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CRES
Clips is sponsored by
SolSource
Thank you
Bella Energy
for sponsoring CRES in 2008.
CRES Clips
Renewable
Energy News
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CRES is successful because of the energy and commitment of members,
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enhanced and expanded by further use of technology and the expansion
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CRES CLIPS
On to Pueblo: 2008 Colorado Renewable Energy Conference Begins
Friday
The 2008 Colorado Renewable Energy Conference
will take place this Friday through Sunday, June 6–8, at the Pueblo
Convention Center, 320 Central Main Street, in downtown Pueblo. The
conference theme is Renewable Energy, Fueling Prosperity. You can
register in person at the Pueblo Convention Center, or online until
Thursday at:
http://www.cres-energy.org/events/conference
http://www.cres-energy.org/crec2008paypal.html
Conference sessions will focus on community,
technology, and transportation issues. The community track will
include presentations on sustainable economic development, energy
challenges for rural Colorado, and success stories from across the
state. The technology track will explore innovations moving through
the technology-development pipeline. The transportation track will
focus on alternative fuels. Read the complete program at:
http://www.cres-energy.org/events/conference/2008/CRES-2008-Program.pdf
If you are interested in sharing a room or
car-pooling to Pueblo, contact Charlie Stevens at:
stevens_charlie@hotmail.com
Keynote Address by Mark
Udall
U.S. Congressman Mark Udall (D–Eldorado
Springs) will give the first keynote address Saturday afternoon at
1:30. This session is free of charge and open to the public.
The Saturday evening keynote will be delivered
by Denver Post energy reporter Steve Raabe. Raabe has reported on
Colorado’s energy scene for the Post’s business pages for many years
and has been a keen observer of the state’s energy challenges and
opportunities.
Social Networking Opportunities Begin Thursday Night
CRES Board member Carol Tombari will begin the
conference festivities Thursday at 6:30 p.m. with a pre-conference
book signing and presentation at the Pueblo Barnes & Noble. Tombari
will discuss her new book, which is titled Power of the People.
http://www.cres-energy.org/events/conference/#tombari
There will be a reception snacks, a cash bar,
and live music Friday evening from 6:30–8 pm at the Home of Heroes
Plaza. The event is included with your conference registration
thanks to the Pueblo County Board of Commissioners.
On Sunday, you can take advantage of several
tours of advanced energy facilities in the Pueblo area, including
the Solar Roast Coffee facility and the Maple Leaf Orthopedics
Building. The tours are free of charge and open to the public (see
other free activities.)
Conference
Workshops Friday and Sunday
Along with an all-star line-up of presentations on the
Saturday of the Conference, there will also be several educational
workshops on the Friday and Sunday:
- LEED Certification for New Construction and
Major Renovations by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC);
Friday; register on the USGBC website at:
http://www.usgbccolorado.org
- Energy Education for Teachers by the
Governor's Energy Office, CSU-Pueblo, and Adams State College;
Friday; college credit is available for those attending this
workshop
- Emerging Renewable Energy Technologies by
Jeff Scott, president of SolSource, Inc. and 2008 CRES Board
president; Sunday
- Passive Solar Design by Pamm McFadden,
founder of Elements Design Group, chair of the Colorado Tour of
Solar Homes, and winner of the 2008 Colorado Renewable Energy in
Building Award for off-grid buildings
- Small Wind Power Systems for Homes, Schools,
and Businesses by Jim Green, senior researcher at the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
- Energy Efficiency in Your New or Existing
Home by Paul Kreischer, president of Lightly Treading, Inc., and
Rich Moore of Invisible Energy
- Status and Challenges for the Solar PV
Industry by Bolko von Roedern, senior scientist at NREL
Space for these workshops is limited, so
please register in advance at:
http://www.cres-energy.org/crec2008paypal.html
Some Conference Events Are
Free
The following conference events that take place or begin at
the Pueblo Convention Center are free of charge and open to the
public:
- Keynote address by Congressman Mark Udall (D-Eldorado Springs),
Saturday at 1:30 p.m., sponsored by Xcel Energy
- Conference exhibit hall, featuring dozens of
companies with the latest technologies, Friday afternoon, all say
Saturday, and Sunday morning
- Self-guided tours of advanced energy
installations in the Pueblo area, Sunday.
Renewable Energy News
Two Cooperatives Offer Solar Incentives in
Southwest Colorado
The Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) in Montrose and San
Miguel Power in Ridgeway are offering incentives for their customers
in southwest Colorado to install PV systems. Although the incentives
will only be available for a limited time until funding is
exhausted, they represent the growing popularity of PV across the
state.
The two cooperatives will use matching grants from the Colorado
Governor’s Energy Office to augment their own funds that support the
PV rebates. The energy office grants are worth $25,000 for each
cooperative, and rebates to individual customers are worth
$3,000–$6,000. The grants are part of the statewide Residential
Solar Program started last month by the energy office:
http://www.colorado.gov/energy/renewables/ResidentialSolarProgram.asp
DMEA announced its rebate of $2 per watt of installed PV capacity in
a May 1 press release:
http://www.dmea.com/Portals/0/5-1-2008Solar%20Rebate%20News%20release-hyperlinks.pdf
The week before, the cooperative announced an innovative financing
program for geothermal heat pumps. Under the new program, DMEA will
install a geothermal heat pump in a participating customer’s house
in exchange for a monthly tariff. Homeowners pay nothing for the
cost of the system. The cooperative will own and maintain the
systems, so customers will have confidence that systems will work
reliably.
Geothermal heat pumps can provide many Colorado homes in Colorado
with cost effective heating and cooling. This is because the heat
pumps efficiently provide both heating in winter and cooling in
summer.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there are
more than 500,000 U.S. homes with geothermal heat pumps in the
United States. Together, these systems reduce annual emissions of
U.S. greenhouse gases by 3 million tons.
Kansas Legislature Sustains Veto of Holcomb Coal Plants
For the third time in a little over a month, the Kansas Legislature
has sustained a veto of a bill that would have allowed construction
of two coal-fired power plants in Holcomb, Kansas, near the border
with Colorado. The vote upholds the rejection of a permit to build
coal-fired power plants by the administration of Kansas Governor
Kathleen Sebelius (D). This is the first time a U.S> coal-fired
power plant has been denied a permit on the basis of carbon
emissions.
The vote was close, 80–45, which was just four shy of the two-thirds
majority needed to override the governor’s veto. In a statement
issued on May 1, the governor sounded conciliatory and said she
would look for a way to work the plant owners. Meanwhile, the owners
are taking their case to the courts.
“We are at a critical period for energy policy in this state and
this country,” Sebelius said. “We must bridge the gap between our
growing energy needs and the time when carbon capturing technology
is a commercial reality. We must move forward strategically –
steering our state clear of the environmental, health and economic
risks of massive new carbon emissions.” For more information, see a
May 1article published online by the Environmental News Service and
titled “Kansas Governor’s Third Coal-Plant Veto Sustained.”
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2008/2008-05-01-094.asp
The U.S. electric power industry and trade press have followed
developments in the Kansas Legislature closely in case they
represent a new trend in public opinion. Most analysts expect the
United States to adopt some sort of climate regulations after
President Bush leaves office at the end of 2008, and these
regulations will likely target conventional coal-fired power plants.
For background, read an article in the April 1 edition of CRES
Clips:
http://cres-energy.org/clips/clips_08apr01ka.html
In April, High Country News published in Paonia, Colorado, reported
that plans for construction of almost half of the coal-fired power
plants on the drawing boards for the West from two years ago have
been cancelled or delayed. The trend started in 2006 in Idaho; see
an article published online by High Country News titled “Magic
Valley Uprising.”
http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=16262
Last year, the American Solar Energy Society published a blueprint
for how the Untied States could reduce carbon emissions. The plan
calls for a replacing conventional electricity generation from
fossil fuels with electricity generation from renewable energy
resources. Read the report titled “Tackling Climate Change in the
U.S.: Potential U.S. Carbon Emissions Reductions from Renewable
Energy and Energy Efficiency by 2030.”
http://www.ases.org/climatechange/
Greensburg Goes ‘Green’
A year after a tornado leveled the town of Greensburg, Kansas, city
leaders have established the most ambitious energy efficiency
standards for city buildings in the country. And when President Bush
visited the town last week to speak at the Greensburg High School
graduation ceremony, the city announced plans to build a wind power
plant large enough to provide all of the town’s electricity. See an
article in the May 5 edition of the Denver Post titled “Year After
Tornado, Greensburg Grads Get Notable Guest”
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_9153909
Last year, experts from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, offered to
help the town rebuild in a way that will be less susceptible to
natural disasters and more energy efficient. For example, the
experts helped architects include photovoltaics and daylighting into
the design of the new high school. DOE has given the city a grant of
$500,000 to help with the planning.
Earlier this year, city leaders set a requirement for all large city
buildings to achieve the highest rating — LEED-Platinum — under the
U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED). For details about the town’s plans, read an article
published May 5 on the NREL website:
http://www.nrel.gov/features/0508_greensburg.html
In addition, the town will build a new wind power plant rated at 3–4
megawatts. Located about 80 miles west of Wichita, the town is
located in an area with good wind energy resources. Read more in an
article published May 7 published online by DOE:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/news_detail.cfm/news_id=11753
Highlands Ranch Students Plan for Sustainable Future
A group of seniors at Thunder Ridge High School presented a plan to
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter for converting Highlands Ranch into a
business incubator for renewable energy companies. Under the plan,
the Denver suburban community would consume no fossil fuels at all
by 2020.
Highlands Ranch would thus become the first “carbon-neutral”
community in Colorado. Under the state’s climate-action plan, all
businesses and consumers will try to reduce their carbon consumption
20% by 2020.
The governor visited the school in late April just after Earth Day
because he believed in what the students were trying to accomplish.
“I do not go to every high school in Colorado to talk about their
senior projects,” said Ritter. “But I believe in my heart of hearts
that you will face a tough future unless we do the things you’re
proposing today.”
The students developed the plan with support from the local
community, including a $5,000 grant from L.G. Chavez, chief
executive officer of Burt Automotive Group. For more information,
see an article in the April 25 edition of the Denver Post titled
“Ritter Praises ‘Green’ Students.”
http://www.denverpost.com/education/ci_9050942
Colorado Renewable
Energy
in the News
“Climate Revolutionary: Creating a Legal
Framework for Saving Our Planet”
High Country News, May 12
http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=17692
“Welcome to Smart Grid City”
High Country News, May 9
http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=17704&fhp
“Dueling Fuel Philosophies on Collision Course
in Congress”
Denver Post, May 8
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_9163832
“Adding Smarts to the Power Grid”
Denver Post, May 5
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_9153131
“Rolling with the Wind”
Denver Post, May 4
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_9139031
“Getting Smarter about Energy Use”
High Country News May 2
http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=15495#
“Going ‘Green’ a Fad or for Real?”
Denver Post, April 21
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_8996138
“Price of Gas Breaks a Record”
Denver Post, April 17
http://www.denverpost.com/energy/ci_8951626
“World Ag Report Says Farmers Must Trim
Dependency on Fossil Fuels”
Denver Post, April 16
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_8937174
“Food Price Debate Focuses on Biofuel”
Denver Post, April 15
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_8925487
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