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January - March 2001

Conservation Update



State Energy Offices Bulletin

Stories submitted by state energy offices about their projects.

Arkansas

Energy Curriculum Enters Public Schools

The Arkansas Energy Office is bringing an exciting physics and energy curriculum to 10 rural Arkansas schools. The initiative, titled Active Physics, invites ninth-grade students to explore the science of energy use in their schools. By participating in Active Physics, students learn about lighting, heating, cooling, and water and gas usage. They also generate ideas to save the school money by conducting an energy audit of a designated area of a school building.

The Active Physics curriculum was put in place through a partnership between the Arkansas Department of Economic Development, the Arkansas Energy Office, Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, EPRI Solutions, and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Rebuild America Program. With further support from the National Science Foundation and the American Physical Society, Active Physics was developed by the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics. The curriculum is currently being taught to all ninth graders in the Little Rock School District.

In the past, physics classes have been limited to upper level students and those at the top of their classes. This initiative brings a nationally recognized curriculum and lab materials into the ninth grade as a replacement to physical science so that all students are exposed to physics and energy early in their school careers. "This project exemplifies the type of community development and partnerships we're excited about," says Barbara Pardue, executive director of the Arkansas Department of Economic Development. "What better example than involving young people in community planning projects and decision-making?" The project is part of the Arkansas Energy Office's Rebuild Arkansas program.



DOE

Center for Distributed Power

The nation's straining electrical generation system can be enhanced by moving away from a historic reliance on "mega" power plants and toward a network of dispersed, smaller-scale generating facilities. This concept, known as distributed power, will be advanced by a newly established national research center at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado.

The new center will develop the technology to obtain power from relatively small, decentralized generating units, ideally operated at or near the commercial and residential sites they serve. NREL researchers will investigate new, specialized technologies to produce power and for interconnecting them with the larger electricity distribution grid.

Generation technologies that are well suited for the emerging distributed power market include small, natural-gas-fired microturbines, fuel cells that run on hydrogen, and technologies that tap into renewable energy sources such as the sun, wind, and biomass.

The new center, with a budget of approximately $10 million for fiscal year 2001, will be headed by Tony Shaffhauser, formerly of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.



Opportunities for Addressing Climate Change

DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy recently issued a major report on climate change, titled "Scenarios for a Clean Energy Future." The report, prepared by an Interlaboratory Working Group of five DOE national laboratories, finds that the United States can make impressive strides toward addressing climate change through smart policies and technologies. It assesses technologies and policies to meet energy-related challenges facing the United States, concluding that successful implementation of these technologies and policies could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, oil dependence, and economic inefficiencies.

The report also concludes that the overall economic benefits of the policies and technologies are comparable to their overall costs. The benefits derive from energy savings throughout all sectors of the economy. The report is developed using a scenario-based approach that was arrived at through discussions with representatives of business, universities, nonprofit organizations, and government. The purpose of these discussions was to provide a broad range of input and opinions.

This report gives decision-makers and the public an opportunity to study the advantages and disadvantages of different policy choices. The report is available online on the ORNL Web site at: http://www.ornl.gov/ORNL/Energy_Eff/CEF.htm



Iowa

Leadership on National Energy Advisory Board

In early January, former U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson appointed Sharon Tahtinen, Energy Bureau Chief at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), to the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB). Tahtinen joins a group of seven other state energy office officials, heads of energy organizations, and private companies, on the advisory board. STEAB provides advice and recommendations on energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, as well as the deployment of new technologies to Congress and DOE.

It is a privilege to represent Iowa in a national setting, said Tahtinen. This will be an excellent opportunity to discuss state contributions to the national energy picture, and how we can be part of the solutions for today's energy concerns.

Tahtinen joined the Energy Policy Council in 1985, which later merged with the DNR. She has served in several positions within the agency and has been energy bureau chief since January 1998. She currently serves on several state and national committees.



Wind Video with Testimonials

The DNR has created a 10-minute video, "Harnessing the Wind," describing the benefits and barriers of wind energy development in the Midwest. Landowners and local community representatives from Storm Lake, Clear Lake, and Lake Benton, Minnesota, share their perspectives on how wind energy has positively affected their local areas. Through these testimonials, the video demonstrates the value of wind energy to rural and agricultural economies. The video is suitable for a wide range of audiences.



Maryland

Loan to St. John's College

Maryland's Community Energy Loan Program (CELP) continues to save energy dollars with building upgrades throughout the state. The Maryland Energy Administration provided a CELP loan to St. John's College in Annapolis for energy upgrades to Mellon Hall.

The college will renovate the 40-year-old Mellon Hall, adding insulation, high-efficiency windows and lighting. It will also replace the existing chiller and window room air conditioners with a high-efficiency chiller and an ice thermal storage system. The upgraded envelope, lighting, and chiller will provide significant energy savings, while the ice thermal storage system will reduce the electric load at the college by 170 kilowatts (kW).



Montana

Stock Water Pump Demonstration

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has demonstrated its new mobile, photovoltaic (PV) powered water pump. The system provides cattle with stock water on ranches located far from an electricity grid.

The PV system, rated at 420 watts (W), is mounted on a trailer to move it to and from pastures. It is capable of pumping 4,000 gallons of water per day. The system requires very little, if any, maintenance, which makes it more utilitarian than the internal combustion engines that are typically used for pumping water on remote ranches.

The demonstration shows ranchers how the mobile PV unit works and allows them to try it out on a trial basis before they invest. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality will take the PV-trailer on tour in central Montana this spring.



Nebraska

Dollar and Energy Saving Loan Program

The Nebraska Energy Office has achieved more than $125 million in energy efficiency improvements through its Dollar and Energy Saving Loan Program. The program is delivered through private financial institutions at over 600 locations throughout the state.

The program works as a revolving fund, using payments from previous borrowers to offer new loans at 5% interest. The Nebraska Energy Office makes the loans available to homeowners, small businesses, farmers, and local government agencies for energy efficiency improvements. Loans can also be used for energy improvements at state buildings, rural nursing homes, telecommunications facilities, and for use of alternate fuels in transportation.

The loan program was originally created in 1990 as a demonstration project using $10 million of oil overcharge funds. Since then, the Energy Office added an additional $23.4 million, primarily oil overcharge funds, to the pool. Through December 2000, over $62 million of additional funds had been leveraged through private lending institutions.

According to Energy Office calculations, the total economic impact in Nebraska is more than $141 million.



New Hampshire

State Increases Use of Alternative Fuel Vehicles

New Hampshire has increased the number of alternative fuel vehicles in the state's fleet to more than 30. The increase was due to the state's Alternative Fuels Vehicle Project, sponsored by the Governor's Office of Energy and Community Services (ECS) and New Hampshire's Departments of Transportation, Environmental Services, and Resources and Economic Development. Currently, the state fleet consists of 13 electric vehicles, 15 flexible fuel vehicles, 7 natural gas vehicles, and 1 propane van. ECS intends to purchase an additional 15 natural gas vehicles for the state fleet over the next several years.



Utah

2001 Industry Showcase

DOE has selected the state of Utah as an Industry Showcase for 2001. The showcase will take place August 27-29, 2001, and will feature:

Approximately half of the companies in Utah's industrial sector account for $4 billion of the state's gross product and operate in nine of the nation's most energy- and waste-intensive industries. These nine industries — agriculture, aluminum, chemicals, forest products, glass, metal casting, mining, petroleum, and steel — are the same industries that partner with DOE's Industries of the Future Program at the national level. Of the total energy consumed, Utah's industries use 36 percent of the state's electricity, 33 percent of its natural gas, and 19 percent of its petroleum.



Wyoming

Small Wind Turbine Installed at State Park

In January 2001, the Wyoming Business Council completed installation of the first wind turbine at a state park. The turbine, rated at 20-kW, is located in Curt Gowdy State Park about 24 miles west of Cheyenne. It is a vertical-axis type, manufactured by Cheyenne's TMA, Inc.

Electricity generated by the turbine will power park buildings, including a machine shop and residences. Because the turbine is interconnected with the utility, any excess generation that the park does not consume will be fed into the grid and sold to the local utility.

The Parks Department is planning to construct a trail to a display for visitors to view and learn about the turbine. Small-turbine installations at other state parks are expected to follow in the coming years.

Funding for the turbine was obtained from DOE's State Energy Program, with matching funds provided by the Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.