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November-December 2004

Conservation Update

Feature Article

Weatherization in Indian Country

by Dave Castillo, Inter Tribal Council of Arizona

Weatherization is expanding to other nations — Indian nations in Arizona. Even though the Weatherization Assistance Program is this country's largest and most successful energy efficiency program, it has only recently become more widely known in Indian country. As such, weatherization can improve some of the most overlooked low-income housing in rural America. And it brings new opportunities for states to work with Indian tribes to better serve the needs of Native American families.

Through weatherization, low-income families permanently reduce their energy bills by increasing the energy efficiency of their homes. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) organizes the program on a national level and provides grants to the states, who in turn administer the delivery of weatherization services through more than 1,000 local weatherization agencies.

Building on its impressive record of working successfully in low-income communities throughout the country, the Weatherization Assistance Program is making inroads to Indian tribes. And there are a number of reasons for weatherization's relative slow development on reservations. Often there are jurisdictional ambiguities about which local weatherization agencies are responsible to provide services. In some places, state agencies have no working relationships with Indian tribes. For their part, few Indian tribes include weatherization as part of their housing programs.

But that is changing as Indian tribes discover the benefits of weatherization and other renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) hopes to help move this process forward by increasing communication between states and Indian tribes. Beginning in 2005, ITCA will host a series of meetings with state agencies to identify opportunities for western states and Indian tribes to work together on weatherization and other energy efficiency projects.

Map of Arizona denotes Indian tribal lands.

Arizona Indian tribes occupy 27% of the land in Arizona and vary greatly in size and resources.
Credit: Inter Tribal Council of Arizona

Arizona Tribes Map the Challenges

The Native American population of the United States numbers 4.3 million (slightly more than 1.5% of the total population). There are 562 federally recognized Indian tribes. Of these, 227 are located in Alaska, and most are small communities (see map).

Map of United States denotes Indian tribal lands.

The 562 tribes in the United States inhabit 5% of the total land area, which contains more than 10% of the country's energy reserves.
Credit: National Congress of American Indians

Altogether, Indians own and administer 56 million acres of land on reservations in 34 states, which amount to about 5% of the total U.S. land area. The smallest reservations are situated on a couple of acres. The largest reservation — the Navajo — covers 25,516 square miles in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

This land is the largest asset for Indians and forms the foundation for each tribe to maintain its cultural identity. Most of this land is in remote, rural areas that are unsuited for large-scale agriculture. Nevertheless, land-based uses such as ranching, forestry, and oil and gas extraction are essential to tribal economies.

Indian Tribes and Their Jurisdictions

Each Indian tribe is a sovereign nation and recognized as such since first contact. Present day Indian reservations were created later through separate negotiations with the United States. The U.S. Constitution grants the federal government sole authority for Indian affairs; Indian tribes have all responsibilities that Congress does not specifically relegate to federal or state governments. Tribal responsibilities include land regulations, zoning, resource management, taxes on tribal enterprises, and the conduct of tribal members.

Indians who work on reservations pay federal income taxes like everyone else, but they do not pay income taxes to state or local jurisdictions. Over the years states have established (and the Supreme Court has upheld) state authority to collect sales and excise taxes for non-Indian commercial activity on Indian lands. With only limited access to tax revenues to fund their operations and services to their members, many tribes have turned to tribal enterprises such as gaming.

(Today 198 tribes are engaged in some sort of gaming. A small number of these are sophisticated and successful operations, and 22 tribes collect more than half of all revenues from Indian gaming. Most tribal gaming operations are similar to, but much smaller than, the 37 state-run lotteries.)

Indian Housing Programs Provide an Opening

For a variety of reasons, most Indians on reservations live with a much lower level of services than the majority of Americans. Although these service levels reflect across the board, examples in law enforcement and education underscore the extent of the problem. Indians have 60% fewer police per capita who must cover much larger territories than their non-Indian counterparts. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)-funded schools are attended by 50,000 children. Unfortunately, the repair and construction backlog at BIA schools now exceeds $1 billion. This means that the majority of school-age children who live on reservations must commute to public schools in surrounding communities.

The economic and social conditions of the first Americans are equally disconcerting. Poverty rates on reservations average 31% — more than three times the national average. Unemployment hovers at 46%, which is almost ten times the national average. Fewer than half of homes on reservations are connected to public sewers. And on some reservations such as the Navajo, half the population lives in houses that lack plumbing altogether.

Although the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds construction of some housing on reservations, Indians face the highest rate of homelessness and overcrowding of any group in the United States. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights determined in July 2003 that 40% of Indian housing is considered substandard, compared with 6% nationwide. In Arizona, Alaska, and New Mexico, 60% of Indian housing is considered substandard.

With the passage of the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) of 1996, tribes are required to diversify funding for their housing programs or HUD will decrease support. This act provides an incentive for tribes to find other programs such as weatherization to build and improve tribal housing.

Weatherization Carves Inroads

The Weatherization Assistance Program has great potential to leverage federal and state housing programs, improve living standards, and promote energy and economic savings for Native Americans. Indian tribes have two options for participating — service through the state or direct funding. Outside Arizona, only a few states have experimented with direct funding to Indian tribes.

In Arizona, Indian tribes have banded together behind a regional organization — the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) — to coordinate weatherization work on reservations. ITCA serves as the weatherization agency for all its member tribes in Arizona. (The Navajo Nation is also in Arizona, but is not an ITCA member, and it has received direct funding from DOE for weatherization for 20 years.) ITCA coordinates training and technical assistance, and is responsible for monitoring program implementation as well as administrative reporting requirements for the Weatherization Assistance Program.

The ITCA project is now entering its fourth year and already has identified several accomplishments and best practices. More than 100 homes on Arizona reservations have been weatherized, and ITCA has twice that number under contract. Through this program, DOE has directed $80,000 per year to tribes in Arizona. In addition, ITCA has developed working partnerships with local weatherization agencies that work in non-Indian communities. These agencies have provided advice and support, model documents, recommended procedures, and some hands-on training for administrators, evaluators, and crews who work on reservations.

Perhaps most importantly, ITCA has involved the following additional programs in weatherization on Indian lands:

One of the great benefits of weatherization lies in its flexibility to combine funds from other sources that add benefits to recipients. This allows participants to creatively build their housing and energy programs while they reduce overall administrative overhead. The next goal for ITCA is to augment its DOE funding in ways that many local weatherization agencies do with utility funds and other low-income assistance programs. Finally, ITCA is planning regional meetings in 2005 for Indian tribes in DOE's Western Region that are interested in weatherization.

Cocopah Blaze the Trail

In 1999, the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) Weatherization Program contacted several Arizona Indian tribes about opportunities for weatherization. In October 2001, ITCA placed its first weatherization grant with the Cocopah Indian Housing and Development (CIHAD) to provide weatherization services to Cocopah families. Over a ten-month period, CIHAD received three grants that total $120,000, making the Cocopah Indian Tribe the first ITCA member to develop a self-sustaining tribal weatherization program.

Photo of men posing in a work yard around the Seal of the Sovereign Nation of the Cocopah on the side of a garage.

The Cocopah Indian Housing and Development weatherization crew address specific challenges of tribal housing to develop and produce a new product on site.
Credit: Cocopah Indian Tribe

Tribal Weatherization Crew Evolves

The Cocopah Reservation has one of the hottest climates in the country. It occupies 9.5 mi2 in the Sonoran Desert, about ten miles from where the Colorado River crosses the southwestern Arizona border into Mexico. Annual precipitation averages less than 3.5 inches, and summertime temperatures often exceed 120 °F. The 2000 Census listed 1,032 Cocopah Indian Tribe members who live in 147 private homes, 73 rental units, and a few Mutual Help Housing units scattered across the reservation.

CIHAD is a nonprofit organization created by the Cocopah Tribe to manage its rental housing. In 2002 the agency's modernization staff of five, including its director, worked on home maintenance and rehabilitation. This staff capability is one reason ITCA called on the Cocopah to initiate weatherization work. Another reason is CIHAD facilities director Glen Harris's depth of experience in the building trades and his commitment to hire and provide on-the-job training opportunities for Cocopah community members. Mr. Harris owned his own construction company from 1965 to 1981 and has served on the boards of directors of the California and National Home Builders Associations.

Harris recalls that it wasn't clear at first what the Cocopah modernization staff, who had no training in energy evaluations or retrofits, would gain from the weatherization grants. "We had no testing equipment, no audits, nothing needed for weatherization," he said. In fact, ITCA had to reject every item on his first proposal because none of the measures were allowable under the DOE Weatherization Assistance Program.

ITCA provided initial on-site technical training and helped send two CIHAD crew members to the DOE-sponsored National Weatherization Training Conference in Atlanta in November 2001. Harris attended the Western Region Weatherization Training Conference in Spokane in July 2002 to learn more about the administrative requirements of the program. The training allowed the Cocopah weatherization crew to test and evaluate houses for energy efficiency, and recommend and install efficiency measures in participating homes. The testing includes evaluating the integrity of the building shell; blower-door tests to evaluate pressures in duct systems and living spaces; health and safety tests to identify the presence of combustible gases or carbon monoxide in homes with gas water heaters and stoves.

Work began in August 2002 and continued through May 2003 under the weatherization grants. During this time, the CIHAD crew weatherized 65 housing units — 44 rentals and 21 private homes — on the reservation. Weatherization included ceiling insulation up to R-30 rating, shell repairs to decrease the infiltration of warm outside air into the premises, and addressing safety hazards caused by poorly operating appliances.

Crew Innovates, Manufactures Sunscreens

Once work was underway, the CIHAD crew was able to solve specific problems. Harris found a manufacturer of solar screens in Yuma, Arizona, and arranged for this company to teach the CIHAD crew how to manufacture them on site. He then found a wholesale materials supplier in Phoenix. Soon the Cocopah were manufacturing their own window screens to reduce solar gain and cooling loads. (Measures such as these that are designed to reduce cooling loads are allowed in Arizona under DOE's warm climate weatherization initiative.) Harris arranged to borrow equipment from an insulation supplier in Somerton for blowing the insulation he purchased into attics.

While working in the attics, CIHAD crews found another problem: abandoned swamp coolers that had been used in many Cocopah houses decades earlier. When this equipment was replaced with air conditioners, the installers had left the old metal uninsulated supply ducts above the ceilings, and the residents continued to use them. This had caused the air conditioners to perform poorly and allowed water to condense. This condensate would drip through the ceiling drywall, damage structures, and create a mess. The crews fixed these problems by correctly connecting the ductwork and covering, sealing, and insulating it inside a plywood plenum. This solution isolated the ducts from the hot attics, which prevents hot air from passing into living spaces when the air conditioning is not in use and eliminated condensation when it is in use.

Lessons Learned

Portrait photo of Glen Harris

CIHAD facilities director Glen Harris enhanced employment opportunities for the Cocopah by helping to build one of this country's first Indian tribal weatherization crews.
Credit: Cocopah Indian Tribe

The Cocopah Weatherization crew presented their project at the 2003 National Weatherization Conference in Phoenix, and included the following lessons learned:

Glen Harris suggests that weatherization can benefit Indian housing agencies whether they hire their own crew or subcontract the work. Either way, housing stock improves and the tribe pays less on its energy bills. Skilled weatherization crews from the outside can sometimes come onto the reservation and do the job quickly.

Starting a tribal weatherization crew is more difficult, but the rewards for tribes can be longer lasting. Harris explains, "CIHAD tries to spend every dime of grant funding on the reservation." His advice for housing agencies that want to start their own weatherization crews on the reservation is to hold the supervisors accountable for progress. Training is available for technicians from weatherization training centers, and supervisors usually know who needs training and how to keep projects on track.

Outline of How States Can Work Successfully with Indian Tribes

Photo of a southwestern style adobe home with a ladder against the wall.

Weatherization can improve the housing stock and significantly reduce energy bills for Indian tribes.

Indian tribes are as diverse as weatherization agencies. Numerous tribal offices — housing authorities, departments of family services, departments of elder services, tribal electric utilities, and nonprofit community action agencies — might have administrative responsibility for low-income housing.

This diversity would lead one to believe that locally managed programs would work better for Indian tribes than national programs with rigid rules. However, this is not always true.

Challenges for Decentralized Federal Programs

Over the past several decades the federal government has increasingly transferred responsibilities for government services from Washington, D.C., to state and local authorities. This process, called decentralization, is intended to make government more responsive to local needs. It deeply affects tribal governments because sometimes they have authority to receive resources and administer these newly decentralized programs and sometimes they don’t. For example, environmental regulations and welfare reform recognize tribal authority. Other laws limit authority over social welfare programs such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program to state governments. As a decentralized program that is new to Indian country, the Weatherization Assistance Program faces these same challenges.

In general, Indian tribes welcome the opportunity for increased responsibility and local input. Tribal governments are democratic institutions and are always looking for ways to improve program delivery and relationships with states. National standards can sometimes reduce misunderstandings by setting a minimum baseline for required services.

It is then up to individual tribes and states to hammer out the details. Some tribes are naturally better negotiators, and some states seem more inclined than others to respond to individual tribal requirements. For this process to work, Indian tribes:

Because of the rural and dispersed nature of many Indian populations, program administration for serving Native Americans can be more expensive per capita than for mainstream Americans who live in urban areas. Perhaps because of its history of serving other rural populations, DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program recognizes these differences and could become a model for other federal programs to work successfully in Indian country.

Recommendations for Improving Delivery of Weatherization Services

The Weatherization Assistance Program has other characteristics worth emulating. The program has a terrific track record of building capacity and creating local jobs. Indian tribes are very interested in job creation and in fostering small business opportunities to improve housing. Weatherization fosters independence and personal responsibility, and some states have very effective consumer education on energy conservation. Tribes are interested in adapting these materials to meet local needs.

Nevertheless, weatherization has a long way to go before it reaches all 562 Indian tribes. In the near term, tribes, states, and federal agencies, can take several steps:

Service Models Differ

If there is one "take-home" message, it is that one solution does not fit all Indian tribes. Several western states have developed examples of how to effectively deliver weatherization services to Indian tribes with different requirements:

Invitation to the States

ITCA appreciates the sincere interest and support from DOE, state program managers, and local weatherization agencies that have been instrumental in helping ITCA begin its Weatherization Program. The initial success of the Arizona tribes is proof that weatherization works! The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona and its allies in Alaska and other western states want to share the lessons learned from efforts with Indian and state governments. Therefore, a series of meetings is being planned for 2005 to document the extent to which Indian tribes are involved in weatherizing homes and to share "best practices" on what has worked in other states.

To begin this process, ITCA has been awarded nominal funding through DOE to host several meetings with tribes and state weatherization agencies in the West. The first state or regional meeting is in the planning stages and is tentatively scheduled for the Northwest in early February at the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Economic Development Corporation. In June ITCA will hold general discussions at the Joint Low-Income Energy Conference in Phoenix. These face-to-face encounters will help identify opportunities for partnerships and nurture champions for weatherization and energy efficiency in state agencies that serve Native American families.

If you are interested, contact me:

Dave Castillo
Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
2214 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-258-4822

Visit these links for more information about Native Americans, lists of Indian tribes, and links to regional tribal organizations:



State Energy Offices Bulletin

Stories submitted by state energy offices about their projects.

Alabama

Alabama Endorses Truck Stop Electrification

The Science, Technology and Energy Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs partnered with the Applied Research Center of Alabama and other parties to demonstrate truck stop electrification.

IdleAire service modules were installed at the Petro Truck Stop on Interstate Highway 20 between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Truckers mount adapters in their windows to accommodate the modules. Each module has a credit card-driven touch-screen monitor that enables the trucker to receive air-conditioning, heating, and conveniences such as telephone, cable TV, 110-volt electric power outlets for small appliances, and Internet connections. No truck modifications are required, the modules operate quietly, and truckers can turn off their engines and maintain comforts that are traditionally provided by noisy idling engines.

Diesel fuel savings at this stop are estimated at 250,000 gallons annually, which would save more than $500,000 in fuel costs. Also, the fuel reduction will remove about 1,800 metric tons of emissions from the atmosphere each year.



Arizona

Arizona Opens Weatherization Center

The Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office has opened a Weatherization Training Center at the Foundation for Senior Living in the Weatherization Program office in Phoenix. At this center auditors and crews will learn how to implement Arizona's residential weatherization program. The center's primary goal is to teach field personnel how to apply decision-making processes to each home.

Initial training will cover workstations for pressure diagnostic training and repair. Future phases may focus on combustion appliances, refrigeration, and computers.



Arkansas

Photo of a woman handing a booklet to another woman.

Liz Fulton (left), author of the energy guide for Arkansas students, presents the educational package to a teacher at a professional conference in November.
Credit: Arkansas Energy Office

Arkansas Launches Energy Education

The Arkansas Energy Office has partnered with the Arkansas Environmental Federation and Arkansas Educational Television Network to design and implement an energy education program for Arkansas students.

"Energy" is a classroom package that introduces students to environmental concepts and language. The 12-minute video (free to Arkansas schools) provides an overview of cause-and-effect relationships (mostly environmental and economic impacts) between energy resources and energy choices in Arkansas. An educator's guide, titled The Environmental Educator's Book, is available online from the Arkansas Education Telecommunications Network.



Colorado

Colorado Trains in Anaerobic Digester Technology

The Colorado Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC) conducted a workshop on anaerobic digesters and methane recovery on October 5. These technologies can cut energy costs and reduce lagoon odors at large animal operations.

The workshop focused on pork, dairy, and cattle producers. Shown for the first time was a videotaped virtual tour of a large pork-producing facility in Lamar, Colorado, which included its digesters and microturbine systems. A related brochure that offers a primer on the technology was distributed at the event. Both are available from the OEMC.



Energy Hog Leads Colorado Weatherization Day

The cities of Denver and Grand Junction staged their first Weatherization Day on October 22. The events were hosted by the Energy Hog, a character created by the Ad Council to teach children about energy issues. The hog guided media representatives through home tours, highlighted energy-efficient practices, and provided tips on how to lower utility bills. The occasion was a big hit, according to the OEMC. In Grand Junction, all three network TV stations covered Weatherization Day.



Microturbine Powers the Pool at University of Colorado

OEMC announced the installation of a 30-kilowatt microturbine at the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder Recreation Center. The natural gas-fueled Capstone C30 microturbine will provide electricity and heat for operating the center's swimming pool pumps and heating the water.

The installation will be used to familiarize engineering students with distributed power generation. The CU location was selected in part because it can expose students and the public to this emerging energy technology. The microturbine can be viewed from outside the CU Recreation Center in Boulder.



District of Columbia

Photo of a man fueling a vehicle at the hydrogen dispenser at a Shell station.

Hydrogen fuel is available to a fleet of six GM fuel cell-powered minivans and other vehicles at this Shell station in Washington, D.C.
Credit: Shell

Washington, D.C., Opens Hydrogen Fueling Station

A service station in Washington, D.C., became the first retail facility in the eastern United States to offer hydrogen as a vehicle fuel. A Shell station on Benning Road has paired a hydrogen pump with a 1,500-gallon double-walled underground storage tank. The site will continue to sell gasoline, and its visitors center highlights hydrogen as a vehicle fuel.

The facility will support a General Motors Corporation fleet of six HydroGen3 fuel cell vehicles, and provide a real-life demonstration of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and fueling infrastructure technology. The HydroGen3 is powered by a 94-kilowatt fuel cell stack and has enough power to reach 100 miles per hour.

The project was supported by the DC Energy Office, which strives to encourage the use of alternative fuel vehicles and promote the application of fuel cell technologies, consistent with recommendations in the District of Columbia Comprehensive Energy Plan 2003-2007.



Florida

Florida Utility Trades Green Certificates Derived from Solar Hot Water Heaters

Lakeland Electric made history this month when it became the first company to sell green energy credits derived from solar water heaters. Other companies have been selling credits (also known as green certificates) from electricity derived from solar photovoltaics (PV) for several years. Lakeland Electric, a municipal utility serving Lakeland, Florida, generates these credits from its solar hot water program that began in 1998 with financial support from the Florida Energy Office of the Department of Environmental Protection. For more on the project, see a May 2002 SEP case study.

Here is how the credits work. The certificates are separated from the energy generation and represent the renewable portion of the commodity. They can then be traded separately from the energy because the use of renewable energy eliminates the need to combust fossil fuels in conventional generation to meet customers' energy needs. This green commodity is not delivered to the home of the purchaser. Instead, these credits can be traded to other utilities for their retail green programs. For more information, see an online explanation from EERE's Green Power Network titled Renewable Energy Certificates.

Earlier this year Lakeland Electric assigned 330,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of certificates it had generated in its solar programs to Sterling Planet (a developer and marketer of renewable energy in the Northeast). In September Sterling Planet sold certificates from 25,000 kWh of electricity generated from PV and 25,000 kWh of thermal energy generated from solar thermal panels for $0.04 per kWh. Lakeland Electric's Green Energy Coordinator Jeff Curry said the transaction is notable because it did not result from a regulatory mandate. Curry said, "It was 100% driven by supply and demand market forces."



Florida and FedEx Test Hybrid Trucks

Florida is working with Federal Express to test hybrid trucks in the company's delivery fleet. The state's Department of Environmental Protection hopes the demonstration will lead to increased use of clean energy technologies in commercial transportation operations.

The fuel-efficient, low-emission trucks are powered by a hybrid diesel-electric technology developed by Eaton Corporation, another partner in the program. Florida is one of only four states that have joined forces in this fashion with Federal Express, and currently has four such trucks on the road.

Also in Florida, state agencies have committed to purchasing alternative fuel and clean energy vehicles. More than 22% of the Department of Environmental Protection (where the Florida Energy Office resides) is made up clean energy transportation, including 50 hybrid vehicles and more than 250 alternative fuel vehicles.



Hawaii

Photo of a woman chatting with people at a consumer show exhibit.

State of Hawaii energy analyst Priscilla Thompson (right) chats with visitors to the DBEDT exhibit at the Energy Awareness Month exhibition.
Credit: Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism

Hawaii Hosts Energy Awareness Month

In October 2004, Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) participated in an Energy Awareness Month exhibition at one of Honolulu's major shopping malls. The event promoted energy awareness and conservation, with exhibits, interactive displays, and promotional activities. Also featured was live music and an appearance by "The Mad Scientists" — four Hawaii teachers whose stage antics make science fun. DBEDT distributed 3,000 energy-related publications and related items.



Hawaii Hosts Green Hotels Forum

During October and November, Hawaii's DBEDT hosted two Green Hotel Forums, which are sponsored by the Hawaii Green Business Program. The program, founded in 2002, promotes and recognizes companies that implement energy, water, and land conservation measures. The forums were held at the Hyatt Regency Kauai and the Hale Koa in Waikiki, and are devoted to hospitality industry practices that save energy and resources. Several such forums have been held this year. Presentations usually include information on utility rebates for conservation, recycling initiatives, and energy management techniques.

A major success has been the guests' voluntary reuse of bed linens and towels, which can save 100 million gallons of water, 250 tons of detergent, and enough energy to power more than 1,500 homes per year. The program is a collaboration between the DBEDT, the Hawaii Department of Health, and the Chamber of Commerce.



Idaho

Idaho Courthouse Earns ENERGY STAR® Label

Idaho's Ada County Courthouse and Administration Building has been awarded the ENERGY STAR label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in recognition of its energy-efficient design. Fewer than 1,800 buildings in the United States have received this designation.

Completed in January 2003, the 350,000-ft2 courthouse has twice the space of the building that preceded it. The county saw a 56% reduction in energy use per square foot during its first full month of operation, compared to a year earlier.

Plans to make the building as energy efficient as possible began in the early stages of design. Its systems were designed, installed, tested, and certified through a process known as building commissioning to meet operational needs. That process, which is part of the DOE-funded Rebuild Idaho project, is managed by the Energy Division of the Idaho Department of Water Resources.

Source: September-October 2004 edition of Idaho Currents (PDF 102 KB). Download Acrobat Reader.



Kansas

Kansas Conducts Renewable Energy Conference

The Kansas Corporation Commission held the state's fifth annual Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Conference October 26–27 in Topeka. Lieutenant Governor John Moore opened the conference, which featured such expert speakers as Larry Flowers of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Doug Seiter of DOE's Central Regional Office. The conference was sponsored by DOE's Wind Powering America and the State Energy Program.



Kentucky

Logo of the Bluegrass Energy Expo.

Kentucky Hosts Bluegrass Energy Expo

Approximately 850 people attended the first Bluegrass Energy Expo, held October 16–17 at the Lexington Convention Center. Initial funding for the event was provided by the Kentucky Division of Energy. Other major sponsors included Lexmark and Sylvania.

More than 45 exhibitors presented and 15 workshops included information on energy-saving products, renewable energy technologies, and financing alternatives. A children's energy expo was held separately and included activities such as hands-on renewable energy explorations, workshops for building solar ovens, and art activities that involve recycled materials.



Maryland

Maryland Focuses on Business Energy

"Business Smart Energy" was the theme of Maryland's third annual Energy Conference, held November 9 in Baltimore. Presentations addressed better energy management practices and procurement strategies. More than 100 representatives of private industry, school systems, universities, utilities, energy suppliers, consultants, and government attended. The event was sponsored by the Maryland Energy Institute and the Industries of the Future Program of the Maryland Energy Administration.

Several of the day's presentations are offered for viewing online by the Maryland Energy Administration.



Michigan

Michigan Opens Hydrogen Park

An opening ceremony in Southfield, Michigan, on October 19 marked the beginning of the Michigan Hydrogen Technology Park, a "power park" that will produce hydrogen from renewable energy sources. David Garman, assistant secretary for DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, attended the event.

The park will make electricity from on-site solar panels and from an off-site municipal solid waste plant. The three-year project will cost $3 million, which will be shared by DOE and Michigan-based DTE Energy. DaimlerChrysler will supply vehicles, and BP will provide fueling technology.



New York

New York Projects Demonstrate Energy Storage

Two major projects will demonstrate advanced electrical energy storage devices in New England that resulted from a joint initiative between DOE and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

One demonstration project will affect a Long Island bus facility. Peak loads for running compressors will be shifted to off-peak hours. The project will deploy a sodium-sulfur battery system, which will also provide emergency backup power. Peak load reduction is becoming an urgent need in urban areas that suffer from congested transmission lines.

The other project will provide frequency regulation in a portion of the electrical grid operated by Beacon Power Corporation of Wilmington, Massachusetts. The project will deploy a high-energy flywheel energy storage system. Frequency regulation is necessary to balance the constantly varying differences between electricity generation and load.

Five smaller analysis and development projects for storage technologies have also been identified. The entire three-year program will cost $7.1 million, of which DOE's Energy Storage Research Program will contribute $900,000. NYSERDA will provide $2.6 million, and contract awardees will provide the remaining $3.6 million. Contracts are being negotiated, and the awards will be announced at a later date.



North Carolina

North Carolina Funds Alternative Fuels

The North Carolina Solar Center, which is supported by the State Energy Office, recently awarded three new grants through its Alternative Fuels Incentive Program. With these awards, total funding distributed through that program exceeds $90,000.

Buncombe County received nearly $30,000 to purchase six vehicles that run on compressed natural gas. Blue Ridge Biofuels received $8,400 in startup money to sell biodiesel directly from its production facility in Asheville. A $2,000 grant went to the North Carolina Zoological Park to finance the use of biodiesel in trams, buses, generators, and other equipment. More information is available from the North Carolina Solar Center.



Ohio

Businesses, Communities Honored in Ohio

On November 17 Ohio Governor Bob Taft recognized, as part of his Excellence in Energy Efficiency Awards, Ohio businesses and institutions that make conservation and energy efficiency standard practices. The governor spoke at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium in Columbus and presented 11 awards to projects that will save more than $1.1 million.

At the same ceremony, several Ohio communities were designated as "Governor's Energy Smart Communities." The designation recognizes their commitment to energy efficiency and renewable energy, and their ability to show results.



Photo of an office building as seen from an aerial perspective.

The renovated Cleveland Environmental Center (foreground) enhances an aerial view of downtown Cleveland.
Credit: Ohio Green Building Coalition

Ohio Finances Green Building Retrofit

The Cleveland Environmental Center, formerly known as the Adam Joseph Lewis building, underwent an extensive green retrofit with low-interest financing from the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Energy Efficiency. It is the first such undertaking in the state.

The five-story, 25,000-ft2 building was constructed in 1918. Its exterior features now include geothermal heat pump, a bioswale in the parking lot to prevent excess water runoff during storms, and a green roof with a garden and a solar array. Inside are motion detector lights, environmentally friendly bamboo flooring, recycled fiber carpeting, wheatboard subflooring, and eco-friendly office furniture.

Source: June 2003 issue of Properties Magazine



Ohio Repeats Wind Conference

Ohio held its second Wind Power Conference in Cleveland November 9–10. (The first was successfully staged in 2002.) The Ohio Department of Development, DOE, and the nonprofit Green Energy Ohio joined forces to organize the conference. Numerous speakers and breakout sessions covered, among other topics, Ohio's potential to manufacture components for the rapidly growing wind power industry.



Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Awards $5 Million in Energy Harvest Grants

In the second round of its annual Energy Harvest initiative, Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection awarded 34 grants that total $5 million. The grants will leverage more than $13 million in private funds, and provide the "last increment" of financing for clean and renewable energy from sources such as biomass, wind, solar, small-scale hydroelectric, landfill and coal-bed methane, and waste coal.

Since its inception in May 2003, the Energy Harvest has awarded $10 million and leveraged $26.7 million in private funds, according to Kathleen McGinty, secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.

The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority provides tax-free bond financing for projects that develop, promote, and more efficiently use indigenous alternative energy resources. Governor Edward G. Rendell has proposed an $800 million bond initiative to generate new sources of revenue to address environmental challenges. More than $80 million will be spent over four years to expand the Pennsylvania Energy Harvest.



South Carolina

South Carolina Boosts Solar Water Heating

The South Carolina Energy Office has made available at least $80,000 in grant funding for projects to demonstrate the technical and economic efficiency of solar water heating. The Public Building Solar Initiative targets public facilities that need hot water for baths, showers, kitchens, laundries, and swimming pools. State agencies, colleges and universities, public school districts, local governments, and nonprofit organizations are eligible.

The application deadline was December 10, 2004; notification of awards is set for February 15, 2005. Grants will cover 75% of the costs of designing and installing solar water heating systems and of purchasing five-year service contracts. The maximum award is $25,000. Each applicant was required to submit a study that describes the current water heating equipment and the proposed solar equipment. Projects must offer a documented energy savings payback of eight years or less.



Texas

Texas Sponsors Green Homes Workshop

More than 300 people attended the Green Homes 101 Workshop at the University of Houston. The event was sponsored by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office and conducted by the Houston Advanced Research Center. Featured lecturer Michael Myers of Aspen Systems Corporation led a discussion of green home design and construction. Topics included whole building system integration, energy and water efficiency, passive and renewable energy, environmentally preferred materials, and indoor air quality.



Virgin Islands

Renewable Energy Training in the Virgin Islands

North Carolina Solar Center organized a workshop on distributed generation in the Virgin Islands. Aimed at building inspectors, the workshop was sponsored by the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, the North Carolina Department of Planning and Natural Resources, and the Southeast Regional Office of DOE. The event was hosted by the Virgin Islands Energy Office, and the main speaker was Bill Brooks of California-based Endecon Engineering.

Brooks also conducted a week-long course in photovoltaic (PV) power at North Carolina State University (NCSU). He was accompanied by Shawn Fitzpatrick, who manages the Solar Center's PV program. The training was part of the university's noncredit Renewable Energy Technologies Diploma Series. That series will continue in January with training in solar water heaters, biomass products, and biodiesel fuel.



Wyoming

Wyoming Plans to Promote Geothermal Energy

In cooperation with the Wyoming Business Council, which operates the state's energy office, the Converse Area New Development Organization drafted an initiative to advance geothermal energy development in Wyoming. The state is a prime candidate for geothermal direct use applications such as home heating and cooling, spas, agriculture, aquaculture, greenhouses, and space heating.

The Wyoming Geothermal Outreach Program aims to increase public awareness of opportunities in geothermal energy, as it works with government and industry to improve the state's regulatory and economic environment. It will promote environmentally compatible heat and power, industrial growth, and economic development. The program will create geothermal information-sharing tools, including workshops, a Web site, and information packets. Representatives will engage in trade missions to other states to research best practices in geothermal development.





State Energy Information

New state Web sites and publications, and DOE pubs dealing with energy efficiency and renewable energy in the states.

Wind Turbine Development: Location of Manufacturing Activity
(PDF 1.61 MB)
The Renewable Energy Policy Project publishes this report about which states will benefit from wind manufacturing if national policies such as a portfolio standard, which support wind development, are adopted; 67 pp; September, 2004.

State Energy Web Sites

Missouri Wind Energy Resources

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources publishes wind resource data from the state, including updated data from its anemometer loan program; 4 pp.

DOE Publications on State-Related Topics