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August - September 2001

Conservation Update



State Energy Offices Bulletin

Stories submitted by state energy offices about their projects.

Arizona

Arizona Energy Office Awarded Million Solar Roofs Initiative Grant

The Arizona Energy Office was awarded a $45,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Energy's (U.S. DOE) Million Solar Roofs initiative for fiscal year 2001-2002. The Energy Office will implement a program that promotes the newly adopted Environmental Portfolio Standard (EPS) and produce information and educational materials that will be disseminated through varied information venues (Web site, telephone, workshops, lectures, newsletters, tours, and events). These activities are designed to educate consumers, the design and construction industry, and other jurisdictional groups on the EPS and solar utilization.



Mobile Solar Theater Introduced

The Arizona Energy Office introduced its Mobile Solar Theater in April. The unit, which contains interactive Web pages, a survey, videos, and a solar energy IQ test, was funded with a grant from the U.S. DOE's Million Solar Roofs program. The mobile theater's first deployment was at the Southwest Day Home Show in Camp Verde. More than 200 people used the stand-alone exhibit. Survey results help gauge community attitudes towards solar energy. In Camp Verde, survey respondents had the following views: 75 percent felt that the government wasn't doing enough to help develop renewable energy resources; 44 percent felt that existing solar owners were the best source for technical advice and information; 31 percent said they would consider purchasing a solar system when government subsidies provided cost benefits.



California

New Funds Encourage Alternative-Fuel Vehicles

The California Energy Commission (CEC) is providing more than $10 million in funds to buy alternative-fuel buses and to install natural gas refueling stations throughout the state. The CEC announced in late June that it was distributing nearly $3 million in grants to 16 public agencies in California to help with the cost of installing refueling stations for natural gas-powered public fleets, including fleets of garbage trucks and buses. The CEC announced in early July that at least 52 school districts in the state will receive new low-emissions school buses. CEC will spend $7.5 million to buy 66 new buses — 37 powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), 3 by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and 26 by low-sulfur diesel. The bus purchase is part of a larger $50 million California program to reduce emissions from buses.



Illinois

Power of Wind Increasing in Illinois

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is taking a number of steps to help increase electricity generation from wind in Illinois including distributing an Illinois wind resource map and sponsoring a wind energy workshop this fall. The Illinois wind map, developed by scientists at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, identifies locations in central and northern Illinois with sufficient wind resources to support commercial wind power generation. The department projects that Illinois wind resources could support development of up to 3,000 to 9,000 Megawatts of wind power peak capacity, enough electricity to supply power to 2 million homes.

The Illinois Wind Workshop, November 27, 2001, in Lisle, Ill., will highlight the economic and environmental benefits of wind project development. The workshop also will detail steps consumers, power companies, and the industry can take to promote and develop wind energy in the state. Highlights will include detailed discussions of Illinois wind resources; expected economic benefits and processes for developing wind projects along with technical issues such as transmission; and details about wind projects currently under development or planned in Illinois which, when completed, will provide 80 to 100 Megawatts of new renewable energy capacity.

The workshop is sponsored by U.S. DOE's Chicago Regional Office, Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, City of Chicago, ComEd, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, American Corn Growers Association of Illinois, NEG Micon, and the Illinois Solar Energy Association.



Iowa

New Legislation Makes Energy Efficiency Improvements Easier

A new law making it easier for public-sector facilities to finance energy improvements went into effect July 1. "Under the new bill, if improvements can be paid for during the lifetime of the equipment, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Energy Bank program can fully finance the project. This is a significant improvement and will help our program participants greatly," said Monica Stone, executive officer with the DNR's Energy Bureau. Prior to the new law, clients could only finance a project through the Energy Bank if it could be paid back in six years or less. If they could not be paid off in six years, the organization would have to find additional funding.

The bill allows the Energy Bank program to finance large-scale projects like wind turbines, geothermal heat pump systems, and building improvements for public facilities, including state facilities, schools, local governments, and hospitals.

The DNR's program helps public-sector facilities lower their energy budgets, improve comfort in their buildings, and aid the environment through reduced emissions. Since its inception in 1989, it has implemented $140 million in improvements with annual savings of more than $20 million.



Rebuild Cedar Falls Receives National Recognition

Cedar Falls was recognized for its Conservation City initiative, a program to save money through energy-efficiency improvements, at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Energy Summit May 29 and 30 in Chicago. Conservation City is part of the DNR's Rebuild Iowa program and is a partnership with the Center for Energy and Environmental Education and the Cedar Falls Municipal Utilities. Rebuild Iowa is funded by U.S. DOE's Rebuild America program.

Cedar Falls was chosen because of its record success in saving money and energy. Since 1998, Cedar Falls has implemented more than $1 million in energy-efficiency improvements, saving the city $67,000 annually. A few of these improvements include a two-year energy efficiency program for the University of Northern Iowa's campus restoration project and working with small businesses to replace their lighting systems.



USDA Approves Biomass Fuel Pilot Program

The Chariton Valley Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) agency will be part of a pilot project to harvest switchgrass on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land to use for energy production. The RC&D was approved for the pilot project by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) announced March 20.

Chariton Valley RC&D has worked with area farmers to develop switchgrass as an energy crop in southern Iowa. Under the pilot project, farmers can expand their production to replace as much as 5 percent of coal burned in the Ottumwa Generating Plant. Six pilot projects were introduced in Harkin's legislation, which allows vegetation to be grown and harvested as biomass energy on CRP land. According to USDA guidelines and Harkin's bill, harvesting conditions must protect soil and wildlife, each project must be 50,000 acres or less, and only one project can occur in each state.



Louisiana

Louisiana Enacts Legislation Supporting Energy Efficiency In Public Facilities

On June 29, Gov. Mike Foster of Louisiana signed into law the Energy Management Act of 2001. This statute provides for the development and implementation of a state energy management policy to minimize energy consumption and maximize energy efficiency in all state-owned facilities. Among other features, the legislation establishes a centralized searchable database incorporating standardized reporting and indexing of building-level energy consumption information for all state facilities. The legislation also establishes funding incentives for state agencies to develop, complete, and maintain energy cost-savings measures over multiple budget cycles and on a life-cycle basis. Rebuild Louisiana will be hosting a statewide workshop to facilitate implementation of this act.



Michigan

Pilot Project Encourages Generation From Renewable Resources

The Michigan Public Service Commission has granted Consumers Energy Company authority to establish an optional program designed to encourage the use of renewable resources. The Commission approved Consumers' 3-year Green Power Pilot Program that will encourage the development of new, zero-emissions renewable generation resources in Michigan through the use of wind, solar, or other forms of renewable energy resources. The program will be available to all of Consumers' residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Program participants will be able to purchase increments of 10, 50, and 100 percent of their energy from certified generators of renewable energy. A green surcharge and an administration fee were approved at $.0032 per kWh for the 10 percent option, $.016 per kWh for the 50 percent option, and $.032 per kilowatt hour (kWh) for the 100 percent option. Consumers also received authority to treat certain costs as regulatory assets. The Commission supports the development of renewable energy sources and finds this application reasonable and in the public interest. Consumers must file tariff sheets consistent with those approved by the Commission within 30 days.