Mesa State New Solar Dorm

Students begin to fill new dorm at Mesa State

By EMILY ANDERSON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The new Mesa State College residence hall on North and Cannell avenues will open to a full house this school year.
More than 100 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for the $21.3 million, three-building, 93,524-square-foot complex, which will house 304 students. It has a two-story central building with common areas, a four-story building on Cannell Avenue with 24 apartments housing six students each, and a five-story building on North Avenue with retail space on the first floor and 32 suites housing five to six students apiece on the other four floors. A second-story skywalk connects the buildings.
Each building has the same amenities as other residence halls, plus environmentally friendly technology such as solar panels, motion-sensor lights and a connection to a geothermal field that is serving the college’s teaching and business classroom building.
Even with the new rooms, Mesa State is bursting with on-campus residents. The number fluctuates each day, Housing and Residence Life Director Chip Thomas said, but 20 to 25 students could end up staying in hotels this year until rooms become available for them.
Thomas said he hasn’t seen much of a decrease in upperclassmen choosing to live on campus, even though Grand Junction’s apartment vacancy rate increased recently. The trend is likely more about convenience than rent, Thomas said.
“You can park here, you can walk to campus, everything’s here,” Thomas said, adding the residence halls have free laundry, cable and Wi-Fi service.
Fall-semester classes start Monday at Mesa State. Some students have moved into the halls, including more than 100 in the new complex, but most students will move into on-campus housing this weekend.
Email EMILY ANDERSON

Xcel drops proposed surcharge on solar customers

Xcel drops proposed surcharge on solar customers

DENVER — Xcel Energy has withdrawn a proposal for a surcharge on Colorado homes and small businesses with solar panels.

Xcel, the state's largest electricity supplier, initially said it wanted to charge solar-equipped customers to help pay the cost of distribution and transmission lines to their homes and businesses.

Xcel said Tuesday the proposal had caused "significant customer confusion." The utility told state regulators it was dropping the plan.

Gov. Bill Ritter welcomed the move, saying the fee would have been a step backward and would have threatened jobs in the solar-energy industry.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission had scheduled a hearing on the proposal for Wednesday.

___

August 4, 2009 - 2:13 p.m. Copyright 2009, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Contact the CO PUC Now!

UNFAIR RATE INCREASE PENALIZES XCEL ENERGY
CUSTOMERS WITH SOLAR PV SYSTEMS!

Xcel Energy Proposes Discriminatory Rate Hike to Penalize Solar Energy Households
Residents with grid-tie solar systems connected to Xcel Energy will be subject to a SOLAR PENALTY under a proposal currently under review by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

PUBLIC ATTENDANCE AT THE PUC’S PUBLIC HEARING IS IMPERATIVE!

Every residence with a solar system will be charged a ratcheted MINIMUM MONTHLY CHARGE— regardless of how much electricity is generated by the solar system in that month. If a solar household purchases electricity from Xcel Energy in ANY twelve-month period, Xcel will charge the customer for that same amount of electricity as A MINIMUM CHARGE EVERY SINGLE MONTH FOR THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS—even in months when you are producing all of your own electricity! If you purchase electricity from Xcel Energy in more than one month, the new minimum monthly charge will be pegged to the month in which you purchase the GREATEST number of kilowatthours! These charges are IN ADDITION to the current minimum $7.50 per month already paid by solar customers! Xcel Energy is proposing its third increase in residential rates this year, and on top of that—targeting residential solar customers in particular. Under Xcel Energy’s proposal: THIS PROPOSAL WILL PENALIZE COLORADO RESIDENTS FOR INSTALLING SOLAR SYSTEMS AND REDUCE SOLAR SYSTEM “PAYBACK” DRAMATICALLY. IT IS A NEGATIVE NATIONAL PRECEDENT THAT REJECTS THE SPIRIT OF AMENDMENT 37 AND STALLS THE CREATION OF THE NEW ENERGY ECONOMY!

JOIN US IN TAKING ACTION:
1. Contact your solar installer to confirm your attendance at the PUC’s public comment hearing on Wednesday, 5 August, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at 1560 Broadway, Suite 1550, Denver, 80202.
A public outcry must be heard at the PUC to stop this proposal before it becomes energy policy
in Colorado. A large crowd of concerned—and polite--solar owners is our best defense against
this outrageous proposal. Remember that we are speaking to the PUC as it considers Xcel Energy’s proposal. Xcel Energy made the proposal, not the PUC.

2. While it is best to show up in person, you can send an email to register your objections with the PUC. http://dora.state.co.us/pls/real/CCTS_oweb/complaint_form Re: Docket # 09AL-299E

3. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact your solar installer or check out the website of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (CoSEIA): http://www.coseia.org

Xcel Proposes 'back-up power" fee for solar homes

Xcel proposes "backup power" fee for solar homes

DENVER — Solar panels used to power homes in Colorado are emissions free and having access to traditional fossil-fuel generated backup electrical power is also free, for now.
Xcel Energy is seeking to change that by proposing a rate increase for solar customers that the state's largest power supplier said pays for providing electricity in case those homes need it.
Xcel is proposing a 2.6 cents per kilowatt hour fee based on the generating capacity of a home's solar panels. The proposed fee would be along with actual electricity used and a $7 to $8 service fee now charged to cover meter reading and billing.
Current solar customers would be exempt.
The Public Utilities Commission will hold a hearing on Xcel's proposed fee on Aug. 5.
Members of the solar panel industry oppose the fee, saying homeowners installing solar panels allow Xcel to add carbon-free energy while using existing infrastructure, saving the company money on construction and transmission lines.
They say installing panels also helps Xcel meet a state mandate that the compnay generate 20 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020.
"It's going to have a tremendously negative effect on the solar industry in Colorado if Xcel's proposal is approved," Blake Jones, president of Namaste Solar in Boulder told the Daily Camera. "Solar-system owners are actually providing a benefit to the utility, to the grid and to other rate payers."
Solar customers are net-metered, which means they receive credit for excess electricty produced by the solar panels that flows into Xcel's power grid.
Jones said Xcel could become the first utility to charge net-metered solar customers a fee for having access to electricity in the grid.
"This is something that's not happening anywhere in the country," Jones said. "This is not a good thing. This is not part of the vision we have for Colorado's new energy economy."
Xcel spokesman Tom Henley defended the proposed hike.
"We have to build the system so the customer can use as much energy as they want," Xcel spokesman Tom Henley said. "Right now, solar customers have this backup to the grid for free."
___
Information from: Daily Camera, http://www.dailycamera.com/

July 25, 2009 - 4:10 p.m. MDTCopyright 2009, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Higher cap by utility panel could help Rifle increase solar energy

Higher cap by utility panel could help Rifle increase solar energy

By DENNIS WEBB/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

Saturday, July 04, 2009

The city of Rifle’s hopes of fully powering a new waste- water treatment plant with renewable energy are in the hands of a state regulatory commission.

The city is waiting for the Public Utilities Commission to decide whether to lift a 2-megawatt-per-customer cap on net metering of renewable energy. An administrative law judge has made a recommendation in the city’s favor.

Net metering allows customers with their own renewable energy installations to be credited for energy they produce that exceeds their consumption of a utility’s power.

Although the cap doesn’t affect most consumers, Rifle has the largest municipal solar installation in the state. It includes a 1.7-megawatt array for the treatment plant and a 0.6-megawatt system for a raw water intake plant.

It would take a 4-megawatt system to fully power the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

Mike Braaten, the city’s government affairs director, raised the issue with the state as the PUC began considering a much broader rewrite of rules pertaining to renewable energy standards approved by state voters in 2004.

Denver and Boulder also have joined in voicing concern about the cap, in Denver’s case because it has a large solar array at Denver International Airport.

Some cities recommended an exemption for municipal customers.

Xcel Energy supported a cap consisting of the lesser of 2 megawatts or 120 percent of a customer’s average annual electricity consumption.

In April, as part of a larger package of renewable energy rule recommendations, Administrative Law Judge Ken Kirkpatrick wrote that the 2-megawatt cap is “somewhat arbitrary” and that a larger limit is warranted.

He recommends imposing only the cap of 120 percent of average annual use, no matter how large a system that allows. Braaten said that standard would meet Rifle’s needs.

The PUC is scheduled to act on the renewable energy rule revisions later this year.

Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz said the utility is not opposing the judge’s recommendation on the cap.

However, he said the concerns that Xcel raised about a larger cap continue to be relevant. Increased renewable energy capacity adds to Xcel’s challenge of providing backup electricity when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.

In his recommendation, Kirkpatrick called that concern valid, but said it involves engineering and operational issues, and the cap is primarily an economic one.

Stutz said Xcel is testing batteries and molten salt as means of storing renewable energy, along with a system to use wind to produce hydrogen, which could then serve as a fuel source.

Cost shouldn’t be utility’s only consideration

Grand Valley Power has issued a strongly worded statement opposing the cap and trade legislation working its way through Congress. In this statement, it becomes clear that the overriding mission of Grand Valley Power is to provide least-cost power to its customers without other considerations.

Grand Valley Power purchases all its power from XCEL Energy. XCEL Energy generates power from a variety of sources, with coal plants contributing over 50 percent of this mix. The mean use GVP customer, the one that uses only 750 kilowatt hours of power a month, is secondarily responsible for the combustion of 10 pounds per day of coal and the subsequent discharge of carbon dioxideinto the atmosphere.

There is an excellent analysis of the climate crisis currently on newsstands, issued by National Geographic, called “Energy for Tomorrow.”

Only diehards are continuing to deny that the 6.8 billion human inhabitants of this planet bear some responsibility for climate change. The U.S. coal industry has or will receive half a trillion dollars to start the transition to cleaner electricity, yet some power suppliers are aggressively fighting this transition. Why?

What is Grand Valley Power’s responsibility as a secondary power distributor? Should REAs hold to least-cost mission statements, without factoring in any of the end costs related to their industry? Should power producers be required to utilize carbon sequestration, coal gasification and other processes to generate cleaner electricity or be penalized for their emissions?

Is cap and trade the best possible platform of change? There are many who support a straight carbon tax as far better solution. If you want to write your congressman, that would be my recommended suggestion.

I am a customer of Grand Valley Power, as a residence and as a business. I adamantly oppose Grand Valley Power’s position on this issue.

Fred Pittenger, CEO
Simplicity Solar
Grand Junction

Solar Industry to See Faster than Expected Growth

Solar industry to see faster than expected growth

By CHRIS KAHN AP Energy Writer
NEW YORK — The solar energy industry will grow faster than expected during the next few years as American utilities invest heavily in large-scale solar farms, analysts with Barclays Capital said Tuesday in a research note.
Barclays analyst Vishal Shah noted that demand for utility-scale solar projects could eventually make up half of the U.S. market. Major utilities could install about 5 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic projects during the next three years, the analyst said.
Solar power is still a tiny player on the American electrical grid, however.
The utility-scale projects currently in operation in the U.S. provide 444 megawatts of energy to the grid according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. That's enough to power 2.8 million homes, and it's only a fraction of the power generated by another alternative energy source, the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station near Phoenix.
That amount is expected to jump more than 12-fold in the next few years, however, with dozens of new solar plants under development in California, Arizona, Florida and Hawaii.
Shah said SunPower Corporation, First Solar Inc., Suntech Power Holdings Co. and Yingli Green Energy will be the primary players in utility-scale projects in coming years.
Because of the banking meltdown, the expansion depends heavily on the promise of billions of federal stimulus dollars that Congress earmarked for solar in the past year.
Power companies have had trouble raising money for major projects, and they still don't yet know how they can access federal grants and loan guarantees.
SEIA spokeswoman Monique Hanis said the Treasury Department and the Department of Energy are expected provide more information this summer.
"The sooner we can get some guidance, the sooner we can get moving on these projects," Hanis said.
___Copyright 2009, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

VOTE SOLAR!

Despite all this talk of a renewable energy future, the energy bill moving through congress doesn't do much for solar. (Want to learn why? Read our recent article on the topic). In the words of 80s songstress Bonnie Tyler, "we need a hero!"

Well, I think we just found her. Meet Senator Stabenow (D-MI), the new solar champion in Congress. She's stepping up to make sure the energy bill doesn't leave solar in the dark. She's introduced an amendment that would require utilities to add small-scale renewable resources such as solar to their electricity mix.

The amendment is already facing serious opposition from utilities that see solar as harmful to their profit margins. Surely we can make more noise than old energy. Let your Senators know that business-as-usual is not good enough. Solar needs to be a bigger part of our national energy future.

Senator Stabenow's amendment would increase the amount of solar we have deployed today by 224,900% by 2020. Declare your support for a solar future, today!

The Vote Solar Initiative
300 Brannan Street, Suite 609
San Francisco, CA 94107
www.votesolar.org

Grand Junction Solar Tour

June 06, 2009 11 am - 5 pm
Free to the public. Press Conference: 166 N. Cherry St., Fruita (home on tour) at 2pm

this event is for those people curious about what solar systems look like, how they work, what the return on investment is, or just want to “check out” how this technology can benefit them. High Noon Solar is offering a self-guided tour of 16 area residences and businesses across the Grand Valley that incorporate solar electric systems. High Noon Solar has partnered with MVM Mortgage Group and will have representatives at designated locations to answer solar and financing questions. Maps will soon be available on High Noon Solar’s website.

569 S. Westgate Drive, #4, CO
970-241-0209
www.HighNoonSolar.com

Cost Of Installed Solar Photovoltaic Systems Drops Significantly Over The Last Decade

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A new study on the installed costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the U.S. shows that the average cost of these systems declined significantly from 1998 to 2007, but remained relatively flat during the last two years of this period. (Credit: Image courtesy of DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2009) — A new study on the installed costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the U.S. shows that the average cost of these systems declined significantly from 1998 to 2007, but remained relatively flat during the last two years of this period.

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) who conducted the study say that the overall decline in the installed cost of solar PV systems is mostly the result of decreases in nonmodule costs, such as the cost of labor, marketing, overhead, inverters, and the balance of systems.

“This suggests that state and local PV deployment programs — which likely have a greater impact on nonmodule costs than on module prices — have been at least somewhat successful in spurring cost reductions,” states the report, which was written by Ryan Wiser, Galen Barbose, and Carla Peterman of Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division.

Installations of solar PV systems have grown at a rapid rate in the U.S., and governments have offered various incentives to expand the solar market.

“A goal of government incentive programs is to help drive the cost of PV systems lower. One purpose of this study is to provide reliable information about the costs of installed systems over time,” says Wiser.

The study examined 37,000 grid-connected PV systems installed between 1998 and 2007 in 12 states. It found that average installed costs, in terms of real 2007 dollars per installed watt, declined from $10.50 per watt in 1998 to $7.60 per watt in 2007, equivalent to an average annual reduction of 30 cents per watt or 3.5 percent per year in real dollars.

The researchers found that the reduction in nonmodule costs was responsible for most of the overall decline in costs. According to the report, this trend, along with a reduction in the number of higher-cost “outlier” installations, suggests that state and local PV-deployment policies have achieved some success in fostering competition within the industry and in spurring improvements in the cost structure and efficiency of the delivery infrastructure for solar power.

Costs differ by region and type of system

Other information about differences in costs by region and by installation type emerged from the study. The cost reduction over time was largest for smaller PV systems, such as those used to power individual households. Also, installed costs show significant economies of scale. Systems completed in 2006 or 2007 that were less than two kilowatts in size averaged $9.00 per watt, while systems larger than 750 kilowatts averaged $6.80 per watt.

Installed costs were also found to vary widely across states. Among systems completed in 2006 or 2007 and less than 10 kilowatts, average costs range from a low of $7.60 per watt in Arizona, followed by California and New Jersey, which had average installed costs of $8.10 per watt and $8.40 per watt respectively, to a high of $10.60 per watt in Maryland. Based on these data, and on installed-cost data from the sizable Japanese and German PV markets, the authors suggest that PV costs can be driven lower through sizable deployment programs.

The study also found that the new construction market offers cost advantages for residential PV systems. Among small residential PV systems in California completed in 2006 or 2007, those systems installed in residential new construction cost 60 cents per watt less than comparably-sized systems installed as retrofit applications.

Cash incentives declined

The study also found that direct cash incentives provided by state and local PV incentive programs declined over the 1998-2007 study period. Other sources of incentives, however, have become more significant, including federal incentive tax credits (ITCs). As a result of the increase in the federal ITC for commercial systems in 2006, total after-tax incentives for commercial PV were $3.90 per watt in 2007, an all-time high based on the data analyzed in the report. Total after-tax incentives for residential systems, on the other hand, averaged $3.1 per watt in 2007, their lowest level since 2001.

Because incentives for residential PV systems declined over this period, the net installed cost of residential PV has remained relatively flat since 2001. At the same time, the net installed cost of commercial PV has dropped — it was $3.90 per watt in 2007, compared to $5.90 per watt in 2001, a drop of 32 percent, thanks in large part to the federal ITC.

“Tracking the Sun: The Installed Cost of Photovoltaics in the U.S. from 1998–2007,” by Ryan Wiser, Galen Barbose, and Carla Peterman, may be downloaded as a PDF. The research was supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (Solar Energy Technologies Program) and Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (Permitting, Siting and Analysis Division), and by the Clean Energy States Alliance.

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Adapted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Show Me The Green

Who needs 100 days? By Day 93, better known the celebration of “Earth Day,” there was a lot to celebrate with a restored national commitment to protecting our economy and our natural places.

And while most of the press will spotlight the big political fights, the new record on energy, the economy, and conservation offers many positive reasons to observe the first 100 days.

A highlight was Day 7, when the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency reconsidered a previous biased decision preventing 14 states from reducing CO2 from cars and light trucks.

On Day 29, Colorado was the location to sign into law the single largest green funding initiative in American history, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which doubles America’s commitment to renewable energy production, improves the wise use of existing fuels, increases energy efficiency, and invests in clean transportation — all while creating 1.5 million energy jobs.

On Day 38, a national budget was unveiled that sets the stage for a national energy independence plan that reduces CO2 emissions and drives the nation to a modern and balanced energy economy.

That’s only three of dozens of environmental first days; yet, there is more work to do. The renewed national promise of energy innovation, invention, and independence lies before us.

During the first 100 days, the nation has set itself on a new direction when it comes to protecting our national heritage, natural preservation, and growing the economy through reconstruction and efficiency while reducing waste. I hope that the next 1,325 days are as productive as the first 100.

Lou Villaire
The Grand Junction Free Press, Letters to the Editor, Friday May 8 2009

Encana Energy Expo in Rifle to feature Natural Gas Technology and Alternative Energies

Sponsored by EnCana and free to attendees, the 7th annual Energy Expo gives an up-close look at the technology and skilled workforce responsible for developing clean domestic energy in Western Colorado. It takes place Wednesday, May 6th, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Garfield County Fairgrounds.

The Energy Expo is a great opportunity for people who live and work in the area to talk one-on-one with representatives from EnCana and numerous other local operators, contractor companies, work force-training groups, government and regulatory agencies and alternative energy companies.

“There have been a lot of changes in the last year, in the way Colorado’s energy resources are developed,” said Kathy Friesen, Education Advisor and Expo Director. “The Expo continues to be an educational forum for the community to gain first-hand knowledge about the natural gas industry, environmental initiatives and alternative energy. We encourage everyone to come out and ask questions.”

Emerging technology exhibits are a critical component of the Expo and this year is no different with EnCana debuting one of their natural gas fleet vehicles, the Honda Civic GX. EnCana recently launched its Drive NGV employee program and hasintroduced a small fleet of business and commuter-use natural gas powered vehicles to its employees to help increase awareness for the virtues of natural gas and its versatility as the cleanest commercially available fuel choice.

With more than 80 exhibits, the 7th Annual Energy Expo is on track to be the most informative expo yet. For more information, please contact EnCana at (970) 2....

EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EnCana Corporation. With an enterprise value of approximately US$40 billion, EnCana is a leading North American unconventional natural gas and integrated oil company. By partnering with employees, community organizations and other businesses, EnCana contributes to the strength and sustainability of the communities where it operates. EnCana common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol ECA. For more information, go to www.encana.com ^[2] or call 866-896-6371.

Solar Powered Fruita Fat Tire Festival

Fruita Fat Tire Festival Schedule

Here's the shedule for the 14th Annual New Belgium Brewing Fruita Fat Tire Festival presented by US Bank and supported by Shimano & the City of Fruita

Thursday April 23, 2009

• Expo set-up, VIP Party for industry and participants registered by April 23.
• Registration for the festival will occur from 3-6 pm at the Civic Center.

Friday April 24, 2009

• Expo, Beer Garden, Rides, Party 6-10pm - No Cover. Registration 10-6 pm at the Civic Center. Daily schedules posted at the Info Tent!

Saturday April 25, 2009

• Clunker Crit, Expo, Beer Garden, Rides, Party 6-10pm - No Cover, Registration 10-12 noon at the Civic Center. Daily schedules posted at the Info tent!

Sunday April 26, 2009

• Enjoy the trails before you head home!!

DMEA June 18 2009 Energy Expo

Mark Your Calendars for the Western Colorado

ENERGY EFFICIENCY CONFFEEREENCEE & EXPO

June 18, 2009

Topics :

𐂾 Adding power to our economy through energy efficiency

𐂾 Saving money in schools & other public buildings

𐂾 Achieving high rate of return on investment in efficiency in

commercial buildings

𐂾 Examples of energy efficient businesses in Western Colorado

𐂾 Daylighting (conventional & fiber optic)

𐂾 High-efficiency heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC)

𐂾 Utility efficiency programs

𐂾 Government policies to accelerate energy efficiency

𐂾 Grants, loans and other financing for energy efficiency

𐂾 Energy efficient new homes and home energy retrofits

𐂾 Plug in” hybrids, electric vehicles and more!

More than 50 displays of energy efficient

products, companies, vehicles and information!

Special Evening presentation featuring:

Don Juhasz

U.S. Army , Chief of Energy and Utilities Program

Sponsor, exhibitor, or speaker information:

Tom Polikalas: 970-240-1245 or public.relations@dmea.com

Grand Junction Earth Day 2009 Celebration

2nd Annual Earth Day Celebration

The time is upon us again to ramp up and get ready for the Earth Day celebration! High Noon Solar has volunteered to organize and help host the 2nd Annual Earth Day Event in Grand Junction because we understand the need for our community to stay involved with one another, as well as to get reliable information about ecologically friendly choices. Plus, it was great fun being involved with so many like-minded individuals last year! Thank you to all of those who participated in the event last year to make it such a success. Earth Day 2009 is shaping up to be even larger than last year. For one, we will NOT be competing with the Arbor Day Festival at Lincoln Park. The Arbor Day Festival will be held the weekend after Earth Day this year. Earth Day 2009 will be held April 18th, Saturday, from 11am- 5pm at the Mesa County Fairgrounds. We have all the entertainment we can fit into the schedule already-- entertainment this year includes Flat Top Reed, the 17th Street Band, Sandy Lind, Khubsurat Ruh Middle Eastern Dance Troupe, and a couple more that are still wiggling into time spots. Many thanks to our wonderful performers!

"High Noon at Grand Junction’s Energy Expo! Your reporter Hears it From All Sides"

High Noon at Grand Junction’s Energy Expo! Your reporter Hears it From All Sides

March 3, 2009 @ 3:53 am

By Sharon Sullivan, CEN Contributing Reporter

Grand Junction homebuilder, Bonnie Peterson, talks excitedly about energy, and Colorado’s potential to solve the nation’s demands for it. Four years ago Peterson and Kathy Hall, Western Slope representative for the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, organized what has become an annual event: Grand Junction’s [1] Energy Forum and Expo.

“Western Colorado has all sorts of energy resources: gas, oil through shale - who knows where we’ll go with that, coal, a ton of forest if we ever get to the point we can develop biomass, sunshine, uranium,” Peterson said. “We want to provide opportunities for people to be educated in all of these arenas.”

Approximately 1,000 people attended the fourth annual free Energy Forum and Expo, February 27, at the Two Rivers Convention Center. The event featured a panel of energy-related speakers and vendors, mostly associated with the oil and gas industry.

“This region is the breadbasket of energy opportunity - fossil fuel as well as the new energy economy,” said Reeves Brown, executive director of Club 20, a civic and political organization, who helped host the event. “We think it’s smart to try and position this region and this community on the forefront of evolving energy technologies.

Most of the speakers said while alternative energies need to be explored, they will not replace oil and gas anytime soon.

Keynote speaker Michael Economides, a chemical and petroleum engineer, chairman of a natural gas firm, and author of “The Color of Oil,” was back this year by popular demand of the largely pro-oil and gas industry crowd. Economides’ speech often mocked the press, Venezuelan
president Hugo Chavez, and especially former Vice-President Al Gore for his views on global climate change.

The press wants to talk about solar and wind which may account for more than 1 percent of energy needs, Economides said. “Get it (solar) out of your mind. Your electricity bill will be $10,000 a month. That’s what solar energy will do. There are no alternatives to hydrocarbon energy sources in the foreseeable future.”

“That’s preposterous,” said Lou Villaire, a salesman with Atlasta Solar, one of two solar companies exhibiting at the Expo which featured 59 vendors. “He’s employed by the oil and gas industry, but he puts himself up as an independent researcher.”

“Ten-thousand dollars? He needs to come and talk to some of our customers,” said another Atlasta salesman Andy Whipple. What Economides fails to mention, Villaire said, is that solar would be more competitive if the government took away the huge oil and gas subsidies. Economides seemed to backpedal slightly when asked to comment further on the “$10,000 a month” solar bill. “Solar is good. With a subsidy we can make everything possible. If government gives away money, that’s different,” Economides said.

The country’s energy needs can’t be solved until transportation issues are addressed, Economides said. If trends continue, by 2011, the U.S. will be importing more oil than it uses for transportation. But ethanol is not the answer to increased needs for fuel, Economides said. Ethanol is the “largest scam in energy history,” because you end up with a negative energy balance producing it, according to Economides.

Former Congressman Charlie Stenholm, spoke at the forum in favor of ethanol, although he said he didn’t always believe in it. “I opposed ethanol. I couldn’t explain to my oil and gas (constituents) why we should subsidize the competition,” Stenholm said. But he changed his mind about ethanol. “If corn is more valuable in the marketplace as fuel as opposed to food, that should determine where it goes,” Stenholm said. Stenholm also mentioned the potential of oil shale for solving the nation’s appetite for oil. “You are sitting on the OPEC of the world with your oil shale production right here in Colorado,” Stenholm told the audience.

Tracy Boyd, of Shell Exploration and Production Company expounded on the topic of oil shale. Shell’s Mahogony Research Project seeks to extract oil from shale by gradually heating up the rock underground over a four-year period. The company is studying oil shales’s commercial feasibility through its Research, Development and Demonstration project in northwestern Colorado.

”The reserves here (in Colorado) are so rich,” with significant potential for solving the nation’’s energy needs, Boyd said. Seventy percent of the oil shale lies beneath federal lands. Someone from the audience asked Boyd about the project’s water consumption - a concern of many that live in western Colorado’s desert region. Oil shale water consumption is unknown, Boyd said. “Opponents use that against it. They are right, but over time we’re getting a handle on it. Three-to-one (three barrels of water to one barrel of oil production) is the number we use for general planning purposes.

”There are higher estimates but we in the industry don’t buy those numbers.” Shell has acquired water rights on the Yampa, Colorado and White rivers. “So when one basin is low, that year we can switch off to another river’s basin, Boyd said. Another person from the audience asked if the future price of oil would support the cost of oil shale development, which isn’t expected to take place commercially for several years. “I can’t answer that. I really don’t know,” Boyd said.

George Glasier, of the Canadian-based Energy Fuels Inc. spoke about his company’s plans to develop the region’s vast deposits of uranium for nuclear power. Uranium mining and milling in Colorado was discontinued in the 1980s due to declining uranium prices. The meltdown at the Three Mile Island reactor in Middletown, Pa., in 1979 and the 1986 explosion at the Chernoby plant in Russia factored in the market decline of uranium. World leaders plan to double the amount of energy it derives from nuclear, in the next 20 years, Glasier said. These days touted by proponents as “clean” energy, companies like Energy Fuels is poised to revive uranium mining in Colorado.

But that doesn’t take into consideration the radioactive waste generated by the uranium milling.

All the waste generated by the U.S. would fit on a football field 30 feet high, Glasier said. “Granted it’s highly radioactive, but (the waste) is not great in quantity.” Disposing of the tailings (the sandy waste material after the milling process) is key, Glasier said. “You want no leakage for thousands of years. You have to prevent the slurry from seeping into the ground water.”

Deciding what to do with the high-level radioactive waste is a problem, a political problem, Glasier said.
We’ve been working on the Yucca site (a proposed nuclear waste repository in Nevada) for 20 years. Nevada still doesn’t want it,” he said.

Obama shines light on solar energy

Obama shines light on solar energy

By GARY HARMON

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The spotlight on renewable energy couldn’t have been trained on a better target when President Obama signed his stimulus bill into law, said a Grand Junction man who has long been involved in solar energy.

“It was significant for Colorado” that the new energy economy was boosted by the president during the signing ceremony, said Lou Villaire of Atlasta Solar Center, 2923 North Ave.

As with the rest of the energy industry, “We’ve been hit with the economic downturn,” Villaire said.

With the coming of spring, and new tax advantages related to solar energy, the prospects for the solar industry appear to be brightening, Villaire said.

One particularly important aspect of the measure for Grand Valley residents calls for more tax credits to be available for solar-thermal installations, projects that use solar energy for heating residences and domestic water.

“The two often work well together,” he said.

The cap of $2,000 on tax credits for such residential installations now could be as high as $10,000, Villaire said.

That expansion accompanies tax advantages for using solar energy to generate electricity that were included in the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, he said.

Steps to increase the use of solar energy are important, but just as significant are the measures making incentives available for the purchase of energy-efficient appliances that will reduce consumption immediately, he said.

Renewable energy expo shows many ways to save the world

Renewable energy expo shows many ways to save the world

By Sharon Sullivan
ssullivan@gjfreepress.com
Grand Junction CO, Colorado,

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The new energy economy is going to create thousands of Colorado jobs, and a number of local businesses can benefit from that, said Kevin Wodlinger, marketing manager for Cumulus Media of Grand Junction.

The Build Green, Live Green sustainability forum and renewable energy expo at Two Rivers Convention Center Wednesday was an idea that took root after Wodlinger attended a sustainability conference at the Governor’s Energy Office last May.

“One of the missions at the (Cumulus) radio station is to find solutions to various problems,” Wodlinger said.

“The price of energy was identified as a problem,” Wodlinger said. “The Western Slope has an abundance of renewable energy, while at the same time energy prices are rising.”

Representatives from various “green”-type businesses, from cloth diaper promoters and nontoxic dry cleaners to solar power and insulation companies, exhibited their products and services at Wednesday’s energy expo.

Even Grand Valley Magazine was there to show off its product made with recycled paper and vegetable-based, nontoxic inks.

High Noon Solar’s Greg Schaefer said his voice was getting hoarse by Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s been a nonstop stream of interest,” Schaefer said. “There’s been a line at the table all day.”

Andy Whipple manned a table for Atlasta Solar Center on the other side of the room.

“My voice is hoarse from talking so much,” Whipple said. “It’s exciting.”

Thirty years ago Atlasta was the only solar business in town. Today there are four solar companies in the valley, plus more in outlying areas.

Simplicity Solar of Grand Junction and Ecofly of Palisade — the Grand Valley’s newest solar business — were also busy answering questions throughout the day.

Energy services companies that do “high-performance contracting” were there to talk about their services providing energy audits for organizations. Through audits, energy-saving measures are identified, which when implemented more than pay for the cost of the improvements.

Various speakers gave presentations throughout the day, including Kathy Portner, Grand Junction’s neighborhood services manager. Portner spoke about what the city is doing to save energy.

“We’re doing performance contracting in all of our buildings,” Portner said. The city is also planning to add photovoltaic solar on Two Rivers Convention Center and the visitors center, Portner said.

The city has a team called Grand Junction CORE (Conserving Our Resources Efficiently), which is starting to implement a number of projects to save energy, Portner said.

Erwin and Elke Knirlberger of Grand Junction attended the energy expo to learn more about various services available in the area. The couple is interested in possibly installing solar on their Debeque property.

“I’m an old recycler. We have to do something. We have to start somewhere,” said Elke Knirlberger. “So we do what we can and trust other people to do the same.”

Dave Dick of Mesa powers his home with solar and wind power. He’s been adding onto his solar system over time, he said.

“No matter how many holes we poke out there, natural gas is not getting any cheaper,” he said.

Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.

Upcoming Renewable Energy Related Events

Renewable Energy Forum Contractors Expo, Wednesday 28 January 2009 9am - 5PM

Two Rivers Convention Center 159 Main St.Grand Junction

We will share sustainable initiatives which are moving our Western Colorado communities into an efficient, new energy economy. Please join others from municipalities, counties, school districts, and colleges west of the Continental Divide for this dynamic and informative event.
For More Information Please ContactKevin Wodlinger: 970-623-8500 / kevin.wodlinger@cumulus.com

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CoSEIA Annual Meeting and Conference: Colorado Solar Summit '09 Thurs, FR, Feb 6-7, 2009

Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel1550 Court PlaceDenver
CoSEIA is bringing the Solar and Renewable industries together again for a full three days of meetings and workshops. Join us as we make our voices heard and come together to chart a course for Solar and Renewable industries!

Rally at the Capitol on Friday afternoon, February 6, for clean energy and good jobs!
www.coseia.org

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Grand Junction Energy Forum and Expo
Two Rivers Convention Center, 159 Main St, Grand Junction
Friday, Feb. 27, 2009Forum: 9am-3:30pmExpo: 8am-4pm


WHY AN ENERGY FORUM & EXPO?
Western Colorado has evolved to become the center of interest in the national energy picture. Almost every known energy resource exists in abundance in this region. Western Colorado is now stepping forward to bring together the brightest minds, the latest technology and the most visionary participants to discover together how we might meet the energy needs of our children and grandchildren.

JOIN US for the Fourth Annual Energy Forum & Expo in Grand Junction, Colorado for a stimulating educational look at the energy industry–today, tomorrow and in the future.

http://www.energyexpoco.com/

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Grand Junction Home & Garden ShowExhibitorFebruary 29-March 2/2008Two Rivers Convention CenterGrand Junction, CO

Fifty Two Percent Annual Growth of US Solar PV Capacity Possible

California, United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]

With the renewal of the federal investment tax credit (ITC) for solar energy projects and within the framework of the current economic climate, EuPD Research surveyed the solar photovoltaics (PV) industry about their expectations for the solar PV market.
The results of this survey, according to EuPD show that companies in the industry anticipate that there will be growth in newly installed capacity in the United States from 200 megawatts (MW) in 2007 to 1840 MW in 2012. The companies also said that there will be a cumulative total installed capacity increase from 636 MW in 2007 to 5182.1 MW in 2012, or an average of 52% growth per year over the next five years.

Grand Valley Growth

Xcel Energy Lowers Solar Credits

"Xcel Energy Lowers Solar Credits, Angering Solar Installers"

By Ucilia Wang

"The recent passage of federal solar investment tax credits has prompted one Colorado utility to reduce the rate it will pay to solar installers by 40 percent and give the installers one day to submit paperwork to qualify for the old rate.
Xcel Energy (XEL), the state's largest utility, plans to reduce the rate it pays for renewable energy credits from $2.50 per watt to $1.50 per watt for solar energy systems with a capacity of less than 10 kilowatts, said Joe Fuentes, an Xcel spokesman. The change will largely affect residential solar installations, which average 4 kilowatts to 5 kilowatts in capacity in Colorado, the utility said.
While the decision to lower the rate wasn't a complete surprise, the way the utility delivered the news to solar installers had some fuming.
Xcel notified the rate change in an email to solar installers and in a letter to the state's Public Utilities Commission on Thursday afternoon. Xcel gave installers until 11:50 p.m. Mountain Time Friday to apply for the credits worth $2.50 per watt, Fuentes said.
The short notice has prompted solar installers to scramble to file paperwork, while also raising raised concerns about the outlook for the state's solar industry, an industry group said.
"We at Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association are concerned about how this will slow the growth of the industry moving forward," said Jim Welch, the association's president, in an email to Greentech Media. "We also are concerned [with] how the process went with Xcel where we had wanted to be involved on the discussion of rebate change and Xcel rebuked our requests for meetings."
The purchase of RECs is part of the Solar Rewards program set by Xcel in 2006 to encourage solar energy use and help the company meet a state mandate that requires investor-owned utilities, such as Xcel, to have 20 percent of its electrical power coming from renewable sources by 2020.
The utility has to tell the commission how it runs the program, but it doesn't require the commission's approval to set the rate.
In addition to buying RECs, Xcel also provides a $2 per watt rebate for all solar energy systems with up to 100 kilowatts in capacity, whether they are located on residential or commercial properties. The rebate remains unchanged, Fuentes said.
The utility decided to lower the REC rate that affects residential solar installations because it believes the new federal incentives for residential solar energy systems will bridge the difference, Fuentes said.
The U.S. government passed the solar incentives in early October as part of a large tax break package for many types of renewable energy (see Lawmakers Approve Energy Tax Credits, Bailout).
The legislation, to take effect in January, will remove the $2,000 cap for investing in residential solar energy systems. In effect, a system could cost 30 percent less for its owner as a result of the new law. Because of the high cost of solar energy systems, solar installers often own and maintain the residential systems and sell the power to the homeowners.
By Xcel's calculations, these new federal incentives will not increase the cost of owning a solar energy system by much. It would cost a solar energy system owner one percentage point more under the new REC rate, Fuentes said.
A 4.5-kilowatt system would cost about $14,175 after factoring in the new $1.50 per-watt REC rate, the $2 per-watt rebate and the new federal incentives, according to the letter Xcel sent to the utilities commission.
A 4.5-kilowatt system would cost $13,750 if the old, $2.50 per-watt REC rate and the $2 per-watt rebate stays in place and the federal incentives are factored in."

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new power rising: Use of solar increasing in county

A new power rising: Use of solar increasing in county

By MIKE SACCONE

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Given the role the sun has played every year literally growing local farmer Brant Harrison’s organic fruit and vegetable business, he figured it was time to take their business relationship to the next level.

With an eye on being more environmentally friendly and saving his business, Kokopelli Fruit and Produce, a little green, Harrison installed a solar panels atop his shop.

“Over a year’s time, averaging out, it will really decrease the amount of energy we have to consume, produced by the power plant right across the road,” Harrison said, referencing the Cameo coal-fired power plant across the Colorado River.

Harrison is not alone.

In fact, according to a report from the Grand Junction-based solar energy research institute, he is one of a growing number of Mesa County residents and businesses hooking up their solar arrays to the electrical grid.

According to projections by local energy analyst Lou Villaire, the number of individuals “tapping into” the grid with solar energy will grow from zero at the start of 2006 to 300 users by the end of 2008.

Villaire, who runs the Grand Valley Solar Center, said the Grand Valley’s solar usage parallels that across the state.

He cites 2004’s Amendment 37, which required that all of Colorado’s electrical utilities produce 10 percent of their energy through renewable means, as one of the primary reasons the state has so quickly encouraged residential and commercial solar production.

Colorado’s leaders doubled down on Amendment 37’s mandate last year, mandating that 20 percent of all retail electrical sales be produced from renewable sources by 2020.

As a result of these mandates, Villaire wrote, the state’s largest electricity producer, Xcel Energy, has paid out nearly $31.3 million in rebates to Colorado residents and companies through its Solar Rewards Program.

Grand Valley Power, which also provides power throughout the county, is not offering any solar credits.

For this growth to continue, Villaire said, it is essential that the federal government agree to extend a substantial credit it provides home and business owners to install solar equipment, totaling 30 percent of the equipment costs up to $2,000.

Tom Plant, director of the Governor’s Energy Office, said the credits have been “enormously important” is making Colorado one of the nation’s leaders in creating new solar electrical production.

“The investment tax credit is what drives our large-scale solar development,” Plant said of the credit, which Congress extended this month as part of an economic bailout package.

Colorado has installed 12.4 megawatts worth of solar cells as of 2007, up 61 times its 2005 solar cell output.

Plant said solar might not be the only way to meet the state’s renewable energy production standards, but it is the best way to include more individuals and businesses in meeting that goal.

“There’s no silver bullet, but there is silver buckshot,” Plant said, “so we’re trying to advance a number of different solutions.”

Solar facts
• Solar energy generation in Mesa County saves residents an estimated $200,000 every year
• The average size of a residential solar array tapped onto the electrical grid in Grand Junction is five kilowatts.
• The average size of a commercial solar array tapped onto the electrical grid in Grand Junction is 9.5 kilowatts.
• The average out-of-pocket expense for a solar array tapped onto the electrical grid in Grand Junction is $22,000.
• 10 percent of Xcel Energy’s solar grid ties in Colorado are in Mesa County.
Source: The Grand Valley Solar CenterSolar rebates  and tax credits
For households powered by Xcel Energy, the company offers:
• A $2.50 energy credit for every watt of your solar array’s capacity
• A $2 rebate for every watt of your solar array’s capacity paid upon installation
The federal government offers tax credits for:
• 30 percent of solar energy equipment, up to $2,000
• 30 percent of solar water heating equipment up to $2,000
Sources: Xcel Energy, U.S. Energy Department, Lou Villaire

Federal Solar Tax Credits Extended 8 Years

US House approves extending energy tax credits

Source: Reuters

By Ayesha Rascoe

WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Friday extending billions of dollars in tax credits for the solar, wind and biodiesel industries, ending months of uncertainty for renewable energy companies.
The House voted 263 to 171 in favor of the tax breaks Friday as a part of the $700 billion bailout package for Wall Street. This package was overwhelmingly passed by the Senate earlier this week. President George W. Bush will now sign the measure into law.
Legislation to extend the renewable energy tax credits, which were set to expire at the end of the year, had been stalled by a dispute between the House and the Senate over how to pay for the tax breaks.
However, attaching the energy tax credits to the economic rescue package gave them new life.
The legislation extends for one year the production tax credit for wind energy, with an eight-year extension for investment tax credits for businesses and homeowners to install solar energy equipment.
Buyers of plug-in electric cars would receive tax credits ranging from $2,500 to $7,500.
The bill also extends a $1 per gallon production tax credit for biodiesel through 2009. This measure closes a "splash and dash" loophole where companies mixed foreign biofuels with U.S. biodiesel to receive the U.S. subsidy, but then sold the fuel at a discount to European markets.
Renewable energy companies praised the House vote.
John Berger, chief executive officer of Texas-based Standard Renewable Industry, said the extensions of the tax credits will be a boon for the solar industry.
"We are at a critical time period in the solar industry in the country and around the world. We are just starting to see some economies of scale, some prices decreasing in the solar panels," Berger told Reuters. "Having the 8-year extension will absolutely cement in place getting solar to be part of conventional energy."
The news of including the tax credits in the bailout package did push shares of solar energy companies up sharply this week.
The Solar Energy Industries Association said the tax package provides the solar companies with "policy certainty" and said the package is "the most significant federal policy ever enacted for the solar industry."
The American Wind Energy Association said "these tax credits are essential to the continued growth of wind energy, to the economic and energy security of the United States and to a successful beginning in the fight against global warming."
Energy efficiency groups also applauded the bill's approval.
"It would have been unthinkable for the Congress to leave town for the elections having approved this massive rescue plan while ignoring the needs of beleaguered American consumers on Main Street who face spiraling energy costs," said Brad Penney, director of government relations for the Alliance to Save Energy.
Environmentalists have criticized the package, however, for extending tax credits for refineries that process oil from shale or tar sands.
In addition to the energy tax breaks, the Senate bill included tax incentives for other businesses and a one-year fix to the Alternative Minimum Tax so millions of Americans will not be subject to higher income taxes. (Additional reporting by Russ Blinch; Editing by Christian Wiessner)

A Local Green Ordinance That Will Protect Solar

Below is the text of a letter a group of people are going to read to the City Council Monday 15 September 2008 regarding a local ordinance that would protect a solar system's access to the sun. Come Monday to City Hall at 250 North 5th Street at about 5 minutes before 7PM.

"To whom it may concern,

We are writing to ask that the city of Grand Junction join with other progressive cities across Colorado to enact an ordinance which would guarantee solar access for businesses and homeowners with solar energy systems.

Across the nation, alternative energy is being viewed as increasingly viable and in fact necessary to meet the energy demands of the future. Alternative energy is gaining increasing favor within Colorado as well. In fact, in 2004 Colorado passed Amendment 37, which requires any utility company that provides power to more than 40,000 customers to derive 10% of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2015. Of the many forms of alternative power which are available, solar energy is widely regarded as one of the most attractive and feasible.

Amendment 37 further states, "…in order to save consumers and businesses money, attract new business and jobs, promote development of rural economies, minimize water use for electricity generation, diversify Colorado's energy resources, reduce the impact of volatile fuel prices and improve the natural environment of the state, it is in the best interest of the state, …and the citizens of Colorado to develop and utilize renewable energy resource to the maximum practicable extent."

The popularity of solar power is reflected in the more than 300 solar installations which currently are in place, both residentially and commercially in Grand Junction. Additionally, considerable interest has been expressed by other Grand Junction residents who do not currently own solar systems but who state that they would be willing to do so if a solar protection ordinance were in place.

A solar installation represents considerable upfront expense, and, while it does more than pay for itself in the end, it is a long term investment, and as such, it is natural on the part of the owner to desire that their solar access be protected, thus ensuring their returns. In response to this need, many cities within Colorado have already enacted ordinances to ensure solar protection.

Grand Junction is particularly suited to capitalize on the many advantages of solar energy, as we receive more than 275 days of sunshine annually. This desirable climate and the excellent air quality have served to draw people and businesses to Grand Junction and have contributed to its rise as one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.

City manager Laurie Kadrich has cited the mission statement for the city of Grand Junction as being “the most livable community west of the Rockies by 2025”. To accomplish this goal, it is natural to seek to preserve those things which have long made the grand valley so desirable. By protecting and cultivating solar energy, we are preserving the quality of the air, helping generate business, and are taking a progressive step towards the vision of true livability. "

Remember:

Monday, Sept. 15th

6:55PM

250 North 5th Street (City Hall)

Thanks to Angela Fullerton

Report details Growth of “Grid-Tie” Solar Electric Systems in the Grand Valley of Colorado

Solar Energy is the single fastest growing energy source in the world. Solar cells that produce electricity are also known as “photovoltaics” (PV). PV uses semiconductor materials to convert sunlight into electric current (photons to electrons). Right now PV only provides a small portion of the world’s electricity - a generation capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW). But due to technology improvements, cost declines, increase in fossil fuel costs, and favorable public and business policies in many states and nations, the annual PV production has increased by more than 25 percent a year. The largest markets for PV are in Germany, Japan, Spain, and the US. U.S. PV manufacturing grew by 74 percent in 2007 and U.S. PV installations grew by 45 percent in 2007 to 150 MW, both among the fastest growth rates in the world. Colorado is among the top 5 states in solar production and growth. And the Western Slope of Colorado, specifically, the Grand Valley is no exception.

Before the Spring of 2006, there were no “grid-tie” solar electric systems in the Grand Valley of Colorado. In the Spring of 2006, the first “grid-tie” was installed in a residence in GJ. Since the Spring of 2006, there have been over 200 “grid-tie” solar electric systems installed in the Grand Valley. And by the end of 2008, there will be approximately 300 “grid-tie” systems in the Grand Valley.

The Report “Residential and Commercial Customer Sited PV in Grand Junction, CO (GJGT)” will be released in the Fall of 2008 by the Grand Valley Solar Center.

Bio

The principal author of the Report is Louis A. Villaire. Mr. Villaire is a 25 year veteran of the energy industry, a former energy analyst at the Gas Technology Institute (oil and gas development), a researcher at the US Environmental Protection Agency, and now a solar industry market analyst and project developer. Mr. Villaire has an undergraduate degree in renewable energy engineering and environmental science and policy, a master’s degree in energy and environmental policy, and is a political science PhD candidate completing his dissertation in state energy policy.

Installed MW Solar PV 2007 by State

State
California
87.1
New Jersey
16.4
Nevada
14.6
Colorado
12.4
New York
4.4
Hawaii
2.4
Arizona
2.1
Connecticut
1.8
Massachusetts
1.4
Oregon
1.1
Other States
4.4

What is a "Solar Grid-Tie"

Grand Junction Median Household Income (Census 2000)