fellow CSU alum Nathan Lorenz along with professor’s Bryan Willson and Paul Hudnut formed Envirofit International, which continues to fund research-and-development work on Envirofit's cookstoves and two-stroke engines at the EECL.
Carbureted two-stroke engines are a major source of air pollution, powering 100 million motorcycles, scooters and three-wheelers in Southeast Asia alone. Each of these carbureted two-stroke engines produces the pollution output of approximately 50 modern automobiles, contributing the pollution-equivalent of approximately five billion automobiles. These engines represent one of the largest sources of vehicular emissions in the world.
CSU’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory partnered with Envirofit, a non-profit organization that uses a sustainable, enterprise models to solve global health and environmental problems. Together, they developed a direct fuel injection retrofit kit for two-stroke engines that reduces emissions by 70-90 percent while improving fuel efficiency 35-50%. In the end, they are saving over $700 per year for those who depend on the vehicles for their livelihoods.
Envirofit's commercial retrofits have already accumulated over 7 million kilometers of field usage, conserving over 225,000 liters of fuel and over 510 tons of carbon to date. Through fuel/oil savings, the retrofit kits have also enabled some of the poorest entrepreneurs in the world to increase their incomes by over $300,000. Envirofit plans to expand the retrofit business across SE Asia, with countries like Thailand, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka representing the next potential markets. Envirofit is seeking additional investors to develop new markets for its products.
According to 25x25
President-Elect Obama says the first priority of his new administration will be to reverse the economic downturn by creating a "new energy economy." A key element within that economy is the creation of five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future. Obama has also called for the manufacture, here in the United States, of 1 million plug-in hybrid cars that will be on the road by 2015. He also says 10 percent of the electricity generated in the United States should come from renewable sources by 2012, with 25 percent coming from renewables by 2025.
The 25x'25 recommendations that directly address the current economic issues are:
- the establishment of a mechanism to create a market for carbon;
- a change in the way utilities are regulated to give them a real incentive to aggressively pursue cost-effective energy efficiency;
- the expansion and extension of federal loans and loan guarantees for renewable energy production;
- the creation of incentives to accelerate the production and deployment of flex fuel and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles;
- and the modernization of the nation's power grid.
The alliance also calls for an increase in federal research, development and deployment funding to accelerate the commercial implementation of renewable energy technologies.
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The Department of the Interior (DOI) says it will make more than 190 million acres of federal land in 12 western states available for geothermal energy development. A DOI environmental impact statement identifies 118 million acres of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and 79 million acres of National Forest System lands that could be opened to future geothermal leasing, potentially leading to 5,540 megawatts (MW) of new geothermal power capacity by 2015. For more information, go to www.doi.gov/news/08_News_Releases/102208b.html.
The leaders of the American Wind Energy Association, Geothermal Energy Association, National Hydropower Association and Solar Energy Industries Association announced that the fast-growing renewable energy sector is poised to help lead the U.S. economic recovery with millions of new jobs and billions of private investment dollars.
To do that, industry leaders said that the new administration and Congress need to take action quickly to ensure that the renewable industries’ growth continues, given the current economic realities.
The industry officials called on the new president, once in office, to issue an executive order that would increase federal procurement of renewable energy generation to meet the government’s substantial energy supply needs. "By expanding the federal government's role in the purchase of renewable energy, it will save taxpayers millions of dollars, create new jobs and reduce the government's carbon footprint," said Rhone Resch, executive director of the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Other recommendations include a major initiative that would support investment in the U.S. interstate electrical grid infrastructure and smart-grid technology. The trade officials said that by upgrading the grid, green energy from areas with renewable resources could be more readily delivered to population centers, supporting distributed power generation. Swisher said a "lack of adequate transmission is the single largest restraint to renewable energy," and said that the group's recommendation of $60 billion for transmission improvements "is cheap relative to the value of savings that would be generated in energy costs."
For more information, go to www.seia.org/cs/news_detail?pressrelease.id=258
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Six leading ethanol producers, including POET LLC, a 25x'25 endorser, launched a new organization in Washington, DC, to publicize the benefits of ethanol and to counter claims from large food producers that ethanol production is to blame for rising food prices. The new advocacy group, Growth Energy, will be dedicated to promoting clean, green ethanol as America’s best renewable fuel that is high-tech and homegrown, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
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In a related story, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), a 25x'25 endorsing partner, says the current economic crisis for ethanol producers refutes the argument that ethanol production was responsible for record-high corn prices. While corn prices were dropping dramatically in August, ethanol production reached a record 647,000 barrels per day, a pace that would result in a record 9.9 billion gallons of ethanol production per year. And although rising grain prices were blamed for increased grocery costs, the RFA notes that retail food costs have not dropped as the grain prices have dropped.
"The fact that ethanol production is expanding and food prices are also on the increase while we have seen a continual decrease in corn prices since July means only one thing," said Bob Dickey, president of the National Corn Growers Association, another 25x'25 endorsing partner. "And that is that those who have accused corn growers and ethanol producers of taking food from the hungry were completely wrong."
For more information, go to renewablefuelsassociation.cmail2.com/e/568119/ewgl4l/. To download a copy of the RFA report, Click Here.
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And finally, the Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) has released two ethanol industry studies that it's calling "historic" in their endorsement of the biofuel.
One study, Global Warming Impact of Corn Ethanol, indicates that the global-warming impact of the modern ethanol plant is 40 percent lower than gasoline.
The other report, Ethanol's Potential Role In Meeting U.S. Energy Needs 2016 – 2030, by Ross Korves, suggests that sufficient amounts of corn will be available to increase ethanol production from the current level of 7.1 billion gallons last year to 33 billion gallons per year by 2030 using current technology. Korves is an economic policy analyst with ProExporter Network.
The study also documents the significant net energy benefits of ethanol when compared to gasoline, and factors in increased future demand for corn from both export and food sectors.
The two studies were prepared for the Illinois Corn Marketing Board. For more information and to access the two reports Click Here.
Governor’s Energy Office Update (www.colorado.gov/energy)
The GEO funds a range of projects related to renewable energy or sustainability in the areas of:
- Agriculture
- Technology
- Anaerobic digestion
- Biofuels
- Biomass
- Solar innovation
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Woody biomass for thermal use
- Geothermal
- Energy Star products
- Green government and green government fleets
- Special events
- And more
To get complete details, go to: www.colorado.gov/energy/resources/funding-opportunities.asp
NREL Creates Global Partnerships
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) announced on November 20th that they have signed an agreement that could accelerate the development and international commercialization of biofuels. The announcement was made at the International Biofuels Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“By bringing Brazilian expertise together with some of the leading U.S. biofuels researchers at NREL, we will increase our knowledge and be able to more quickly commercialize renewable biofuels in the global marketplace,” said NREL Director Dan E. Arvizu.
The agreement identifies four major areas of advanced biofuels research collaboration: biochemical production processes, thermochemical processes, economic and sustainability analysis from lignocellulosic biomass and evaluation of intermediate blends of ethanol and gasoline. For more information, go to www.nrel.gov
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NREL also signed an agreement with the Institute of Electrical Engineering, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, outlining how the two countries will share photovoltaic power-generating technologies.
One result of the agreement will be the construction of a sophisticated photovoltaic cell and module test center, likely in Beijing.
Western Governors Want Action
In a letter to President-elect Barack Obama, Western governors urged swift action in adopting and implementing a national energy plan and proposed a number of measures that would transform the country’s energy infrastructure and economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Governors Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Chairman of the Western Governors’ Association, and Brian Schweitzer, Vice Chairman, discussed the WGA’s bipartisan recommendations with John Podesta, co-chair of Obama transition team.
“The transformation we are talking about is broad based and will require new policies, incentives, market mechanisms and private-public partnerships to be in place by the end of next year,” Huntsman said. “We plan to work with the new Administration and Congress in addressing the multitude of energy challenges ahead.”
The governors’ recommendations include:
- Establishment of an aggressive and achievable national greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal that will put the United States on a path to contribute to global climate stabilization.
- A mandatory national system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that makes maximum use of market-based mechanisms. Revenue raised should not be used as a means of sustaining or expanding general governmental operations.
- A national energy efficiency program to reduce existing and future energy demand and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Establishment of an oil import reduction goal that strengthens energy security and independence. Since nearly 90 percent of oil is used for transportation, an energy plan must bring more fuel-efficient and near-zero emission vehicles into the market; increase the supply of domestically produced, low-carbon fuels; minimize the economic and technological uncertainties inherent in deploying high efficiency vehicles and developing and using non-petroleum transportation fuels; and reduce vehicle miles traveled and increase mass movement of people and goods.
- Affordability for lower income energy consumers through energy efficiency and cost assistance programs.
- Measures that support workforce development and clean energy jobs, adaptation to climate change impacts, reduced consumer impacts -- particularly for low-income consumers -- and transition assistance to industries.
Creation of a substantial, long-term national public investment on the scale of tens of billions of dollars annually will be needed, along with a similar investment from the private sector, to support the kind of basic and applied research and deployment of clean energy technology and infrastructure that will result in:
- Near-zero greenhouse gas emissions from new coal-fired electricity generation in 10 years and from existing generation no later than 2030.
- Dramatically increased energy from wind, solar, geothermal, hydro and biomass resources.
- Expansion and upgrade of the electricity transmission grid and storage capabilities.
- Advanced vehicle and battery technologies and alternative transportation fuels.
- Next generation energy efficiency technologies and practices.
A copy of the governors’ letter and additional information on WGA’s energy policies and programs can be found on the Web at www.westgov.org.
Clean Energy on the Rise
The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) announced the results of the 2007 Green-e Certified Energy Verification Report, which highlights Green-e Certified renewable energy sales in 2007. The report shows an almost 60 percent increase in total sales volume over the previous year, equivalent to nearly 16 million MWh of renewable energy generation. Nearly 2.7 million MWh were purchased or generated by companies participating in Green-e Marketplace, a significant increase over 2006 purchases of 114,000 MWh that demonstrates organizations' growing commitment to certified renewable energy.
Utility participation in Green-e Energy grew significantly in 2007, with certified utility sales reaching 1.2 million MWh in 2007, an 82% increase from 2006. This reflects a rise in certified residential and commercial purchases. Approximately 200,000 customers participated in green-pricing programs, with residential purchases increasing 58% over 2006. Commercial purchases were up 177% in the same period.
Wood Fired Boilers Put Clean Air Up In Smoke
At first glance, they look like outdoor sheds with smokestacks. But the idea of using an outdoor wood fired boiler as an alternative energy source is very attractive. The problem, however, is that the boilers, which are located outdoors and are separated from the home or building being heated, burn wood that can cause significant smoke in the neighborhoods where they are located.
Since last year, Colorado retailers have seen a surge in the purchase and installation of outdoor wood-fired boilers as an alternative to more traditional natural gas-fired furnaces and other devices as home heating sources.
One reason for the growing popularity of the boilers is the availability of inexpensive and/or free wood to stoke them - a result of the mountain pine beetle infestation in North-Central Colorado and from other forest restoration and wildfire mitigation activities occurring throughout the state.
Consumers do have options when considering an outdoor wood-fired boiler. While there are a number of boiler manufacturers, only a handful utilize cleaner-burning technology. Most of the boilers employ primitive combustion technology.
These boilers are subject to air pollution regulations and violators will be charged with a fine. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment urges residents to educate themselves regarding outdoor wood-fired boilers. Information is available on-line through sites such as www.woodheat.org and a variety of state-run sites.
Upcoming Events
ENERGY STAR Summit
December 1 & 2, 2008
Hyatt Regency -- Denver Tech Center
E-Star Colorado, ENERGY STAR and Comfort Air Distributing are proud to announce the third annual ENERGY STAR Summit, which brings together the best minds in the home building industry to discuss and educate home builders, contractors, architects, manufacturers, code officials, remodeling professionals, utilities, students and educators about the cutting edge designs and techniques for the construction of high performance homes. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Register or learn more at www.e-star.com/summit/
Investing in an ENERGY STAR New Home
December 10, 6pm - 8:30pm
Parker Town Hall, Pikes Peak conference room
Selling ENERGY STARtm Homes
December 10, The Home Builders Association of Metro Denver, 8am-12pm
For more information on either of these workshops, go to: www.e-star.com/calendar/view_event.asp?CalendarID=10598
Solar Energy International is sponsoring the following programs:
PV System Design for Engineers & Designers
Dec. 8 - 10, San Francisco, CA - A 3-day course on producing PV design documents. Taught by SEI alum Jack West of High Sun Engineering.
Platts 9th Annual Caribbean Energy Conference
January 29-30, 2009, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2nd Annual AEE Solar Dealer Conference
February 18-21, 2009, Mesa, Arizona
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