Green Power

The giant Association of British Travel Agents is joining forces with two other British travel industry organizations to launch a carbon offset program. The scheme will allow agents to offer their customers the chance to offset the climate warming impact of their trips by paying towards environmental projects worldwide.  Source: ENS World News, 11/28/2006.

Environmental Efforts Are Everyday Mission For Nuns At Northwest Missouri Monastery

At a century-old monastery atop a ridge in northwest Missouri, Sister Sean Douglas contemplates ground-source heat pumps. To retrofit the thick-walled home and chapel of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration for a geothermal system would be costly, she knows. But the existing radiator heat, fueled by propane, is so--"Awful," Douglas said.  Awful, she means, because it's a nonrenewable resource.  In large and small ways, the community of 75 Catholic sisters is going green, from driving hybrid cars to using biodegradable corn starch pellets to ship the altar bread they make.

At a time when some Christian groups are debating their position on environmental issues, the sisters are of one voice, which they say emanates from their sixth-century patron, St. Benedict. "It's our heritage," said Sister Cheryl Morehead, "going back hundreds of years."  The ideals of frugality require the sisters to tread softly on the earth, to consume less, not more. Their chief calling is to a contemplative life, prayer balanced by work, while maintaining a simple daily routine. But, as they see it, their monastic lifestyle is no excuse for keeping in the dark about modern methods to conserve.  "We're more and more aware of what we can do," Douglas said. "Many times it's just little steps."  The sisters bought their first hybrid car, a Toyota Prius, in 2004. This summer they replaced their other car with a hybrid Camry.

During a six-year span, the sisters replaced 800 windows--most were circa 1901--with high-efficiency windows to conserve energy. Some windows had been so out of kilter, it snowed indoors. Douglas and another sister helped workers with the window trim. "Kind of fun, except we started in January on the north side," she said.  The sisters have begun replacing their incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient and cooler fluorescent ones.

Outside the monastery walls, the sisters recently planted 200 acres in prairie grasses and wildflowers as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program to reduce soil erosion and enhance the environment. The sisters also have an organic garden, and they compost all food scraps. They harvested buckets of volunteer tomatoes and squash all summer from the compost area.  When the sisters were forced to cut down their fungus-damaged pine trees, they saved the wood which, in the hands of skillful maintenance workers, became benches, magazine racks and storage bins. For Christmas, the sisters won't use real trees to decorate the monastery, only artificial.

Last month they announced their participation in a wind energy farm in the area. It's a project to erect two dozen giant wind turbines, with one on the sisters' land. The energy generated will flow to the area's electric cooperatives. "It's just a neat thing to be part of because the larger area benefits a lot from the project," Douglas said.  Tom Carnahan, founder of Wind Capital Group, said the wind farm got a boost from the sisters' enthusiasm. "They stood up and were real leaders about this," said Carnahan, the son of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan. "Their wanting to be involved sent a signal to the community."

A small handful of Missouri organizations have been named to the Green Power Leadership Club, a designation by the Environmental Protection Agency. One is the Benedictine Sisters. They were cited for their purchase of "green tags," renewable energy certificates. A California wind farm will deliver energy in the sisters' name.  So, what's left to do?  The heating and cooling system is a biggie, and the sisters are dreaming geothermal. Douglas has schooled herself on ground-source heat pumps. "It's an expensive item," said Douglas about the conversion. "It's something we'd like to move toward."

Other opportunities: They're considering a glass crusher, which grinds glass as fine as sand, because they lack a good option for recycling glass. And they're studying outdoor solar lighting.  At this point, the "little steps" are adding up to an impressive record. Through it all, the sisters never stop praying.  On a recent chilly autumn day, they assembled as they always do at noon for "Day Hour" prayer. Below the chapel's stained glass and mosaics, tapers burning on the altar, they chanted Psalm 148, which instructs all the earth to praise God, "mountains and hills, all fruit trees and cedars, wild animals and cattle, creeping things and birds that fly."  "That may sound general and bland, but it reminds us who the focus is," Morehead said.

Even when not gathered, the sisters are praying, including as they work. They pray for those who will receive the white, whole wheat and low-gluten wafers baked in the altar bread department, which produces 2 million a week. And for those who use the soaps, in scents from Gregorian Mist to Mango Madness, mixed in their soap department.  And they pray for the success of their environmental efforts, a reflection of their reverence for God's nature. St. Benedict taught that objects in the monastery should be treated respectfully, as though they were "vessels of the altar," Morehead said.  Source: By EDWARD M. EVELD , The Kansas City Star, 11/28/06.

Global Emissions Credit Market Heats Up, World Bank Says

While states like California and regional grid operators such as ones in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states grapple with steps toward creating a free market for trading greenhouse gas and other emissions credits, a report from London Monday indicated that the international market for these credits is growing rapidly, approaching $22 billion for carbon dioxide in the first nine months this year. For the same period last year the total was $10 billion, according to a report by the World Bank.  Source: NGI's Power Market Today, 11/28/2006.

For more information: http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/index.shtml

Renewable Energy Technologies

Mighty River Begins Construction of Geothermal Power Plant

State-owned Mighty River Power has begun construction of a $275 million 90-megawatt geothermal power station in the eastern Bay of Plenty. The new Kawerau power station will be the largest geothermal power development in New Zealand in more than 20 years.  It will produce more energy annually than all of the country's existing wind turbines, chief executive Doug Heffernan said.  It took four years to gain all consents and was due to come into production in 2008.  He said geothermal generation would play an increasingly vital role in New Zealand's energy future.  It could ultimately develop 1200MW of the renewable resource--sufficient to power 1.2 million homes.

Mr. Heffernan said Kawerau was the first stage in the company's plans to develop around 400MW of geothermal energy in the next five to 10 years.  "In addition, we have identified a further 800MW of potential resource which could also be developed in the longer term, subject to gaining land access agreements, resource consents and sufficient transmission infrastructure," he said. 

Mr. Heffernan said Mighty River was focusing on geothermal generation because it had a number of distinct advantages over other renewable energy sources.  "Unlike other renewable energy sources, such as wind and hydro, geothermal is not subject to the climate variations such as wind speed or the amount of rain fall.  He said geothermal energy also had a much smaller environmental footprint than other forms of generation.

Mighty River had already worked with iwi partners to enhance production at the Mokai and Rotokawa geothermal plants.  Mr. Heffernan said that through these developments and others in the energy industry, New Zealand's fuel supply outlook for the next decade had improved.  Energy demand was growing at 2 percent annually.  "However the number of new generation projects that are either in the application stage or have been granted resource consents, as well as the discovery of new fuel sources, has improved the supply outlook for meeting this additional demand over the next decade."   Once complete, the Kawerau geothermal station would meet about one third of the eastern Bay of Plenty's demand, including supplying the Norske Skog Tasman forest products plant.  Minister for Energy & Climate Change David Parker congratulated Mighty River on its geothermal program which he said was in line with the Government's policy of New Zealand moving to fully renewable energy.  Source: Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand, 11/29/2006. 

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The North American WindPower's online newsletter is now available Source: North American Wind Power, 11/29/2006.

Ventana, Vacaville's First Solar-Powered Community, to be Built by Edenbridge Homes Using PowerLight SunTile

Edenbridge Homes, provider of quality built, efficiently planned new homes, is installing PowerLight's aesthetic SunTile Solar Electric System in its Ventana community in Vacaville. Edenbridge Homes, by providing solar as a standard in these homes, is constructing Vacaville's first solar community. 

The Ventana community will harness California's abundant sunshine to provide clean, reliable emissions-free solar power. The homes combine energy-efficient design features with solar electric generation to reduce the homes' electric bills by an estimated 50 percent. These homes will be available for purchase in December 2006.  "We are pleased to be partnering with PowerLight--a leader in quality residential solar power systems--to incorporate solar power as a standard feature in our new Ventana community," said Edenbridge Director of Planning, Tom Simonson. "PowerLight's solar roof tiles will dramatically reduce our customers' electric bills, generating significant financial benefits for the homeowner."

Thanks to the California Solar Initiative and other forward-looking renewable energy policies, thousands of green homes are being constructed around the State by visionary homebuilders such as Edenbridge.  Edenbridge homes are designed to put homeowners in control of their energy consumption and reduce month utility costs. Each home features a PowerLight SunTile (2.3 kW) roof-integrated solar system--the most efficient and advanced solar electric residential product on the market today. SunTile solar panels seamlessly interlock with roof tiles and shingles while virtually disappearing into the home's roofline. The SunTile product also features natural ventilation, enabling the solar array to maintain optimal performance in high temperature climates. PowerLight SunTile is designed and built around SunPower's all-back-contact A-300 solar PV cell, the industry's most advanced and efficient solar cell.

For more information, contact: Susan DeVico, PowerLight. 510-339-1527.   Source: PowerLight Corporation, 11/28/2006.

Old Oil Field Barracks Going Green with Solar Power, Super-Isulation

A home built in the 1930s as housing for Husky Oil workers in Oregon Basin is getting an extreme makeover as an energy efficient ''green house,'' designed to produce more power than it consumes.  John Osgood recently received approval from the Cody City Council to install a 10-module photovoltaic solar array at his home near Big Horn Avenue.  The house was moved from Oregon Basin in 1963, and Osgood bought it in 1980. He began living there part-time starting in 1990, and full-time starting last year.  After working as a National Park Service ranger in Yellowstone Park and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Osgood retired last year, and has since devoted much of his time to making his house as energy-efficient as possible.  ''A lot of people are doing this for the same reason I am,'' he said. ''They want to contribute to electricity production in a responsible fashion, without using fossil fuels, particularly coal.'' 

Osgood said places in Montana and New Mexico are seeing many new residential solar systems, but his will be only the second ''net meter'' system in Cody, where the city operates its own municipal power system.  A net meter home can produce more power than it consumes, and thus generate a utility credit, requiring a special power meter that measures power produced as well as consumed.

Stone Soup Studios owners Elijah Cobb and Linda Raynolds were the first in Cody to install such a system. There were some hurdles in getting started with the city, they said, although things are running smoothly now.  Osgood hopes to finish installing his system by the end of the year.  He said he was impressed with the comments and questions he had heard from City Council members and Cody public works employees, and that the process has gone well so far.

Bert Pond, electrical superintendent for the city of Cody, said software glitches with a special power meter at Stone Soup caused some difficulties in accounting for power produced, but things are working well now.  Pond advised others looking to install a net meter system to ''contact someone who specializes in these solar arrays or wind power. If you don't use qualified people, you can end up spending more money than you need to.''  Pond said systems must produce less than 25 kilowatts of peak power to qualify for the state's net metering law.  That program allows the homeowner to use surplus power as credit against power consumed, with the balance calculated annually from the date of installation. 

Osgood said his system will produce a peak load of about 2 kilowatts per hour, generating an average of around 290 kilowatthours a month.  After super-insulating the old Husky house, a process that includes installing 3-inch phenolic foam boards along all the interior walls, he expects to use around 65 kilowatthours per month, returning the surplus to the grid.  Though he may earn between $5 and $20 a month for the extra power, Osgood said the system's $16,000 cost will not be recouped over a typical 30-year amortization period.  ''The expense I'm bearing cannot be justified economically in any way under current rates,'' he said.  His goal instead is to reduce demand for electricity produced by coal, and return green power to the system for others to use. 

With shelves of books on alternative energy, triple-pane windows from Canada, and special insulation imported from Europe because it isn't sold here, Osgood admits to being an ''enthusiast'' on the topic.  ''Energy conservation has been a hobby for a long time. I've taken courses on housing design and heat loss,'' said Osgood, who is doing much of the work himself on the solar and insulation projects.  ''One of the main problems confronting us is elevated levels of carbon dioxide, and we're probably close to a time where we have to address that,'' he said.  One option is for concerned homeowners to tackle the issue individually, he said.  New technologies make conservation and alternative energy more efficient and affordable than during the 1970s energy crisis, said Osgood. 

Former President Jimmy Carter advised people to turn back thermostats and put on a sweater.  ''People then equated conservation with discomfort,'' said Osgood. ''But if you design it correctly in the first place, you don't have to be uncomfortable.'' 

Though electricity prices in Wyoming may seem high, particularly after a series of recent rate increases, they are relatively low compared with much of the rest of the country, making solar power financially less attractive than in other regions.  But a federal tax credit and state grant program together could cut as much as $5,000 off the cost of installing a residential photovoltaic system.  Administered through the Wyoming Business Council, the State Energy Program works to expand the use of alternative or renewable energy.  Manager Tom Fuller said the program provides grants for around 25 residential photovoltaic systems each year, paying up to $3,000, or half the cost of installation, whichever is less.  ''We don't really market the program, and all of our money for this fiscal year is spoken for,'' Fuller said. 

Applications for next fiscal year will be accepted starting July 1, he said.  The program has grown to meet demand, with roughly two-thirds of applicants seeking funding for systems that are not tied to the electrical grid, Fuller said.  ''It makes sense to install photovoltaics if you are a long way away from a distribution line, because the cost to install that line is so great it's cheaper to install photovoltaics,'' he said. ''Others are ones who just want to do the right thing ecologically.''  Fuller said the key to making a system financially viable is to install just enough photovoltaics to ''zero out your energy consumption, using the utility as a bank.''

A federal renewable energy tax credit allows homeowners to take up to $2,000 off their income taxes for a system installed in 2006 or 2007.  ''Depending on your situation, for some people it's a really good solution,'' said Fuller.   Source: By RUFFIN PREVOST, Billings Gazette Wyoming Bureau, 11/29/2006. 

For more information on Renewable Resources go to: http://www.repartners.org

Outreach, Education, Reports & Studies

Natural systems provide a wealth of tangible and intangible services to business--some $33 trillion worth of "free" deliverables a year, say experts. Those services include fertile soil, fresh water, breathable air, pollination, species habitat, soil formation, pest control, a livable climate, and a host of other things most companies take for granted.

A new report urges companies to pay closer attention to the value of these services, lest they suffer "major economic losses." The study indicates that many companies recognize the risks associated with degrading ecosystems and are trying to adapt accordingly, but most fail to associate healthy ecosystems with their business interests.

This is the latest of a series of initiatives on this topic. A few months ago, for example, we reported on a new effort by Business for Social Responsibility to help businesses understand and address the world of ecosystem services, and an accompanying report describing market mechanisms being used by companies to protect ecosystem services.

It all amounts to a question issue of growing importance to companies: If ecosystems are so valuable to companies' operations, how much should they be willing to invest in their continued health? That is, what's a clean earth worth to your company?  Source: GreenBiz.com, Joel Makower, Executive Editor, 11/27/2006.

University of Delaware to Establish Sustainable Energy Program

A five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation will allow the University of Delaware to establish a new graduate program in sustainable energy from solar hydrogen. The award is a part of the NSF's Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training program.  The solar hydrogen IGERT program involves 21 faculty members from four of UD's seven colleges. The program will integrate concepts from science, engineering, economics, and social sciences.  "Renewable energy is an inherently multidisciplinary topic, and unfortunately that is what has hampered its implementation," Christiana Honsberg, UD associate professor of electrical and computer engineering said.  The program will fund some 10 doctoral students and up to seven undergraduates each year. The IGERT research program will focus on four major areas: photovoltaics and photoelectrochemistry, fuel cells, hydrogen storage, and policy and economics.  Contact: Christiana Honsberg, University of Deleware, 302-831-0366.  Source: EIN STAFF, 11/28/2006.EERE Network News--November 29, 2006

A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is now available.  Source: EERE Network News, 11/29/2006. 

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News from Washington

IG Calls For Better Data on Partnership Programs

U.S. EPA's voluntary partnerships with industries, states, local governments, universities and other parties may be environmentally beneficial, but more data is needed to gauge their effects, according to the agency's inspector general.  The agency is engaged in a growing number of such programs aimed at supplementing regulations, or addressing areas the agency does not regulate, such as greenhouse gas emissions.  Examples include Climate Leaders, the Energy Star program, diesel engine retrofitting, the WasteWise waste-reduction program and the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program. The report lists 54 programs across seven agency offices, with the Office of Air and Radiation housing the highest number. 

A recent inspector general report finds these programs "may expand EPA's environmental influence."  "These programs may achieve this effect by broadening EPA's potential participant base and addressing environmental problems not governed by regulations," the IG says in the report. Managers of the programs say they help to achieve the agency's strategic goals and expand the agency's relationships "beyond the traditional regulated community."  But the report also concludes that "we have not yet gathered sufficient measurement and outcome data to verify that partnership programs are achieving these claims" and adds that future evaluation is needed.

Partnership programs have grown from just a handful in the 1980s to over 50 in operation today, the report says. The median age is seven years, and the median budget is around a half million dollars. They offer technical assistance, networking, public recognition, environmentally preferable production designation, "regulatory flexibility" and other types of benefits. Source: Ben Geman, Greenwire senior reporter, E&E Publishing, LLC, 11/27/2006. 

New Funding For U.S. Geothermal Energy

Increasing oil prices and enthusiasm from the incoming Congress are renewing interest in sustainable energy and have led to the construction of 50 to 60 new geothermal power in nine states, Canada and six other countries.  Already in Iceland more than 17 percent of electricity, and in the Philippines, more than 27 percent, is generated from geothermal power, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.  

"Geothermal energy is green energy, something that will become more important in a world where we see changes in our climate," said Arni Magnusson, director of sustainable energy for Glitnir Corporate and Investment Banking, the Iceland-based bank that has served the energy industry in that country for decades.  Glitnir announced Nov. 14 at the U.S. Geothermal Development and Finance Workshop in Washington that it would expand its financing ventures to the United States in early 2007.  Currently 7,000 megawatts of geothermal energy are produced in 21 countries. In the United States, it's between $1.3 billion and $1.7 billion a year business and industry leaders see that number growing to near $14.7 billion.  "You have to invest heavily but in Iceland our energy companies have been profitable and we see great potential and we're very excited," Magnusson said.

The latest geothermal projects are invested in making the hot dry-rock method of producing energy more economical; Australia is leading the way in hot dry-rock research in which water is pumped into the ground through hot rocks, then pushed back up through a power plant, cooled and pumped back underground. "We believe, like so many this is going to be a growing industry in the years to come and we have been successful," Magnusson said. Glitner is already in talks with one California energy company over a $100 million to $300 million investment to build a power plant with a 50 MW capacity, said Magnusson, who couldn't give specifics.

Proponents say geothermal power is the most reliable and environmentally friendly form of energy. The Geothermal Energy Association and the Department of Energy want to see the cost reduced to less than 5 cents per kilowatthour. The current U.S. capacity is 2,800 megawatts and another goal is to increase the capacity.  In places such as Iceland where there are limited hydrocarbon resources, it is economically viable to use geothermal power. In the United States, however, and many other places, it is still cheaper to use oil, coal or natural gas.

There are also still some researchers who argue that geothermal heat is a non-renewable resource. Regardless, this is not an option for everyone since there are regions where geothermal heat is not accessible.  The American West is seen by some, including Magnusson, as the new frontier in geothermal energy. Projects are planned in Nevada, California, Oregon, Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Hawaii.  Along with the hope of expanding geothermal energy in the United States, industry leaders say they hope government support will grow. Under the 2005 Environmental Policy Act, geothermal plants qualify for production tax credit but the deadline is only a little over a year from now, December 2007.   "Geothermal and other base load renewable power plants take several years to build and many of these plants can't be on-line by the December 31, 2007 deadline," said Karl Gawell, GEA's executive director. "The PTC deadline urgently needs to be extended."  Source: By KRISTYN ECOCHARD, UPI Correspondent, 11/28/2006. 

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State Activities, Marketing & Market Research

Ore. Utility Signs Turbine Deal With Danish Manufacturer

Portland General Electric Co. will buy 76 wind turbines from Danish manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems to build the first phase of the 25,000-acre Bigelow Canyon Wind Farm in north-central Oregon.  The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal announced today.  PGE plans to build the Sherman County wind farm in three phases during the next five years. The publicly held utility would own and operate the wind farm, which could produce as much as 450 megawatts of renewable power upon its completion.  "The timing will depend on our ability to secure additional turbines," said Steve Corson, a PGE spokesman. "When complete, [Bigelow] would be one of the largest wind farms in the region."   Construction crews plan to complete the project's first phase by December 2007. The 76 Vestas turbines would have a collective output of 125.4 MW--enough power to supply the needs of about 32,000 homes, Corson added.

In combination with existing wind resources, the Bigelow project's first phase would allow PGE to offer its nearly 800,000 Oregon customers access to 225 MW of wind energy capacity. The utility's customers already receive 75 MW of power from PPM Energy's Klondike II wind farm in Sherman County through a 30-year agreement that began last year. PGE's ratepayers also receive 25 MW from the Vansycle Ridge wind farm in northeastern Oregon's Umatilla County.  PGE ranks first in the nation for residential renewable energy sales through the utility's retail sign-up program, which gives customers the opportunity to have more renewable energy delivered to the electrical grid than what is provided from the standard mix. More than 49,000 PGE residential and commercial customers participate in the retail program, according to the utility. Source: E&E Publishing, Michael Burnham, E&ENews PM reporter, 11/27/2006.

UPC Wind Management to Build $400,000,000 US Wind Power Project in Utah

UPC Wind Management LLC of Newton, Mass, has received approval from Utah's Beaver County Planning Commission for construction of a $400,000,000 US wind power project in the Milford Valley area.  UPC can begin the first and largest phase of the two-phase project--construction of 80, 420-foot towers that are expected to generate 320 megawatts of power, and transmission towers to carry a 345-kilovolt line to a substation at the Intermountain Power Project 90 miles to the north near Delta.  The company also has plans for a second phase that would utilize land in Millard County to generate an additional 80 megawatts of power.  (Source:  New West.net, Nov. 26, '06).  Contact Krista Kisch, Business Development Director, UPC Wind Management, 617-964-3340.  Source: ep-overviews, 11/28/2006. 

Giving Is Good Business

This holiday season, the majority of Americans intend to purchase gifts that keep on giving. According to the 2006 Cone Holiday Trend Tracker, 57 percent of Americans plan to purchase a product from which a portion of proceeds are donated to a charitable cause, and 59 percent expect to buy holiday gifts from a retailer that supports a cause.  Source: E-Wire Digest, 11/29/2006. 

For more information on marketing and research go to: http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/