Colo. raises renewable energy standard
By The Associated Press
Monday, March 22, 2010
DENVER — A bill requiring Colorado utilities to use more renewable energy, including smaller-scale solar projects, is now law.
Gov. Bill Ritter signed the bill today at a Denver-based solar installation company.
Utilities must now get 20 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020. The bill increases that to 30 percent over the same time, a standard just below California’s 33 percent requirement. Most other states with renewable energy standards are in the 20-percent range.
The bill requires that 3 percent of a utility’s power sales be spent on power from solar installations at homes and businesses. That’s aimed at creating more business for the estimated 230 small solar installers in Colorado.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Udall bill would boost local ‘solar farm’ efforts
Udall bill would boost local ‘solar farm’ efforts
By Dennis Webb
Thursday, March 18, 2010
New legislation being pushed by U.S. Sen. Mark Udall would benefit two western Colorado efforts to create community solar projects.
Udall, D-Colo., said in a media teleconference Wednesday the bill would provide residents with tax credits for buying an ownership in such projects, also referred to as “solar farms.”
The Grand Valley Power electric cooperative in Grand Junction hopes to break ground on such a project this year. Another co-op, Holy Cross Energy in Glenwood Springs, also is pursuing such a project, and had asked Udall to considering carrying the bill.
The idea is to give participants access to the same 30 percent tax credit that people receive when they install solar electric systems at their homes, Udall said.
Udall said the measure is the first in a series of job-creation bills he plans to introduce that relate to clean energy. He said experts believe the community approach could expand use of solar power by two-thirds over five years.
“In Colorado that’s a lot of jobs in the clean energy economy that we want to bring to the forefront,” he said.
Under a proposal being pursued by Holy Cross Energy and a Basalt business, Clean Energy Collective, homeowners and even renters could buy a fractional ownership in a community system for as little as $500. Derek Elder, energy services administrator for Grand Valley Power, said it is looking at selling ownership shares at less than $1,000.
The concept offers an alternative for people such as those who are unable to come up with $10,000 or more for their own systems, or have properties that are impractical for solar power because they are located in the shade or have north-facing roofs.
Participants would receive a credit on their electric bills based on their level of ownership.
Holy Cross and Clean Energy Collective are seeking approval from Garfield County and the Federal Aviation Administration to build a solar farm at the Garfield County Regional Airport near Rifle.
Grand Valley Power is planning to install a solar farm on its property at 29 Road and Interstate 70. It would be located next to a substation, and could be up to a 500-kilowatt facility, which would generate enough power to meet the needs of 125 homes, Elder said. However, fractional ownership would let many more residents participate in the project.
“The legislation that Udall is proposing would definitely be very beneficial to our customers in this,” Elder said.
Udall said if the tax credit becomes law, it would run through 2016. It initially is estimated to cost $117 million over five years.
By Dennis Webb
Thursday, March 18, 2010
New legislation being pushed by U.S. Sen. Mark Udall would benefit two western Colorado efforts to create community solar projects.
Udall, D-Colo., said in a media teleconference Wednesday the bill would provide residents with tax credits for buying an ownership in such projects, also referred to as “solar farms.”
The Grand Valley Power electric cooperative in Grand Junction hopes to break ground on such a project this year. Another co-op, Holy Cross Energy in Glenwood Springs, also is pursuing such a project, and had asked Udall to considering carrying the bill.
The idea is to give participants access to the same 30 percent tax credit that people receive when they install solar electric systems at their homes, Udall said.
Udall said the measure is the first in a series of job-creation bills he plans to introduce that relate to clean energy. He said experts believe the community approach could expand use of solar power by two-thirds over five years.
“In Colorado that’s a lot of jobs in the clean energy economy that we want to bring to the forefront,” he said.
Under a proposal being pursued by Holy Cross Energy and a Basalt business, Clean Energy Collective, homeowners and even renters could buy a fractional ownership in a community system for as little as $500. Derek Elder, energy services administrator for Grand Valley Power, said it is looking at selling ownership shares at less than $1,000.
The concept offers an alternative for people such as those who are unable to come up with $10,000 or more for their own systems, or have properties that are impractical for solar power because they are located in the shade or have north-facing roofs.
Participants would receive a credit on their electric bills based on their level of ownership.
Holy Cross and Clean Energy Collective are seeking approval from Garfield County and the Federal Aviation Administration to build a solar farm at the Garfield County Regional Airport near Rifle.
Grand Valley Power is planning to install a solar farm on its property at 29 Road and Interstate 70. It would be located next to a substation, and could be up to a 500-kilowatt facility, which would generate enough power to meet the needs of 125 homes, Elder said. However, fractional ownership would let many more residents participate in the project.
“The legislation that Udall is proposing would definitely be very beneficial to our customers in this,” Elder said.
Udall said if the tax credit becomes law, it would run through 2016. It initially is estimated to cost $117 million over five years.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Penry clings to past as renewable energy program advances
Penry clings to past as renewable energy program advances
By Bill Grant
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Leading his entire Republican caucus to vote against Governor Bill Ritter’s proposed renewable energy standard expansion, Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry seems at war with himself.
In one persona he is a forward-looking conservative visionary who takes the new energy future seriously. But when the opportunity comes to actually move forward, he clings to the past and resists progress.
Penry “has been an outspoken supporter of efforts to expand wind, solar, and other renewable energy supplies in Colorado,” the Senate Minority Leader’s Facebook page informs us.
Penry repeated that assertion last September. “I think that renewable energy is important, and I’ve supported a number of the governor’s renewable energy policies ... And he’s been right to push wind and solar,” he told the Colorado Statesman.
He even criticized Republicans for usually saying, “Renewable energy is important but ... And then they spend the next 10 minutes trashing renewable energy ... No. Renewable energy is important.”
But that aspect of Penry’s political persona was not evident last Friday. Penry led the Republican caucus to vote against legislation that enacts Ritter’s plan to expand Colorado’s renewable energy standard.
HB 1001 increases the current requirement that 20 percent of electricity be generated from renewable energy sources to 30 percent by 2020.
The new standard only applies to Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy. City utilities and rural cooperatives will still be required the meet a standard of 10 percent.
The bill requires that 3 percent of renewable power generation come from “distributed generation.” This requirement will stimulate installation of small and medium solar power plants on rooftops and commercial properties.
Senate Democrats have also promoted the legislation as essential to creating skilled, high-paying jobs.
“Jobs, jobs, jobs. That is our primary focus for this session and this bill,” Sen. Bruce Whitehead said. “The renewable energy standard will cement our position as the premier location for new-energy-economy companies to come and create new jobs.”
A press release from the governor’s office announcing the bill claimed it would “give Colorado the best clean-energy requirement in the Rocky Mountain West, create thousands of new jobs and lead to 100,000 solar rooftops over the next decade.”
These estimates are supported by a recent study released by conservation groups Environment Colorado and Vote Solar. Over the next decade, the report concludes, the higher mandate could generate as many as 23,000 new jobs in Colorado.
Penry also is committed to expanding jobs. But he is apparently not interested in the kind of jobs that would be created by passage of the expanded renewable energy standard.
He would like to see a miraculous return of the natural gas drilling boom. He appears to believe nullification of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission rules and new subsidies for the industry are all that are required to make that happen.
“Republicans need to get off the anti-renewable gig,” Penry said. But “Democrats are going to have to recognize that we have to aggressively produce conventional sources of energy.”
Penry also objects to the bill because he considers it friendly to labor.
One provision of HB 1001 would require that solar panels must be installed by, or under the supervision of, an “energy practitioner” certified by the American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners to qualify for subsidies.
Only a licensed master or journeyman electrician would qualify to do electrical work under the rebate program.
Led by Penry, who claimed to detect “the foul odor of special interests,” Republicans claimed these requirements were put in for the benefit of unions. “They are central planning that would make the old Soviets blush,” Penry said, according to The Durango Herald.
That overstates the case. It is possible for workers to qualify for certification by attending a community college or commercial trade school.
However, the bill has union support, and no doubt they expect their members to benefit from it.
Penry and his Republican cabal are so intent on resisting any legislation that benefits labor, that they overlook the obvious problem of not certifying installers. Allowing poorly trained or inexperienced low-wage workers to undertake the complex task of wiring thousands of homes and commercial buildings for solar generation is a prescription for disaster.
“My children, your children, our future relies on finding sources of energy other than what we already have,” Whitehead said. HB 1001 is the next step forward for Colorado.
Bill Grant lives in Grand Junction. He can be reached at wgrant@bgsu.edu.
By Bill Grant
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Leading his entire Republican caucus to vote against Governor Bill Ritter’s proposed renewable energy standard expansion, Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry seems at war with himself.
In one persona he is a forward-looking conservative visionary who takes the new energy future seriously. But when the opportunity comes to actually move forward, he clings to the past and resists progress.
Penry “has been an outspoken supporter of efforts to expand wind, solar, and other renewable energy supplies in Colorado,” the Senate Minority Leader’s Facebook page informs us.
Penry repeated that assertion last September. “I think that renewable energy is important, and I’ve supported a number of the governor’s renewable energy policies ... And he’s been right to push wind and solar,” he told the Colorado Statesman.
He even criticized Republicans for usually saying, “Renewable energy is important but ... And then they spend the next 10 minutes trashing renewable energy ... No. Renewable energy is important.”
But that aspect of Penry’s political persona was not evident last Friday. Penry led the Republican caucus to vote against legislation that enacts Ritter’s plan to expand Colorado’s renewable energy standard.
HB 1001 increases the current requirement that 20 percent of electricity be generated from renewable energy sources to 30 percent by 2020.
The new standard only applies to Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy. City utilities and rural cooperatives will still be required the meet a standard of 10 percent.
The bill requires that 3 percent of renewable power generation come from “distributed generation.” This requirement will stimulate installation of small and medium solar power plants on rooftops and commercial properties.
Senate Democrats have also promoted the legislation as essential to creating skilled, high-paying jobs.
“Jobs, jobs, jobs. That is our primary focus for this session and this bill,” Sen. Bruce Whitehead said. “The renewable energy standard will cement our position as the premier location for new-energy-economy companies to come and create new jobs.”
A press release from the governor’s office announcing the bill claimed it would “give Colorado the best clean-energy requirement in the Rocky Mountain West, create thousands of new jobs and lead to 100,000 solar rooftops over the next decade.”
These estimates are supported by a recent study released by conservation groups Environment Colorado and Vote Solar. Over the next decade, the report concludes, the higher mandate could generate as many as 23,000 new jobs in Colorado.
Penry also is committed to expanding jobs. But he is apparently not interested in the kind of jobs that would be created by passage of the expanded renewable energy standard.
He would like to see a miraculous return of the natural gas drilling boom. He appears to believe nullification of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission rules and new subsidies for the industry are all that are required to make that happen.
“Republicans need to get off the anti-renewable gig,” Penry said. But “Democrats are going to have to recognize that we have to aggressively produce conventional sources of energy.”
Penry also objects to the bill because he considers it friendly to labor.
One provision of HB 1001 would require that solar panels must be installed by, or under the supervision of, an “energy practitioner” certified by the American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners to qualify for subsidies.
Only a licensed master or journeyman electrician would qualify to do electrical work under the rebate program.
Led by Penry, who claimed to detect “the foul odor of special interests,” Republicans claimed these requirements were put in for the benefit of unions. “They are central planning that would make the old Soviets blush,” Penry said, according to The Durango Herald.
That overstates the case. It is possible for workers to qualify for certification by attending a community college or commercial trade school.
However, the bill has union support, and no doubt they expect their members to benefit from it.
Penry and his Republican cabal are so intent on resisting any legislation that benefits labor, that they overlook the obvious problem of not certifying installers. Allowing poorly trained or inexperienced low-wage workers to undertake the complex task of wiring thousands of homes and commercial buildings for solar generation is a prescription for disaster.
“My children, your children, our future relies on finding sources of energy other than what we already have,” Whitehead said. HB 1001 is the next step forward for Colorado.
Bill Grant lives in Grand Junction. He can be reached at wgrant@bgsu.edu.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Fruita Video Plus gets solar power, Lowers Expenses
Fruita Video Plus gets solar power, lowers expenses
FREE PRESS STAFF REPORT,
Dennis Stark is no newcomer to the DVD and game rental business.
He began his rental business in 1991 in Clifton. He then moved the business to Fruita in 1998. He called the business Video Plus because he rented games as well as movies. Dennis says that the favorite part of running his store is getting to know his customers. He says that there are lots of DVD rental stores out there, but few of them have someone who knows your name, what kind of films you like, or cares whether you return for more business.
Dennis likes to visit with people who come in his store. His strategy is to “beat the competitors on quality.” Dennis is very proud of his current crew at the store - he values his employees. Dennis invests in his business. That is why he had commercial solar power installed on his building. How did it happen?
It all started when Dennis got a energy audit and found out he could get cash rebates from Xcel Energy to reduce his monthly business operating expenses by using energy more efficiently. He decided that the next step was to produce his own clean and green power on-site with a commercial solar power system from Atlasta Solar.
Dennis got cash rebates from Xcel Energy, Tax Credits from the Federal Government, as well as accelerated depreciation for the business equipment capital investment. Dennis selected Atlasta Solar because Atlasta Solar is the longest operating solar company in western Colorado and has the most experience in their industry. Dennis says what he likes about the solar system is that it is “absolutely maintenance-free.”
Give Dennis a call at Video Plus 858-9643 and tell him your favorite movies!
And give Atlasta Solar Center a call to find out what commercial solar can save your business money every day!
Atlasta Solar
2923 North Ave.
Grand Junction, CO 81504-4977,
248-0057
www.atlastasolarstore.com
FREE PRESS STAFF REPORT,
Dennis Stark is no newcomer to the DVD and game rental business.
He began his rental business in 1991 in Clifton. He then moved the business to Fruita in 1998. He called the business Video Plus because he rented games as well as movies. Dennis says that the favorite part of running his store is getting to know his customers. He says that there are lots of DVD rental stores out there, but few of them have someone who knows your name, what kind of films you like, or cares whether you return for more business.
Dennis likes to visit with people who come in his store. His strategy is to “beat the competitors on quality.” Dennis is very proud of his current crew at the store - he values his employees. Dennis invests in his business. That is why he had commercial solar power installed on his building. How did it happen?
It all started when Dennis got a energy audit and found out he could get cash rebates from Xcel Energy to reduce his monthly business operating expenses by using energy more efficiently. He decided that the next step was to produce his own clean and green power on-site with a commercial solar power system from Atlasta Solar.
Dennis got cash rebates from Xcel Energy, Tax Credits from the Federal Government, as well as accelerated depreciation for the business equipment capital investment. Dennis selected Atlasta Solar because Atlasta Solar is the longest operating solar company in western Colorado and has the most experience in their industry. Dennis says what he likes about the solar system is that it is “absolutely maintenance-free.”
Give Dennis a call at Video Plus 858-9643 and tell him your favorite movies!
And give Atlasta Solar Center a call to find out what commercial solar can save your business money every day!
Atlasta Solar
2923 North Ave.
Grand Junction, CO 81504-4977,
248-0057
www.atlastasolarstore.com
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Colorado Senate advances higher renewable-energy standard
Colorado Senate advances higher renewable-energy standard
Denver Business Journal - by Ed Sealover
Friday, March 5, 2010, 2:57pm MST|Modified:Friday,March 5, 2010, 5:46pm
Colorado stands just two steps away from enacting the second-highest standard in the country for renewable-energy production requirements by utilities, and now Gov. Bill Ritter also wants to raise the national bar on cutting air pollution.
The Colorado Senate gave final approval to a bill Friday that would raise from 20 percent to 30 percent the amount of power that Xcel Energy and other investor-owned utilities serving state residents would have to produce from renewable sources. Democrats said the measure would bring jobs, while Republicans said it would drive utility costs through the roof.
The new standard would have to be met by 2020 and would put Colorado behind only California, which mandates that 33 percent of its energy come from renewable sources.
Shortly after that vote, Ritter, environmentalists and officials from Xcel Energy announced that they will introduce the Colorado Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act. The legislation, if passed, would require Xcel to cut pollutants greatly by retiring, retrofitting or repowering Front Range coal-fired power plants by the end of 2017 and replacing them with facilities fueled by natural gas and other lower- or non-emitting energy sources.
“Colorado’s New Energy Economy is already leading the country toward a cleaner and more secure energy future,” Ritter said in a statement. “This proposal will keep Colorado at the forefront of America’s energy revolution. It will protect consumers, clean our air and protect public health, and create new jobs by increasing demand for Colorado-produced natural gas.”
The new proposal, for which Ritter already has reached agreement with the utility giant, followed a sometimes caustic debate on the renewable-energy standards bill that spanned eight hours Thursday and nearly four more hours on Friday.
Sponsoring Sens. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, and Bruce Whitehead, D-Hesperus, said the bill, House Bill 1001, would create new renewable-energy jobs. And Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, said the move to American-made sources of energy will help all businesses by no longer making their fuel costs subject to the price fluctuations that come with buying foreign fuel.
“One of the benefits of this bill, among many, is that it’s going to commit to the growth of an industry that is not just short-term job creation but long term,” said Sen. Michael Johnston, D-Denver.
But Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry disputed the job-growth argument, saying that studies have shown that there were 17,000 clean-energy jobs in Colorado in 2007 — less than the 17,200 that existed here in 2001.
And Penry and Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, complained vociferously about a clause in the bill that allows only electricians with certain training and a certain number of apprentices to install new alternative-energy devices like solar panels. Mitchell called it “goodies for labor.”
“There are more words, paragraphs and pages directed toward protecting union jobs than there are to promoting renewable energy,” Penry said.
The bill passed on a 21-13 party-line vote, with Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, not voting because he works for a rural electrical association. The measure now goes back to the House to concur with minor changes made in the Senate and, if approved there, would head to Ritter, who is expected to sign it.
esealover@bizjournals.com | 303-831-0230
All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.
Denver Business Journal - by Ed Sealover
Friday, March 5, 2010, 2:57pm MST|Modified:Friday,March 5, 2010, 5:46pm
Colorado stands just two steps away from enacting the second-highest standard in the country for renewable-energy production requirements by utilities, and now Gov. Bill Ritter also wants to raise the national bar on cutting air pollution.
The Colorado Senate gave final approval to a bill Friday that would raise from 20 percent to 30 percent the amount of power that Xcel Energy and other investor-owned utilities serving state residents would have to produce from renewable sources. Democrats said the measure would bring jobs, while Republicans said it would drive utility costs through the roof.
The new standard would have to be met by 2020 and would put Colorado behind only California, which mandates that 33 percent of its energy come from renewable sources.
Shortly after that vote, Ritter, environmentalists and officials from Xcel Energy announced that they will introduce the Colorado Clean Air-Clean Jobs Act. The legislation, if passed, would require Xcel to cut pollutants greatly by retiring, retrofitting or repowering Front Range coal-fired power plants by the end of 2017 and replacing them with facilities fueled by natural gas and other lower- or non-emitting energy sources.
“Colorado’s New Energy Economy is already leading the country toward a cleaner and more secure energy future,” Ritter said in a statement. “This proposal will keep Colorado at the forefront of America’s energy revolution. It will protect consumers, clean our air and protect public health, and create new jobs by increasing demand for Colorado-produced natural gas.”
The new proposal, for which Ritter already has reached agreement with the utility giant, followed a sometimes caustic debate on the renewable-energy standards bill that spanned eight hours Thursday and nearly four more hours on Friday.
Sponsoring Sens. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, and Bruce Whitehead, D-Hesperus, said the bill, House Bill 1001, would create new renewable-energy jobs. And Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, said the move to American-made sources of energy will help all businesses by no longer making their fuel costs subject to the price fluctuations that come with buying foreign fuel.
“One of the benefits of this bill, among many, is that it’s going to commit to the growth of an industry that is not just short-term job creation but long term,” said Sen. Michael Johnston, D-Denver.
But Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry disputed the job-growth argument, saying that studies have shown that there were 17,000 clean-energy jobs in Colorado in 2007 — less than the 17,200 that existed here in 2001.
And Penry and Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, complained vociferously about a clause in the bill that allows only electricians with certain training and a certain number of apprentices to install new alternative-energy devices like solar panels. Mitchell called it “goodies for labor.”
“There are more words, paragraphs and pages directed toward protecting union jobs than there are to promoting renewable energy,” Penry said.
The bill passed on a 21-13 party-line vote, with Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton, not voting because he works for a rural electrical association. The measure now goes back to the House to concur with minor changes made in the Senate and, if approved there, would head to Ritter, who is expected to sign it.
esealover@bizjournals.com | 303-831-0230
All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Energy Bill Worries Businesses
Energy Bill Worries Businesses
Posted: Mar 06, 2010 6:39 PM MST
Updated: Mar 06, 2010 6:42 PM MST
TAMI BREHSE
TBREHSE@KJCT8.COM
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - A bill that would raise renewable energy standards for utility companies is sparking some heated debate. House bill 1001 would require certain utility companies to produce 30 percent of their energy from renewable sources.
Some say it could create as many as 20,000 jobs. But others say it could cost them theirs.
"I'm already hurting on utility costs," says B2 Orchards owner Brad Brophy.
He's worried the bill will end up increasing energy costs, in turn upping his electric bill.
"It will increase utility bills in the future," Brophy says, "which are already outrageous."
Opponents of the bill say renewable energy is too expensive to survive in the market on its own, so the government is supporting it through mandates like this one.
"The costs have to be absorbed somewhere," says opponent Kelly Sloan. "They either have to be absorbed by the company, or more generally passed on to the consumer in terms of higher prices."
But supporters of the bill say the mandates are necessary if we ever want to see green energy succeed.
"Solar and wind and renewable sources do need to have a leg up and be put on a level playing field," says Lou Villaire of Atlasta Solar.
He says the bill would bring much-needed job opportunities.
While the new requirements might bring jobs to the solar industry, opponents of the bill worry it'll take jobs away from oil and gas.
"At best it's worthless, at worst it's damaging," Sloan says.
But others say the end result will be worth it.
"When we look at the true costs of fossil fuels versus the cost of renewable energy," Villaire says, "the renewables come out on top."
Posted: Mar 06, 2010 6:39 PM MST
Updated: Mar 06, 2010 6:42 PM MST
TAMI BREHSE
TBREHSE@KJCT8.COM
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - A bill that would raise renewable energy standards for utility companies is sparking some heated debate. House bill 1001 would require certain utility companies to produce 30 percent of their energy from renewable sources.
Some say it could create as many as 20,000 jobs. But others say it could cost them theirs.
"I'm already hurting on utility costs," says B2 Orchards owner Brad Brophy.
He's worried the bill will end up increasing energy costs, in turn upping his electric bill.
"It will increase utility bills in the future," Brophy says, "which are already outrageous."
Opponents of the bill say renewable energy is too expensive to survive in the market on its own, so the government is supporting it through mandates like this one.
"The costs have to be absorbed somewhere," says opponent Kelly Sloan. "They either have to be absorbed by the company, or more generally passed on to the consumer in terms of higher prices."
But supporters of the bill say the mandates are necessary if we ever want to see green energy succeed.
"Solar and wind and renewable sources do need to have a leg up and be put on a level playing field," says Lou Villaire of Atlasta Solar.
He says the bill would bring much-needed job opportunities.
While the new requirements might bring jobs to the solar industry, opponents of the bill worry it'll take jobs away from oil and gas.
"At best it's worthless, at worst it's damaging," Sloan says.
But others say the end result will be worth it.
"When we look at the true costs of fossil fuels versus the cost of renewable energy," Villaire says, "the renewables come out on top."
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Solar Rally at Denver Capitol
Legislative Update
A rally for solar as Federal Center announces it will triple energy-producing panels
By Bruce Finley
The Denver Post
Posted: 02/18/2010 01:00:00 AM MST
Hundreds of solar-power supporters make their way to the west steps of the Capitol during a rally Wednesday afternoon. The crowd, representing the Colorado solar industry, gathered at 16th and Lawrence streets and walked up the 16th Street Mall to the Capitol. ( Andy Cross, The Denver Post )
As the government launched a project Wednesday to install solar panels on 35 acres at the Denver Federal Center, 250 solar-industry workers marched through downtown to rally political support.
"This is the future of our economy. Even though we're nicknamed 'green collar,' we're the blue collar of the future," said R.J. Harrington, director of Boulder-based Simple Solar, one of more than 200 solar companies that employ about 1,500 workers statewide.
The action reflected growing enthusiasm for a greener economy that proponents say could propel Colorado out of doldrums.
"I want a long-term career. That's why I'm here," panel installer Wade Andrews, 33, said, marching amid "Solar Roofs = Local Jobs" signs. A Colorado State University graduate in philosophy, Andrews said his $38,000 salary, plus health benefits, gives a solid start.
Solar-industry leaders are lobbying for legislation to enable widespread installation of panels on residential and small-business roofs.
Lawmakers have introduced bills that would:
• Make it easier for homeowners to arrange financing for the upfront cost of solar panels.
• Require Colorado to generate 30 percent of energy used by consumers from renewable sources by 2020, up from a current requirement of 20 percent.
Supporting solar energy "is a win for banks," Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, said. Solar-company assets are growing, homeowners borrowing to buy panels fit profiles of those likely to repay loans, and a 30 percent target would stimulate further growth, Miklosi said. "This is about creating jobs."
At the Federal Center, Government Services Administration officials said installation of about 30,000 roof and ground-mounted solar panels would help meet a goal of generating 14 percent of energy used at the center from a renewable source.
About 6,000 federal employees work in 55 buildings at the 623-acre center in Lakewood — the largest federal center outside Washington, D.C.
"The addition of 35 acres of photovoltaic panels at the Denver Federal Center will encourage growth and create jobs in the domestic construction and green technology industries," GSA Administrator Martha Johnson said.
The new solar arrays would triple the acreage covered by solar panels. The project is being paid for with $5.5 billion in Recovery Act tax funds given to GSA to make federal offices more efficient.
Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14422682#ixzz0gIMtlDr0
A rally for solar as Federal Center announces it will triple energy-producing panels
By Bruce Finley
The Denver Post
Posted: 02/18/2010 01:00:00 AM MST
Hundreds of solar-power supporters make their way to the west steps of the Capitol during a rally Wednesday afternoon. The crowd, representing the Colorado solar industry, gathered at 16th and Lawrence streets and walked up the 16th Street Mall to the Capitol. ( Andy Cross, The Denver Post )
As the government launched a project Wednesday to install solar panels on 35 acres at the Denver Federal Center, 250 solar-industry workers marched through downtown to rally political support.
"This is the future of our economy. Even though we're nicknamed 'green collar,' we're the blue collar of the future," said R.J. Harrington, director of Boulder-based Simple Solar, one of more than 200 solar companies that employ about 1,500 workers statewide.
The action reflected growing enthusiasm for a greener economy that proponents say could propel Colorado out of doldrums.
"I want a long-term career. That's why I'm here," panel installer Wade Andrews, 33, said, marching amid "Solar Roofs = Local Jobs" signs. A Colorado State University graduate in philosophy, Andrews said his $38,000 salary, plus health benefits, gives a solid start.
Solar-industry leaders are lobbying for legislation to enable widespread installation of panels on residential and small-business roofs.
Lawmakers have introduced bills that would:
• Make it easier for homeowners to arrange financing for the upfront cost of solar panels.
• Require Colorado to generate 30 percent of energy used by consumers from renewable sources by 2020, up from a current requirement of 20 percent.
Supporting solar energy "is a win for banks," Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, said. Solar-company assets are growing, homeowners borrowing to buy panels fit profiles of those likely to repay loans, and a 30 percent target would stimulate further growth, Miklosi said. "This is about creating jobs."
At the Federal Center, Government Services Administration officials said installation of about 30,000 roof and ground-mounted solar panels would help meet a goal of generating 14 percent of energy used at the center from a renewable source.
About 6,000 federal employees work in 55 buildings at the 623-acre center in Lakewood — the largest federal center outside Washington, D.C.
"The addition of 35 acres of photovoltaic panels at the Denver Federal Center will encourage growth and create jobs in the domestic construction and green technology industries," GSA Administrator Martha Johnson said.
The new solar arrays would triple the acreage covered by solar panels. The project is being paid for with $5.5 billion in Recovery Act tax funds given to GSA to make federal offices more efficient.
Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14422682#ixzz0gIMtlDr0
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Bill seeks to expand renewable energy standard
Voters approved Amendment 37 five years ago requiring Colorado's top utility companies to acquire 10 percent of its retail electricity from “clean” sources like wind or solar.
A couple of years later, the renewable energy standard was boosted to 20 percent by 2020 — a goal already reached.
Last week the Colorado House of Representatives passed on second reading House Bill 10-1001, legislation that would again expand the state's renewable energy standard to 30 percent by 2020. The measure's sponsors include Rep. Max Tyler, D-Lakewood, Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, and Sens. Bruce Whitehead, D-Hesperus, and Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass.
Utilities were able to reach their previous mandate before the target date of 2020 by buying excess electricity produced on homes, farms and businesses of owners who installed their own solar panels. Distributed Generation, or “on-site” electricity, as it's called, does not require additional transmission facilities to connect to the grid.
Residential renewable businesses have tripled in Colorado since voters first approved the Renewable Energy Standard (Amendment 37) in 2004, according to Environment Colorado. The environmental organization also maintains that photovoltaic installation creates more jobs per megawatt than any other electricity source.
Xcel spokesman Tom Henley said the utility company would “support the bill as long as we can keep it under the 2 percent cap for bill impacts for our customers.”
A 2 percent surcharge for the renewable energy adjustment was born out of Amendment 37, Henley said.
Alan Deslongchamp of Simplicity Solar said he expects utilities like Xcel and Black Ridge to extend rebates making it more feasible for people to install solar on their homes and businesses and provide a source of renewable power for the utilities to purchase.
“The other thing in the bill that is valuable, it requires certification to do solar (installation),” said Heidi Ihrke of High Noon Solar, a company with national certification.
The bill will be voted on the floor of the House once more, before moving to the Senate.
Rep. Laura Bradford, R-Collbran, said in an e-mail that she will not vote for the bill.
“HB 10-1001 is one more strike against the already struggling oil and gas industry in Western Colorado. A mandated increase in renewable energy correlates to a decrease in the use of fossil fuels and natural gas, killing jobs right here in Mesa County,” wrote Bradford.
An Environment Colorado press release quotes Colorado AFL-CIO president Mike Cerbo as saying the bill would bring “good, green jobs to the state.”
A spokeswoman for Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, said he was in the process of reviewing the legislation.
Article from GJ Free Press 17 Feb 2010
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
A couple of years later, the renewable energy standard was boosted to 20 percent by 2020 — a goal already reached.
Last week the Colorado House of Representatives passed on second reading House Bill 10-1001, legislation that would again expand the state's renewable energy standard to 30 percent by 2020. The measure's sponsors include Rep. Max Tyler, D-Lakewood, Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, and Sens. Bruce Whitehead, D-Hesperus, and Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass.
Utilities were able to reach their previous mandate before the target date of 2020 by buying excess electricity produced on homes, farms and businesses of owners who installed their own solar panels. Distributed Generation, or “on-site” electricity, as it's called, does not require additional transmission facilities to connect to the grid.
Residential renewable businesses have tripled in Colorado since voters first approved the Renewable Energy Standard (Amendment 37) in 2004, according to Environment Colorado. The environmental organization also maintains that photovoltaic installation creates more jobs per megawatt than any other electricity source.
Xcel spokesman Tom Henley said the utility company would “support the bill as long as we can keep it under the 2 percent cap for bill impacts for our customers.”
A 2 percent surcharge for the renewable energy adjustment was born out of Amendment 37, Henley said.
Alan Deslongchamp of Simplicity Solar said he expects utilities like Xcel and Black Ridge to extend rebates making it more feasible for people to install solar on their homes and businesses and provide a source of renewable power for the utilities to purchase.
“The other thing in the bill that is valuable, it requires certification to do solar (installation),” said Heidi Ihrke of High Noon Solar, a company with national certification.
The bill will be voted on the floor of the House once more, before moving to the Senate.
Rep. Laura Bradford, R-Collbran, said in an e-mail that she will not vote for the bill.
“HB 10-1001 is one more strike against the already struggling oil and gas industry in Western Colorado. A mandated increase in renewable energy correlates to a decrease in the use of fossil fuels and natural gas, killing jobs right here in Mesa County,” wrote Bradford.
An Environment Colorado press release quotes Colorado AFL-CIO president Mike Cerbo as saying the bill would bring “good, green jobs to the state.”
A spokeswoman for Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, said he was in the process of reviewing the legislation.
Article from GJ Free Press 17 Feb 2010
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Energy Forum & Expo 2010: Come learn about the future of energy
Falling as it does each year, shortly after the president’s State of the Union address, the Energy Forum & Expo often serves as a reality check on the ambitions of federal policy makers.
Amid the calls for cleaner energy, more investment in “green” jobs and technology and less dependence on foreign oil are a litany of real-world challenges standing in the way.
Some of those hurdles will be enumerated during the Energy Forum & Expo. But promising solutions will be presented as well. Speakers and exhibitors are invited to share their research, long-term projections and cutting-edge technologies regarding the world’s single most important commodity: energy.
Energy drives global markets and factors into production costs for everything we consume, said Kathy Hall, a member of the expo’s organizing committee. It’s also at the heart of debates on national security, foreign policy, the world climate and global economic development.
And western Colorado is uniquely positioned to meet the country’s demand for more energy – whether it’s clean or conventional.
“You name it, we have it: coal, gas, oil shale, uranium, solar, geothermal and on and on ... it’s an economic solidity that we’ve always had, whether we exploit it or not,” Hall said.
“The focus of the expo has never changed,” Hall added. “We’ve always been about looking at the future of energy and positioning ourselves to develop our vast resources in an environmentally-sensitive way to secure a strong economic base and a safe, prosperous future for our children.”
The Daily Sentinel published a week-long series, “Energy Alley,” starting Dec. 27, 2009, which provided a detailed inventory of the wealth of energy sources in this region. (The first story of the series is included in this program and the entire series will be republished in March as part of the Sentinel’s annual “Portrait” series.)
Hall, a former Mesa County commissioner, commended the series because it illustrated a message the Energy Forum & Expo has been trying to impart for five years – that western Colorado is well positioned to play a major role in America’s future energy needs.
The series also dovetailed with the expo’s mission of educating people to effect change.
“If citizens do not force politicians to do something, then nothing will get done,” Hall said, adding, “I can say that as a recovering politician.”
ENERGY FORUM & EXPO CO
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010
GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO
TWO RIVERS
CONVENTION CENTER
8:00AM—4:00PM
Amid the calls for cleaner energy, more investment in “green” jobs and technology and less dependence on foreign oil are a litany of real-world challenges standing in the way.
Some of those hurdles will be enumerated during the Energy Forum & Expo. But promising solutions will be presented as well. Speakers and exhibitors are invited to share their research, long-term projections and cutting-edge technologies regarding the world’s single most important commodity: energy.
Energy drives global markets and factors into production costs for everything we consume, said Kathy Hall, a member of the expo’s organizing committee. It’s also at the heart of debates on national security, foreign policy, the world climate and global economic development.
And western Colorado is uniquely positioned to meet the country’s demand for more energy – whether it’s clean or conventional.
“You name it, we have it: coal, gas, oil shale, uranium, solar, geothermal and on and on ... it’s an economic solidity that we’ve always had, whether we exploit it or not,” Hall said.
“The focus of the expo has never changed,” Hall added. “We’ve always been about looking at the future of energy and positioning ourselves to develop our vast resources in an environmentally-sensitive way to secure a strong economic base and a safe, prosperous future for our children.”
The Daily Sentinel published a week-long series, “Energy Alley,” starting Dec. 27, 2009, which provided a detailed inventory of the wealth of energy sources in this region. (The first story of the series is included in this program and the entire series will be republished in March as part of the Sentinel’s annual “Portrait” series.)
Hall, a former Mesa County commissioner, commended the series because it illustrated a message the Energy Forum & Expo has been trying to impart for five years – that western Colorado is well positioned to play a major role in America’s future energy needs.
The series also dovetailed with the expo’s mission of educating people to effect change.
“If citizens do not force politicians to do something, then nothing will get done,” Hall said, adding, “I can say that as a recovering politician.”
ENERGY FORUM & EXPO CO
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010
GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO
TWO RIVERS
CONVENTION CENTER
8:00AM—4:00PM
Saturday, February 13, 2010
CoSEIA Annual Conference & Expo
CoSEIA Annual Conference & Expo
Building a Sustainable Solar Economy
February 17-19, 2010
Sheraton Denver West
360 Union Boulevard. Lakewood, CO 80228
CoSEIA brings the solar industry together once again for two full days including meetings, workshops, panel discussions, exciting speakers, networking, the vendor expo and more. This will be the biggest solar event in the state and will focus on sustaining Colorado's Solar Economy.
Rally to the Capitol Wednesday, February 17th - Rally to the Capitol followed by a Welcome Reception that will allow plenty of opportunity to mingle and renew old acquaintances. Sponsors for reception are welcomed! | Rally Flyer & Map>
Thursday, February 18th - Vendor Expo, Conference & Annual Meeting. The morning session will be followed by the members-only annual meeting and announcement of new board members. The vendor expo continues throughout the day from morning to evening.
Friday, February 19th - Vendor Expo and Workshops. Focus shifts to education, bringing you a full day of workshops taught by renowned industry experts Bill Brooks and John Siegenthaler.
Sponsors and exhibitors for this one-of-a-kind event are currently being sought! Don't miss this valuable opportunity to connect with Colorado's solar leaders. Reducing your carbon footprint? Track your travel offset at Colorado Carbon Fund's Project C>
Building a Sustainable Solar Economy
February 17-19, 2010
Sheraton Denver West
360 Union Boulevard. Lakewood, CO 80228
CoSEIA brings the solar industry together once again for two full days including meetings, workshops, panel discussions, exciting speakers, networking, the vendor expo and more. This will be the biggest solar event in the state and will focus on sustaining Colorado's Solar Economy.
Rally to the Capitol Wednesday, February 17th - Rally to the Capitol followed by a Welcome Reception that will allow plenty of opportunity to mingle and renew old acquaintances. Sponsors for reception are welcomed! | Rally Flyer & Map>
Thursday, February 18th - Vendor Expo, Conference & Annual Meeting. The morning session will be followed by the members-only annual meeting and announcement of new board members. The vendor expo continues throughout the day from morning to evening.
Friday, February 19th - Vendor Expo and Workshops. Focus shifts to education, bringing you a full day of workshops taught by renowned industry experts Bill Brooks and John Siegenthaler.
Sponsors and exhibitors for this one-of-a-kind event are currently being sought! Don't miss this valuable opportunity to connect with Colorado's solar leaders. Reducing your carbon footprint? Track your travel offset at Colorado Carbon Fund's Project C>
Thursday, February 11, 2010
True cost is high for nuclear energy
Nuclear energy proponents are touting their fallacies again. They don’t seem to realize that tons of fossil fuels are typically used (for electricity and heating) in constructing and operating mining and milling processes necessary for nuclear plants.
This includes massive numbers of truck and cart hauls of uranium ore and wastes. Low-level radioactive dust infiltrates the air and waterways everywhere this transporting takes place. Small amounts of mutagenic or carcinogenic radioactive isotopes like xenon, krypton, argon and tritium are often discharged into the air from nuclear plants’ stacks, too.
Nuclear cheerleaders espouse the low cost of the actual energy generation from their process compared to other fuels, but they conveniently leave out the cost of building the actual plant. A new nuclear plant realistically costs almost $11 billion now. That and other factors make a nuclear plant’s 7.5 cents per kwh energy cost more than many of the renewable-energy generation methods — and that is with stupefying taxpayer subsidies for nuclear.
These taxpayer subsidies include the biggest share of U.S. Energy Department research and development costs, $54 billion for 100 percent guaranteed federal loans, outright construction funds, waste clean-ups (like our own region’s $ 2.3 billion program), storage facilities security, 90 percent of a potential companies’ liability costs, a bloated Nuclear Regulatory Commission with a $930 million annual budget, higher health insurance costs for us all due to related disease, $150,000 federal compensation and full-time nursing care for impacted nuclear industry employees, and all kinds of local and state governmental employees required to permit and monitor radioactive operations.
If solar energy would have had the money that went to nuclear the last three decades, the United States could now be using the sun for most of our daytime energy and the cleanest natural-gas power plants for our nighttime and other backup needs.
JOEL PRUDHOMME Grand Junction
This includes massive numbers of truck and cart hauls of uranium ore and wastes. Low-level radioactive dust infiltrates the air and waterways everywhere this transporting takes place. Small amounts of mutagenic or carcinogenic radioactive isotopes like xenon, krypton, argon and tritium are often discharged into the air from nuclear plants’ stacks, too.
Nuclear cheerleaders espouse the low cost of the actual energy generation from their process compared to other fuels, but they conveniently leave out the cost of building the actual plant. A new nuclear plant realistically costs almost $11 billion now. That and other factors make a nuclear plant’s 7.5 cents per kwh energy cost more than many of the renewable-energy generation methods — and that is with stupefying taxpayer subsidies for nuclear.
These taxpayer subsidies include the biggest share of U.S. Energy Department research and development costs, $54 billion for 100 percent guaranteed federal loans, outright construction funds, waste clean-ups (like our own region’s $ 2.3 billion program), storage facilities security, 90 percent of a potential companies’ liability costs, a bloated Nuclear Regulatory Commission with a $930 million annual budget, higher health insurance costs for us all due to related disease, $150,000 federal compensation and full-time nursing care for impacted nuclear industry employees, and all kinds of local and state governmental employees required to permit and monitor radioactive operations.
If solar energy would have had the money that went to nuclear the last three decades, the United States could now be using the sun for most of our daytime energy and the cleanest natural-gas power plants for our nighttime and other backup needs.
JOEL PRUDHOMME Grand Junction
Monday, February 1, 2010
Fruita officials will put dollars into solar energy at new center
Fruita officials will put dollars into solar energy at new center
By Mike Wiggins
Monday, January 11, 2010
The city of Fruita plans to install a solar energy system in its new community center, a move to go green that city officials hope will also save it some green in the long run.
City officials are sorting through 11 bids they received from companies seeking to build a series of solar panels on the roof of the $11.2 million facility that is expected to open in a year.
Parks and Recreation Director Ture Nycum said initial estimates are that the 100-kilowatt system would provide up to 30 percent of the electricity needed to run the community center.
“Our goal for the city is to try to use renewable energy and be as green as possible,” he said. “We’re also trying to be fiscally responsible.”
To that end, Nycum said the city plans to forge an agreement with whichever company the city chooses that would call for that company to pay for the installation of the solar panels. The city would purchase power from the company — Nycum said Fruita hopes to lock in that price at a rate that’s less than what it pays Xcel Energy — while Xcel would give the company tax credits.
The company would own the solar panels for 20 years. After that, the city would have the option of purchasing them, Nycum said.
Ultimately, he said, the agreement should benefit all three parties involved: The city will run part of its community center on less-expensive, renewable energy, the solar-panel company will be paid by both the city and Xcel Energy, and Xcel will take another step toward meeting a state requirement that it produce 20 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2020.
Nycum said the city hopes to select a firm to install the system by February.
By Mike Wiggins
Monday, January 11, 2010
The city of Fruita plans to install a solar energy system in its new community center, a move to go green that city officials hope will also save it some green in the long run.
City officials are sorting through 11 bids they received from companies seeking to build a series of solar panels on the roof of the $11.2 million facility that is expected to open in a year.
Parks and Recreation Director Ture Nycum said initial estimates are that the 100-kilowatt system would provide up to 30 percent of the electricity needed to run the community center.
“Our goal for the city is to try to use renewable energy and be as green as possible,” he said. “We’re also trying to be fiscally responsible.”
To that end, Nycum said the city plans to forge an agreement with whichever company the city chooses that would call for that company to pay for the installation of the solar panels. The city would purchase power from the company — Nycum said Fruita hopes to lock in that price at a rate that’s less than what it pays Xcel Energy — while Xcel would give the company tax credits.
The company would own the solar panels for 20 years. After that, the city would have the option of purchasing them, Nycum said.
Ultimately, he said, the agreement should benefit all three parties involved: The city will run part of its community center on less-expensive, renewable energy, the solar-panel company will be paid by both the city and Xcel Energy, and Xcel will take another step toward meeting a state requirement that it produce 20 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2020.
Nycum said the city hopes to select a firm to install the system by February.
Powerhouse Gym ‘goes green’
Powerhouse Gym ‘goes green’
Tom Bishop, general manager of Powerhouse Gym, throws a plastic water bottle into the recycling bin.
By Richie Ann Ashcraft
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Powerhouse Gym has a made a commitment to members and the Grand Junction community to do its part to reduce the gym’s carbon footprint on the world.
Tom Bishop, general manager of the 24-hour facility, said he saw a significant need to practice greener ways within the gym.
For example, gym members consume between 5 to 8 cases of protein and electrolyte drinks per day. Most of those plastic bottles were ending up in the trash until Bishop added recycling bins for plastics.
“With 900 members the impact we make on the environment is pretty significant,” Bishop said.
Staff has changed from harsh chemicals to green cleaning products, which they now use to disinfect the workout machines throughout the day.
“I started to take a look at how cost effective it would be to switch cleaning products and it turned out to be the same, and sometimes cheaper, to switch,” Bishop said.
Next Bishop tackled the energy problem that running multiple television sets and exercise equipment such as treadmills created. Just last week, the gym had a 20,000 kilowatt solar system installed on the roof by Atlasta Solar to solve that problem.
“We had it all designed so that it would take care of most of our daily energy needs,” Bishop said, “It should be powering virtually everything in here all day.”
Much of the cost of the new system was covered by government and local rebates. “We got at least $115,000 in rebates,” Bishop said.
Bishop switched all the light bulbs to Energy Star fluorescent bulbs with motion sensors so that lights would not be running in the middle of the night if nobody was in the gym working out.
Bishop even drives a SmartCar when he has errands to run for the gym. The tiny car also serves as mobile advertising.
“We are trying to be as environmentally friendly as we can,” Bishop said of all the changes the gym has made to “go green.”
In honor of its environmental stewardship, Powerhouse Gym is offering the “Get Lean-Go Green” special this month. New memberships are available for only $19 a month and no sign-up fee is required. The gym is located at 2460 F Road, Unit 5. For information, call 242-9099.
Tom Bishop, general manager of Powerhouse Gym, throws a plastic water bottle into the recycling bin.
By Richie Ann Ashcraft
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Powerhouse Gym has a made a commitment to members and the Grand Junction community to do its part to reduce the gym’s carbon footprint on the world.
Tom Bishop, general manager of the 24-hour facility, said he saw a significant need to practice greener ways within the gym.
For example, gym members consume between 5 to 8 cases of protein and electrolyte drinks per day. Most of those plastic bottles were ending up in the trash until Bishop added recycling bins for plastics.
“With 900 members the impact we make on the environment is pretty significant,” Bishop said.
Staff has changed from harsh chemicals to green cleaning products, which they now use to disinfect the workout machines throughout the day.
“I started to take a look at how cost effective it would be to switch cleaning products and it turned out to be the same, and sometimes cheaper, to switch,” Bishop said.
Next Bishop tackled the energy problem that running multiple television sets and exercise equipment such as treadmills created. Just last week, the gym had a 20,000 kilowatt solar system installed on the roof by Atlasta Solar to solve that problem.
“We had it all designed so that it would take care of most of our daily energy needs,” Bishop said, “It should be powering virtually everything in here all day.”
Much of the cost of the new system was covered by government and local rebates. “We got at least $115,000 in rebates,” Bishop said.
Bishop switched all the light bulbs to Energy Star fluorescent bulbs with motion sensors so that lights would not be running in the middle of the night if nobody was in the gym working out.
Bishop even drives a SmartCar when he has errands to run for the gym. The tiny car also serves as mobile advertising.
“We are trying to be as environmentally friendly as we can,” Bishop said of all the changes the gym has made to “go green.”
In honor of its environmental stewardship, Powerhouse Gym is offering the “Get Lean-Go Green” special this month. New memberships are available for only $19 a month and no sign-up fee is required. The gym is located at 2460 F Road, Unit 5. For information, call 242-9099.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Finance options for home solar are growing
Finance options for home solar are growing
BY CHRIS KAHN
AP ENERGY WRITER,
NEW YORK (AP) - Rooftop solar panels usually sound great until you see the price tag. Even with generous tax breaks, a home-installed system can cost as much as an SUV depending where you live.
But what if you could put solar on your roof virtually for free?
Solar companies hungry to get panels on your home have come up with some innovative ways to finance complete solar systems.
Before you sign up, however, do the math and make sure it adds up. With so many local, government and federal incentives, it might be cheaper just to buy the system.
Here are some companies and financing plans that can get you into solar. In some cases the plans require no money up front, and the monthly payment can be paid with the savings from your utility bill.
LEASING
Solar companies in the Southwest have begun to lease solar systems. Companies like SunRun and SolarCity also take care of maintenance and other service issues you'd be on the hook for if you bought a system outright.
Leasing programs are beginning to expand outside of the sunny Southwest and may be coming to your town soon.
The payoff depends largely on where you live.
Colorado and Oregon residents would likely break even with a solar lease if their current electricity bill averages $50 a month, according to SolarCity. Yet in California and Arizona, where energy costs can run higher, the break-even point rises to $125 a month.
SunRun offers 18- to 20-year leases in California, Arizona, Colorado and Massachusetts.
Homeowners can put as little as no money down. But the more you pay upfront, the smaller your monthly lease will be.
Another plus is that the solar company sticks around to make sure everything is running correctly for the life of the lease, said Lynn Jurich, co-founder of SunRun.
“A lot of people are intimidated by this equipment,” Jurich said. “They're worried that if they put these big panels on their roof. There's going to be maintenance costs. There's going to be issues down the road.”
SunRun's Web page http://www.sunrunhome.com has a lot of information about how costs vary in different locations and the costs versus savings.
SolarCity offers leases in California, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado. It's expected to announce five new operating regions this year.
The company also has a calculator on its Web site http://www.solarcity.com/residential/solar-lease.aspx to help potential customers weigh the costs.
Both companies allow customers to extend leases, and they offer free removal when the lease expires.
Leases can also be transferred if the house is sold, which is usually the option that new owners choose, the companies say. The original owner would have to pay down the lease if the new owner did not want the system.
POWER-PURCHASE AGREEMENTS
Homeowners may also choose a variable plan that charges the homeowner for the amount o f power the system generates. Both SolarCity and SunRun will install a system, maintain it, and adjust the monthly fee according to how much power the system generates. In other words, homeowners are not penalized if their rooftop system fails to produce as much energy as expected. Such agreements also last from 15 to 20 years and are available in limited locations.
BUYING IN BULK
Another company allows consumers in the same town to work together to lower the cost of solar.
One Block Off the Grid (1BOG) groups potential buyers together, and when there's enough, it buys systems at a lower bulk rate. The company acts as a middleman and negotiates with solar companies for the best deals.
In addition to cost savings of 15 percent, the company works as a technical adviser for the homeowners, picking installers and panels that have a good track record.
1BOG, which makes money by charging a finder's fee to installers, already has established bulk-rate programs in numerous California cities, New Orleans, Denver and Phoenix. It's planning to launch new programs San Antonio, Honolulu, and parts of New Jersey. 1BOG also expects to expand in Austin, Texas, Miami, Aspen, Colo., Boston, Brooklyn, N.Y., Philadelphia, Chicago, Las Vegas, Portland, Ore., Seattle, Sacramento, Calif. and Washington D.C.
You can learn more about 1BOG's solar “communities” at www.1bog.org.
GOING COMMUNAL
There are still other ways to buy solar with little or nothing upfront.
Communities across the nation have created special finance districts that help people pay for solar through low-interest bonds. Homeowners can use the bonds to pay for solar systems and then finance the loan through higher property taxes.
The strategy, called property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs, allows the homeowner to spread the cost of buying solar over 20 years.
The Vote Solar Initiative, a nonprofit agency based in San Francisco that promotes solar energy use around the country, has become a major backer of PACE programs.
The group says solar finance districts have been cleared in almost 20 states, from California to Vermont.
BY CHRIS KAHN
AP ENERGY WRITER,
NEW YORK (AP) - Rooftop solar panels usually sound great until you see the price tag. Even with generous tax breaks, a home-installed system can cost as much as an SUV depending where you live.
But what if you could put solar on your roof virtually for free?
Solar companies hungry to get panels on your home have come up with some innovative ways to finance complete solar systems.
Before you sign up, however, do the math and make sure it adds up. With so many local, government and federal incentives, it might be cheaper just to buy the system.
Here are some companies and financing plans that can get you into solar. In some cases the plans require no money up front, and the monthly payment can be paid with the savings from your utility bill.
LEASING
Solar companies in the Southwest have begun to lease solar systems. Companies like SunRun and SolarCity also take care of maintenance and other service issues you'd be on the hook for if you bought a system outright.
Leasing programs are beginning to expand outside of the sunny Southwest and may be coming to your town soon.
The payoff depends largely on where you live.
Colorado and Oregon residents would likely break even with a solar lease if their current electricity bill averages $50 a month, according to SolarCity. Yet in California and Arizona, where energy costs can run higher, the break-even point rises to $125 a month.
SunRun offers 18- to 20-year leases in California, Arizona, Colorado and Massachusetts.
Homeowners can put as little as no money down. But the more you pay upfront, the smaller your monthly lease will be.
Another plus is that the solar company sticks around to make sure everything is running correctly for the life of the lease, said Lynn Jurich, co-founder of SunRun.
“A lot of people are intimidated by this equipment,” Jurich said. “They're worried that if they put these big panels on their roof. There's going to be maintenance costs. There's going to be issues down the road.”
SunRun's Web page http://www.sunrunhome.com has a lot of information about how costs vary in different locations and the costs versus savings.
SolarCity offers leases in California, Arizona, Oregon and Colorado. It's expected to announce five new operating regions this year.
The company also has a calculator on its Web site http://www.solarcity.com/residential/solar-lease.aspx to help potential customers weigh the costs.
Both companies allow customers to extend leases, and they offer free removal when the lease expires.
Leases can also be transferred if the house is sold, which is usually the option that new owners choose, the companies say. The original owner would have to pay down the lease if the new owner did not want the system.
POWER-PURCHASE AGREEMENTS
Homeowners may also choose a variable plan that charges the homeowner for the amount o f power the system generates. Both SolarCity and SunRun will install a system, maintain it, and adjust the monthly fee according to how much power the system generates. In other words, homeowners are not penalized if their rooftop system fails to produce as much energy as expected. Such agreements also last from 15 to 20 years and are available in limited locations.
BUYING IN BULK
Another company allows consumers in the same town to work together to lower the cost of solar.
One Block Off the Grid (1BOG) groups potential buyers together, and when there's enough, it buys systems at a lower bulk rate. The company acts as a middleman and negotiates with solar companies for the best deals.
In addition to cost savings of 15 percent, the company works as a technical adviser for the homeowners, picking installers and panels that have a good track record.
1BOG, which makes money by charging a finder's fee to installers, already has established bulk-rate programs in numerous California cities, New Orleans, Denver and Phoenix. It's planning to launch new programs San Antonio, Honolulu, and parts of New Jersey. 1BOG also expects to expand in Austin, Texas, Miami, Aspen, Colo., Boston, Brooklyn, N.Y., Philadelphia, Chicago, Las Vegas, Portland, Ore., Seattle, Sacramento, Calif. and Washington D.C.
You can learn more about 1BOG's solar “communities” at www.1bog.org.
GOING COMMUNAL
There are still other ways to buy solar with little or nothing upfront.
Communities across the nation have created special finance districts that help people pay for solar through low-interest bonds. Homeowners can use the bonds to pay for solar systems and then finance the loan through higher property taxes.
The strategy, called property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs, allows the homeowner to spread the cost of buying solar over 20 years.
The Vote Solar Initiative, a nonprofit agency based in San Francisco that promotes solar energy use around the country, has become a major backer of PACE programs.
The group says solar finance districts have been cleared in almost 20 states, from California to Vermont.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Colorado Increase in Renewable Standard
The Associated Press
DENVER
Colorado Democratic state lawmakers want to increase the amount of electricity coming from renewable sources, saying the move will help the environment and create jobs.
Under current law, investor-owned utilities like Xcel Energy must get 20 percent of their power from renewable sources like wind and solar energy by 2020. Gov. Bill Ritter announced Tuesday that he is backing planned legislation requiring them to hit 30 percent over the next 10 years instead.
Democratic state Sens. Gail Schwartz and Bruce Whitehead plan to introduce the bill in the new legislative session, which starts Wednesday.
Rural electric associations must produce 10 percent of their energy by 2020 and the bill as proposed wouldn't change that.
Xcel Energy, Colorado's largest provider of electricity, said its current compliance plan will put it close to 30 percent.
Company spokesman Mark Stutz said the utility is willing to entertain raising the standard if customers continue to be protected from big price increases. Currently, utilities can't charge customers more than 2 percent of their monthly bill to pay for their increased use of renewable energy.
"As long as the cap on increased costs remains in place as protection for our customers, we are willing to consider increasing the standard," he said.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright © 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures
DENVER
Colorado Democratic state lawmakers want to increase the amount of electricity coming from renewable sources, saying the move will help the environment and create jobs.
Under current law, investor-owned utilities like Xcel Energy must get 20 percent of their power from renewable sources like wind and solar energy by 2020. Gov. Bill Ritter announced Tuesday that he is backing planned legislation requiring them to hit 30 percent over the next 10 years instead.
Democratic state Sens. Gail Schwartz and Bruce Whitehead plan to introduce the bill in the new legislative session, which starts Wednesday.
Rural electric associations must produce 10 percent of their energy by 2020 and the bill as proposed wouldn't change that.
Xcel Energy, Colorado's largest provider of electricity, said its current compliance plan will put it close to 30 percent.
Company spokesman Mark Stutz said the utility is willing to entertain raising the standard if customers continue to be protected from big price increases. Currently, utilities can't charge customers more than 2 percent of their monthly bill to pay for their increased use of renewable energy.
"As long as the cap on increased costs remains in place as protection for our customers, we are willing to consider increasing the standard," he said.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright © 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures
Monday, January 18, 2010
Grande River Vineyards 70% of Energy Supplied from Solar Power
Grande River Vineyards 70% of Energy Supplied from Solar Power
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 9:43:46 AM - by Danny Vo
In western Colorado, a regional vineyard has chosen solar photovoltaic panels to reduce its energy burden and deliver clean, renewable energy.
Grande River Vineyards, near Palisade on the Western Slope, was founded in 1987 when Denver growers Stephen and Naomi Smith decided to take advantage of the Slope’s arid hillsides and moderate winters to produce some of the finest wine grapes in the nation.
Under the hands of vineyard manager Jim Mayrose, the enterprise was a success, and by 1990, Grande River Vineyards gave birth to its first crop of grapes, one third devoted entirely to house wines. In an average year, Grande River bottles between seven and eight thousands cases of wine.
Grande River is not alone; since the mid-1970s, Colorado’s wineries have grown from one to more than 70. But Grande River is the first vineyard in the state to take advantage of solar energy, an equally productive “crop” given the Western Slopes dry winters and generally sunny climate.
The Grande River solar array consists of 144 ground-mounted solar photovoltaic modules, angled to catch the maximum amount of the region’s solar insolation, which averages about 5.0 (on a scale of 2.5 to 6.5 in the continental United States).
Add to this the Western Slope’s average 3,200 hours per year of sun (on a scale of 1,600 hours in northern Washington State to 4,000 hours in some parts of southern California and Arizona), and one sees the perfect climate not only for crops but for solar electricity.
These 144 PV panels are expected to eventually provide about 70 percent of the electricity the vineyard uses to transform grapes into wine, and the installation, by Syndicated Solar Inc. of Grand Junction, guarantees that the array will perform as expected throughout its approximately 25-year lifetime.
The cost of the system is unknown, but Naomi Smith says her company took advantage of tax credits provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which provided more than $6 billion in potential funding to businesses and homeowners, in the form of tax credits.
For businesses, the credits come either as energy investment tax credits (30 percent of the project’s cost) or production tax credits, up to 2.1 cents per kilowatt hour. A businesss may not claim both, but may elect a third option, the renewable energy grant, for property placed in service in 2009 or 2010.
At 144 panels and an unknown number of rated kilowatts, the system is about one-sixth the size of the solar array recently installed at New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins (870 panels, 200 kilowatts), makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale, but it is the first at a Colorado winery.
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 9:43:46 AM - by Danny Vo
In western Colorado, a regional vineyard has chosen solar photovoltaic panels to reduce its energy burden and deliver clean, renewable energy.
Grande River Vineyards, near Palisade on the Western Slope, was founded in 1987 when Denver growers Stephen and Naomi Smith decided to take advantage of the Slope’s arid hillsides and moderate winters to produce some of the finest wine grapes in the nation.
Under the hands of vineyard manager Jim Mayrose, the enterprise was a success, and by 1990, Grande River Vineyards gave birth to its first crop of grapes, one third devoted entirely to house wines. In an average year, Grande River bottles between seven and eight thousands cases of wine.
Grande River is not alone; since the mid-1970s, Colorado’s wineries have grown from one to more than 70. But Grande River is the first vineyard in the state to take advantage of solar energy, an equally productive “crop” given the Western Slopes dry winters and generally sunny climate.
The Grande River solar array consists of 144 ground-mounted solar photovoltaic modules, angled to catch the maximum amount of the region’s solar insolation, which averages about 5.0 (on a scale of 2.5 to 6.5 in the continental United States).
Add to this the Western Slope’s average 3,200 hours per year of sun (on a scale of 1,600 hours in northern Washington State to 4,000 hours in some parts of southern California and Arizona), and one sees the perfect climate not only for crops but for solar electricity.
These 144 PV panels are expected to eventually provide about 70 percent of the electricity the vineyard uses to transform grapes into wine, and the installation, by Syndicated Solar Inc. of Grand Junction, guarantees that the array will perform as expected throughout its approximately 25-year lifetime.
The cost of the system is unknown, but Naomi Smith says her company took advantage of tax credits provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which provided more than $6 billion in potential funding to businesses and homeowners, in the form of tax credits.
For businesses, the credits come either as energy investment tax credits (30 percent of the project’s cost) or production tax credits, up to 2.1 cents per kilowatt hour. A businesss may not claim both, but may elect a third option, the renewable energy grant, for property placed in service in 2009 or 2010.
At 144 panels and an unknown number of rated kilowatts, the system is about one-sixth the size of the solar array recently installed at New Belgium Brewing of Fort Collins (870 panels, 200 kilowatts), makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale, but it is the first at a Colorado winery.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Atlasta Solar powers up the homeless shelter
Atlasta Solar powers up the homeless shelter
By Sharon Sullivan
Free Press Staff Writer,
The Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley homeless shelter, 2853 North Ave., is now partially solar-powered thanks to Atlasta Solar Center, a local solar company located down the street at 2923 North Ave.
Atlasta donated a 5 kilowatt-hour solar system to the homeless shelter in November.
The need was great and the timing was right, said Atlasta sales manager Lou Villaire.
“It fits well with their expansion plans,” Villaire said. “We had to situate the panels so they would not interfere with their planned reconstruction.”
The shelter plans to expand into 5,000 more square-feet at its existing 8,400-square-foot building to accommodate the growing number of people seeking shelter. Local churches are providing overnight shelter for winter months when the shelter is filled to capacity.
The relatively small system will help offset electricity bills, saving the shelter between $800 and $1,000 a year, Villaire said. As the cost of electricity goes up, the savings will increase.
Shelter Executive Director Gi Moon is grateful for the donation.
“When you compare it to the $12.50 cost for a night of safe shelter, two meals and a hot shower, that's significant,” Moon said, regarding the expected energy savings. “To us that's a tangible real difference, not to mention it allows us to be green.”
Atlasta donated the solar panels and the labor, keeping an Xcel rebate to offset the cost of the $45,000 system. That price would be considerably less for individuals and businesses able to take advantage of rebates and tax credits available for installing renewable energy.
A public open house and dedication of the system will be held Friday, Jan. 15, at 1:30 p.m. Lunch is being donated by Chipotle restaurant, 2504 Hwy 6.
The homeless shelter had been interested in exploring solar options for some time, Moon said.
“We're so appreciative to Atlasta for thinking of us for this project,” Moon said.
“It was like having a wish and then everything coming true for it.”
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
http://www.gjfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100113/COMMUNITY_NEWS/100119941/1076&ParentProfile=1059&template=printart
By Sharon Sullivan
Free Press Staff Writer,
The Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley homeless shelter, 2853 North Ave., is now partially solar-powered thanks to Atlasta Solar Center, a local solar company located down the street at 2923 North Ave.
Atlasta donated a 5 kilowatt-hour solar system to the homeless shelter in November.
The need was great and the timing was right, said Atlasta sales manager Lou Villaire.
“It fits well with their expansion plans,” Villaire said. “We had to situate the panels so they would not interfere with their planned reconstruction.”
The shelter plans to expand into 5,000 more square-feet at its existing 8,400-square-foot building to accommodate the growing number of people seeking shelter. Local churches are providing overnight shelter for winter months when the shelter is filled to capacity.
The relatively small system will help offset electricity bills, saving the shelter between $800 and $1,000 a year, Villaire said. As the cost of electricity goes up, the savings will increase.
Shelter Executive Director Gi Moon is grateful for the donation.
“When you compare it to the $12.50 cost for a night of safe shelter, two meals and a hot shower, that's significant,” Moon said, regarding the expected energy savings. “To us that's a tangible real difference, not to mention it allows us to be green.”
Atlasta donated the solar panels and the labor, keeping an Xcel rebate to offset the cost of the $45,000 system. That price would be considerably less for individuals and businesses able to take advantage of rebates and tax credits available for installing renewable energy.
A public open house and dedication of the system will be held Friday, Jan. 15, at 1:30 p.m. Lunch is being donated by Chipotle restaurant, 2504 Hwy 6.
The homeless shelter had been interested in exploring solar options for some time, Moon said.
“We're so appreciative to Atlasta for thinking of us for this project,” Moon said.
“It was like having a wish and then everything coming true for it.”
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
http://www.gjfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100113/COMMUNITY_NEWS/100119941/1076&ParentProfile=1059&template=printart
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Xcel Drops Colorado Solar Rebates Again
Price Drop in Small Solar Program
Email dated 12/31/2009-
Beginning today, Jan. 31, 2009, Small Customer-owned program applications will be approved with an upfront REC price of 70 cents per watt. This is Step 4 of the tiered pricing. The $2 per watt Rebate price is not affected.
This reflected in the pricing charts. To see the pricing charts, go to http://www.xcelenergy.com/solar and click on "View current prices".
Please email Xcel Energy at solarprogram@xcelenergy.com with questions
Email dated 12/31/2009-
Beginning today, Jan. 31, 2009, Small Customer-owned program applications will be approved with an upfront REC price of 70 cents per watt. This is Step 4 of the tiered pricing. The $2 per watt Rebate price is not affected.
This reflected in the pricing charts. To see the pricing charts, go to http://www.xcelenergy.com/solar and click on "View current prices".
Please email Xcel Energy at solarprogram@xcelenergy.com with questions
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Renewable energies a growing segment of power picture
Renewable energies a growing segment of power picture
By GARY HARMON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The sunny skies of western Colorado and eastern Utah along Energy Alley are a powerful source of energy awaiting capture.
Heat trapped underground, likewise, is waiting to be turned to use on the surface.
Renewable-energy advocates also are looking anew at the energy generated when water runs downhill and when the wind blows.
From a proposed solar generation site in Green River, Utah, to a multisource energy park in Rifle, governments, utilities, entrepreneurs and some individuals are testing new methods of heating and lighting buildings and tapping into the electrical grid to sell, not use, electricity.
Grand Junction, according to Tourism-Review.com, is the seventh-sunniest city in the United States, and Mesa State College says it will rely heavily on the city’s 300 sunny days a year to generate solar power.
The college has two solar-panel arrays, one on the new science building and one on the new North Avenue residence hall. A third array is to be constructed as part of the expansion of Saunders Fieldhouse. In all, those panels are to generate 130 kilowatts of electricity, and the college’s two-year plan includes generating an additional 1.2 megawatts of solar power.
Solar power is at the heart of a test at the Cameo Station in De Beque Canyon. The coal-fired power plant is to be closed, but before that happens, Xcel Energy will test a 1-megawatt, partially solar power plant at the location.
The idea is to use the power of the sun to heat water, so less coal is needed to turn it to steam and spin the turbines that produce electricity.
The test will extend the life of the Cameo Station by a year, but the entire facility will shut down when the test is complete.
Ute Water in Grand Junction and Delta-Montrose Electric Association each are looking to generate electricity from falls within water-delivery systems.
Ute filed a draft application in October with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission seeking to install a 610-kilowatt generator on its raw water line leading into its treatment plant near Palisade.
The generator would produce enough electricity to operate the water-treatment plant, and any excess electricity would be sold to Xcel Energy, Joe Burtard of Ute Water said.
If the federal agency approves the application, Ute will order the turbine generator and begin construction with an eye toward putting the generator online in late 2011 or early 2012.
Delta-Montrose Electric Association, meanwhile, is applying to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to generate electricity as water diverted from the Gunnison River leaves the Gunnison Tunnel and falls to the South Canal.
The $30 million project would supply 6 megawatts of power on a seasonal basis. The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users don’t divert in the winter.
Still, it could generate up to 5 percent of the association’s current annual needs and be particularly helpful in meeting peak summertime needs, according Jim Heneghan, renewable-energy engineer for the association.
The idea has been around for years, Heneghan said, but it wasn’t until recently that it made economic sense.
“Now feasibility reports show it can produce power at or less than the cost to pay for itself,” Heneghan said. “In that respect, we couldn’t pass it up.”
At the far east end of the Grand Valley, meanwhile, a tower nearly 150 feet high is gathering information that could eventually attract a company to build a wind farm above Palisade that would catch the breeze from De Beque Canyon.
Wazee Energy of Denver will decide next year whether to install three other test towers, which it would monitor for three years before deciding whether to build a wind farm on the site.
The Bureau of Land Management then would conduct an environmental review, which would include an opportunity for public comment.
The entire process could take three or four years, BLM spokeswoman Erin Curtis said.
By GARY HARMON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The sunny skies of western Colorado and eastern Utah along Energy Alley are a powerful source of energy awaiting capture.
Heat trapped underground, likewise, is waiting to be turned to use on the surface.
Renewable-energy advocates also are looking anew at the energy generated when water runs downhill and when the wind blows.
From a proposed solar generation site in Green River, Utah, to a multisource energy park in Rifle, governments, utilities, entrepreneurs and some individuals are testing new methods of heating and lighting buildings and tapping into the electrical grid to sell, not use, electricity.
Grand Junction, according to Tourism-Review.com, is the seventh-sunniest city in the United States, and Mesa State College says it will rely heavily on the city’s 300 sunny days a year to generate solar power.
The college has two solar-panel arrays, one on the new science building and one on the new North Avenue residence hall. A third array is to be constructed as part of the expansion of Saunders Fieldhouse. In all, those panels are to generate 130 kilowatts of electricity, and the college’s two-year plan includes generating an additional 1.2 megawatts of solar power.
Solar power is at the heart of a test at the Cameo Station in De Beque Canyon. The coal-fired power plant is to be closed, but before that happens, Xcel Energy will test a 1-megawatt, partially solar power plant at the location.
The idea is to use the power of the sun to heat water, so less coal is needed to turn it to steam and spin the turbines that produce electricity.
The test will extend the life of the Cameo Station by a year, but the entire facility will shut down when the test is complete.
Ute Water in Grand Junction and Delta-Montrose Electric Association each are looking to generate electricity from falls within water-delivery systems.
Ute filed a draft application in October with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission seeking to install a 610-kilowatt generator on its raw water line leading into its treatment plant near Palisade.
The generator would produce enough electricity to operate the water-treatment plant, and any excess electricity would be sold to Xcel Energy, Joe Burtard of Ute Water said.
If the federal agency approves the application, Ute will order the turbine generator and begin construction with an eye toward putting the generator online in late 2011 or early 2012.
Delta-Montrose Electric Association, meanwhile, is applying to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to generate electricity as water diverted from the Gunnison River leaves the Gunnison Tunnel and falls to the South Canal.
The $30 million project would supply 6 megawatts of power on a seasonal basis. The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users don’t divert in the winter.
Still, it could generate up to 5 percent of the association’s current annual needs and be particularly helpful in meeting peak summertime needs, according Jim Heneghan, renewable-energy engineer for the association.
The idea has been around for years, Heneghan said, but it wasn’t until recently that it made economic sense.
“Now feasibility reports show it can produce power at or less than the cost to pay for itself,” Heneghan said. “In that respect, we couldn’t pass it up.”
At the far east end of the Grand Valley, meanwhile, a tower nearly 150 feet high is gathering information that could eventually attract a company to build a wind farm above Palisade that would catch the breeze from De Beque Canyon.
Wazee Energy of Denver will decide next year whether to install three other test towers, which it would monitor for three years before deciding whether to build a wind farm on the site.
The Bureau of Land Management then would conduct an environmental review, which would include an opportunity for public comment.
The entire process could take three or four years, BLM spokeswoman Erin Curtis said.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
At Last...Solar For Everyone
Solar Cash rebates for all Colorado residents including Grand Valley Power (GVP) members will be available in early 2010. Thank you, Santa! The state of Colorado has just announced details of the much anticipated program. Business owners are eligible for a $15,000 cash rebate and homeowners are eligible for $4,500 cash. Yes, free money.
The rebates are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis and the amount of money is limited. So, if you, like me, are a GVP member and have been waiting for this opportunity to greatly reduce the cost of owning your own clean energy source, be sure to call Atlasta Solar right away to start the rebate application process.
Each rebate recipient is required to complete a brief energy audit for the property. Free energy audits are available from Atlasta Solar. (See coupon below.)
Still don't think you can afford to own your own system, even after tax credits and cash rebates? Call 248-0057 for other financing opportunities coming in 2010.
Happy Holidays from Atlasta Solar!
Adrienne Boggess
ATLASTA SOLAR CENTER
2923 North Ave.
(970) 248-0057
The rebates are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis and the amount of money is limited. So, if you, like me, are a GVP member and have been waiting for this opportunity to greatly reduce the cost of owning your own clean energy source, be sure to call Atlasta Solar right away to start the rebate application process.
Each rebate recipient is required to complete a brief energy audit for the property. Free energy audits are available from Atlasta Solar. (See coupon below.)
Still don't think you can afford to own your own system, even after tax credits and cash rebates? Call 248-0057 for other financing opportunities coming in 2010.
Happy Holidays from Atlasta Solar!
Adrienne Boggess
ATLASTA SOLAR CENTER
2923 North Ave.
(970) 248-0057
At Last...Solar For Everyone
Solar Cash rebates for all Colorado residents including Grand Valley Power (GVP) members will be available in early 2010. Thank you, Santa! The state of Colorado has just announced details of the much anticipated program. Business owners are eligible for a $15,000 cash rebate and homeowners are eligible for $4,500 cash. Yes, free money.
The rebates are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis and the amount of money is limited. So, if you, like me, are a GVP member and have been waiting for this opportunity to greatly reduce the cost of owning your own clean energy source, be sure to call Atlasta Solar right away to start the rebate application process.
Each rebate recipient is required to complete a brief energy audit for the property. Free energy audits are available from Atlasta Solar. (See coupon below.)
Still don't think you can afford to own your own system, even after tax credits and cash rebates? Call 248-0057 for other financing opportunities coming in 2010.
Happy Holidays from Atlasta Solar!
Adrienne Boggess
ATLASTA SOLAR CENTER
2923 North Ave.
(970) 248-0057
The rebates are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis and the amount of money is limited. So, if you, like me, are a GVP member and have been waiting for this opportunity to greatly reduce the cost of owning your own clean energy source, be sure to call Atlasta Solar right away to start the rebate application process.
Each rebate recipient is required to complete a brief energy audit for the property. Free energy audits are available from Atlasta Solar. (See coupon below.)
Still don't think you can afford to own your own system, even after tax credits and cash rebates? Call 248-0057 for other financing opportunities coming in 2010.
Happy Holidays from Atlasta Solar!
Adrienne Boggess
ATLASTA SOLAR CENTER
2923 North Ave.
(970) 248-0057
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Pitkin County debates solar-power proposal
Pitkin County debates solar-power proposal
ASPEN, Colo. — Pitkin County, known for its environmental friendliness, is debating how high freestanding solar panels should be built.
A staff recommendation to change the height limit to 16 feet from 10 feet off the ground died on a 2-2 vote Wednesday when the push for renewable energy collided with preserving the mountain community's rural character.
The staff is expected to make another proposal.
Commissioner George Newman says expanding renewable energy is commendable, but the county should address the impacts of facilities on neighborhoods. He says some homeowners are bothered by glare from neighboring solar panels.
But Commissioner Patti Kay-Clapper says defeating the proposal sends the wrong message after county voters approved a district allowing people to take out low-interest loans to install renewable energy systems.
___
Information from: The Aspen Times, http://www.aspentimes.com/
___
December 3, 2009 - 3:36 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.
ASPEN, Colo. — Pitkin County, known for its environmental friendliness, is debating how high freestanding solar panels should be built.
A staff recommendation to change the height limit to 16 feet from 10 feet off the ground died on a 2-2 vote Wednesday when the push for renewable energy collided with preserving the mountain community's rural character.
The staff is expected to make another proposal.
Commissioner George Newman says expanding renewable energy is commendable, but the county should address the impacts of facilities on neighborhoods. He says some homeowners are bothered by glare from neighboring solar panels.
But Commissioner Patti Kay-Clapper says defeating the proposal sends the wrong message after county voters approved a district allowing people to take out low-interest loans to install renewable energy systems.
___
Information from: The Aspen Times, http://www.aspentimes.com/
___
December 3, 2009 - 3:36 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.
Monday, November 23, 2009
'Going Green' as an investment
I asked my wife to read the last article I wrote in the Go Green section of the Free Press and asked for feedback. She said: “It's great, dear, but I still don't know how much solar costs.”
Using much of the solar jargon I've acquired throughout my career, I tried to explain that every situation is different and there is no one price; it depends on roof orientation, mounting angle, panel size and type, historic household energy consumption, and so on. All she heard was “blah, blah, blah,” and restated “all I want to know is how much it is going to cost me — $50 or $50,000.”
Therefore, I was inspired to give the rough answer for those of you that may be interested in what the investment is to go solar. The “average” homeowner paying $100 per month in electric bills consumes about 11,500 kilowatt hours (kwh) per year based on the current electric rate of 10.5 cents per kwh.
A solar system comprised of 35-40 panels and utilizing 500-700 square feet of roof space should create enough electricity to offset this usage over the course of a typical year. The price of a solar system can vary widely and is dependent upon panel quality, installer expertise, mounting equipment, installation method, and existing electrical arrangement. That being said, the value of a solar system, again using solar industry language, is between $6-$8 per watt installed or in this case right around $53,000; but because of the available renewable energy incentives, this is not the price you will pay.
The current Solar*Rewards rebate from Xcel Energy is designed to pay for nearly half of the system cost BUT THIS REBATE IS A MOVING TARGET and is designed to diminish over time. Because most installers will “float” this rebate, we can subtract it right off the top leaving $30,200, of which 30% or $9,060 will be paid back through a federal tax credit; which means you will invest $21,140 in a solar system worth over $50,000 that will offset $1,200 worth of utility payments the first year.
If a mortgage-type loan is used to finance the investment, monthly loan payments will be about the same as current utility payments but instead of increasing over time they will be FIXED for the loan period and the interest portion could be tax deductible as well. When we account for inflation using historic inflation rates of 7-8, that same solar system will offset around $1,600 worth of expenses in year 5 and $2,300 worth of electricity in year 10.
In other words, the return on investment gains value each year and now as electric rates go up (incidentally according to the current proposed rate case by Xcel Energy, costs are scheduled to go up as much as 13.59% next year for residential customers), you cheer instead of complain as your solar system becomes more valuable.
Additionally, the National Appraisal Institute in joint effort with Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency coordinated a study and found that for every dollar offset by renewable energy or energy efficient measures, home value could be raised by 20.
In the case of our “average” home, the asking price could increase by as much as $24,000 in the first year. So what does it cost to “go green?” Nothing — in fact you can end up making money. It is better to think of renewable energy as an investment in your future rather than an expenditure. What is the return on investment from your current utility payments?
from "Going Green" in GJ Free Press 23 Nov 2009
Scott Wegs
Solar consultant
HIGH NOON SOLAR
569 S. Westgate #4
Grand Junction, CO 81505
highnoonsolar_scott@yahoo.com
970-234-1498
Using much of the solar jargon I've acquired throughout my career, I tried to explain that every situation is different and there is no one price; it depends on roof orientation, mounting angle, panel size and type, historic household energy consumption, and so on. All she heard was “blah, blah, blah,” and restated “all I want to know is how much it is going to cost me — $50 or $50,000.”
Therefore, I was inspired to give the rough answer for those of you that may be interested in what the investment is to go solar. The “average” homeowner paying $100 per month in electric bills consumes about 11,500 kilowatt hours (kwh) per year based on the current electric rate of 10.5 cents per kwh.
A solar system comprised of 35-40 panels and utilizing 500-700 square feet of roof space should create enough electricity to offset this usage over the course of a typical year. The price of a solar system can vary widely and is dependent upon panel quality, installer expertise, mounting equipment, installation method, and existing electrical arrangement. That being said, the value of a solar system, again using solar industry language, is between $6-$8 per watt installed or in this case right around $53,000; but because of the available renewable energy incentives, this is not the price you will pay.
The current Solar*Rewards rebate from Xcel Energy is designed to pay for nearly half of the system cost BUT THIS REBATE IS A MOVING TARGET and is designed to diminish over time. Because most installers will “float” this rebate, we can subtract it right off the top leaving $30,200, of which 30% or $9,060 will be paid back through a federal tax credit; which means you will invest $21,140 in a solar system worth over $50,000 that will offset $1,200 worth of utility payments the first year.
If a mortgage-type loan is used to finance the investment, monthly loan payments will be about the same as current utility payments but instead of increasing over time they will be FIXED for the loan period and the interest portion could be tax deductible as well. When we account for inflation using historic inflation rates of 7-8, that same solar system will offset around $1,600 worth of expenses in year 5 and $2,300 worth of electricity in year 10.
In other words, the return on investment gains value each year and now as electric rates go up (incidentally according to the current proposed rate case by Xcel Energy, costs are scheduled to go up as much as 13.59% next year for residential customers), you cheer instead of complain as your solar system becomes more valuable.
Additionally, the National Appraisal Institute in joint effort with Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency coordinated a study and found that for every dollar offset by renewable energy or energy efficient measures, home value could be raised by 20.
In the case of our “average” home, the asking price could increase by as much as $24,000 in the first year. So what does it cost to “go green?” Nothing — in fact you can end up making money. It is better to think of renewable energy as an investment in your future rather than an expenditure. What is the return on investment from your current utility payments?
from "Going Green" in GJ Free Press 23 Nov 2009
Scott Wegs
Solar consultant
HIGH NOON SOLAR
569 S. Westgate #4
Grand Junction, CO 81505
highnoonsolar_scott@yahoo.com
970-234-1498
Monday, November 16, 2009
Energy Star Conference Friday, November 20
Designing, Building & Selling Structures that are:“Safe, Healthy, Durable, Comfortable & Energy Efficient”
Friday, November 20
8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Clarion (formerly Holiday) Inn Hotel
755 Horizon Drive, Grand Junction, Colorado
$85.00 Registration
(Lunch is included)
Call 970-275-2717
Seating is limited
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Builders / Contractors
Real Estate Agents (CEUs may be available)
Appraisers / Mortgage Lenders
HVAC / Plumbers
Building / Planning Representatives
Building material providers
Trade Contractors
Elected Officials
Engineers
Architects
Friday, November 20
8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Clarion (formerly Holiday) Inn Hotel
755 Horizon Drive, Grand Junction, Colorado
$85.00 Registration
(Lunch is included)
Call 970-275-2717
Seating is limited
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Builders / Contractors
Real Estate Agents (CEUs may be available)
Appraisers / Mortgage Lenders
HVAC / Plumbers
Building / Planning Representatives
Building material providers
Trade Contractors
Elected Officials
Engineers
Architects
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
XCEL ENERGY TO REDUCE SOLAR PAYMENTS BEFORE 2010!
“GO GREEN” Page Article from Grand Junction Free Press for Monday 2 November 2009
XCEL ENERGY SET TO REDUCE SOLAR PAYMENTS BEFORE 2010!
GRAND JUNCTION BUSINESSES AND HOMEOWNERS ACT NOW!
On 28 October 2009 Xcel Energy submitted its 2010 “Renewable Energy Standard Compliance Plan” to the Colorado Public Utility Commission. As part of this plan, Xcel Energy will reduce its payment to Xcel Solar Rewards customers from $3.50/watt to $3.00/watt. What this means for an average Grand Junction Homeowner who purchases a 5 kilowatt solar system is a loss of $2500.00 towards the purchase of the solar system, or a loss of $5000.00 to the average business owner who purchases a solar system. It is crucial that homeowners and businesses “lock-in” the larger rebate now, and then have 9 months to install the solar system. In addition to the Xcel Energy Solar Rewards rebate, there are federal tax credits, grants, and accelerated depreciation that further reduce out of pocket costs of solar for businesses. If you are not an Xcel Energy customer, the federal incentives still apply, and there will be rebates available from the state of Colorado in 2010. Since 2007, hundreds of Grand Junction homeowners and businesses have purchased solar systems that save them money by producing on-site, clean and independent power. How does it work?
For Businesses, the Xcel Energy Rebate will pay 40-60% of the cost of the solar system. The Federal Tax Credit or US Treasury Grant (Grant only available 2009-2010) will pay another 30% of the cost of the solar system. For businesses, there is accelerated cost recovery for the capital investment in the solar (bonus depreciation is only available for 2009-2010), which returns another 25-30% of the cost of the solar system to the business owner within a 5-6 year period. Yes, in other words, more than 100% of the cost of the solar system can be returned to the business owner within a 5-6 year period. And that does not even include the savings on the utility bill! Homeowners receive the Xcel Rebate and the 30% Federal Tax Credit, which combined can pay for 75% of the cost of the solar system before savings on the utility bills.
Atlasta Solar Center is the leading solar energy installation and distribution company on the Western Slope, and Atlasta Solar is one of the longest operating solar companies in Colorado. Since 1979, Atlasta Solar Center has installed over 1500 solar systems for businesses and homeowners. Atlasta Solar is proud to celebrate its 30 year anniversary in Grand Junction by offering special solar sale prices for 2009. Call now to get your rebate!
XCEL ENERGY SET TO REDUCE SOLAR PAYMENTS BEFORE 2010!
GRAND JUNCTION BUSINESSES AND HOMEOWNERS ACT NOW!
On 28 October 2009 Xcel Energy submitted its 2010 “Renewable Energy Standard Compliance Plan” to the Colorado Public Utility Commission. As part of this plan, Xcel Energy will reduce its payment to Xcel Solar Rewards customers from $3.50/watt to $3.00/watt. What this means for an average Grand Junction Homeowner who purchases a 5 kilowatt solar system is a loss of $2500.00 towards the purchase of the solar system, or a loss of $5000.00 to the average business owner who purchases a solar system. It is crucial that homeowners and businesses “lock-in” the larger rebate now, and then have 9 months to install the solar system. In addition to the Xcel Energy Solar Rewards rebate, there are federal tax credits, grants, and accelerated depreciation that further reduce out of pocket costs of solar for businesses. If you are not an Xcel Energy customer, the federal incentives still apply, and there will be rebates available from the state of Colorado in 2010. Since 2007, hundreds of Grand Junction homeowners and businesses have purchased solar systems that save them money by producing on-site, clean and independent power. How does it work?
For Businesses, the Xcel Energy Rebate will pay 40-60% of the cost of the solar system. The Federal Tax Credit or US Treasury Grant (Grant only available 2009-2010) will pay another 30% of the cost of the solar system. For businesses, there is accelerated cost recovery for the capital investment in the solar (bonus depreciation is only available for 2009-2010), which returns another 25-30% of the cost of the solar system to the business owner within a 5-6 year period. Yes, in other words, more than 100% of the cost of the solar system can be returned to the business owner within a 5-6 year period. And that does not even include the savings on the utility bill! Homeowners receive the Xcel Rebate and the 30% Federal Tax Credit, which combined can pay for 75% of the cost of the solar system before savings on the utility bills.
Atlasta Solar Center is the leading solar energy installation and distribution company on the Western Slope, and Atlasta Solar is one of the longest operating solar companies in Colorado. Since 1979, Atlasta Solar Center has installed over 1500 solar systems for businesses and homeowners. Atlasta Solar is proud to celebrate its 30 year anniversary in Grand Junction by offering special solar sale prices for 2009. Call now to get your rebate!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Solar savings shine on businesses
Solar savings shine on businesses
By EMILY ANDERSON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Going solar doesn’t have to mean going broke, according to energy blogger Craig Severance.
Severance, who edits the blog Energy Economy Online and also serves as a CPA, paid for a Toyota Prius hybrid car with savings from installing solar panels on his business. He wrote off the panels as business equipment on his tax forms and received a $26,000 tax credit the first year he used the solar system.
“I didn’t owe any federal income tax dollars for four to five years,” he said Tuesday during a seminar on energy-efficiency tax credits for businesses at Two Rivers Convention Center.
A combination of tax credits, grants and rebates can help businesses pay just 20 percent or less of the cost of installing an energy-efficient power system, said Lou Villaire of Grand Valley Solar Center. Stimulus funds helped extend the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 into this year. The tax credit, which is received now as a grant from the U.S. Treasury Department, has $3 billion reserved to help pay for 30 percent of 5,000 alternative power systems across the United States. A rebate from the state for businesses that operate in a rural energy co-op area or from a utility provider can get a company 20 percent to 50 percent of the installation cost back. Plus, energy savings from the system can return 5 percent to 10 percent of the installation cost and keep energy prices from inflating for a solar user that would otherwise have to deal with rising energy prices.
While some want to save the environment, cost savings are what will really drive a business owner to make the switch, Villaire said.
Xcel Energy announced a plan Tuesday for meeting Colorado’s Renewable Energy Standard, which requires 20 percent of energy produced in the state to come from renewable resources by 2020. The plan is to add 257 megawatts of new on-site solar power to the state’s energy grid, plus 700 megawatts of wind power and 350 megawatts of utility-scale solar power. In order to accomplish the goal, Xcel plans to drop payments it asks from solar customers from $1.50 per watt to $1 per watt.
By EMILY ANDERSON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Going solar doesn’t have to mean going broke, according to energy blogger Craig Severance.
Severance, who edits the blog Energy Economy Online and also serves as a CPA, paid for a Toyota Prius hybrid car with savings from installing solar panels on his business. He wrote off the panels as business equipment on his tax forms and received a $26,000 tax credit the first year he used the solar system.
“I didn’t owe any federal income tax dollars for four to five years,” he said Tuesday during a seminar on energy-efficiency tax credits for businesses at Two Rivers Convention Center.
A combination of tax credits, grants and rebates can help businesses pay just 20 percent or less of the cost of installing an energy-efficient power system, said Lou Villaire of Grand Valley Solar Center. Stimulus funds helped extend the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 into this year. The tax credit, which is received now as a grant from the U.S. Treasury Department, has $3 billion reserved to help pay for 30 percent of 5,000 alternative power systems across the United States. A rebate from the state for businesses that operate in a rural energy co-op area or from a utility provider can get a company 20 percent to 50 percent of the installation cost back. Plus, energy savings from the system can return 5 percent to 10 percent of the installation cost and keep energy prices from inflating for a solar user that would otherwise have to deal with rising energy prices.
While some want to save the environment, cost savings are what will really drive a business owner to make the switch, Villaire said.
Xcel Energy announced a plan Tuesday for meeting Colorado’s Renewable Energy Standard, which requires 20 percent of energy produced in the state to come from renewable resources by 2020. The plan is to add 257 megawatts of new on-site solar power to the state’s energy grid, plus 700 megawatts of wind power and 350 megawatts of utility-scale solar power. In order to accomplish the goal, Xcel plans to drop payments it asks from solar customers from $1.50 per watt to $1 per watt.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Alternative Energy Expo in Delta Friday, Saturday
Alternative Energy Expo in Delta Friday, Saturday
By Sharon Sullivan
ssullivan@gjfreepress.com
Grand Junction, CO Colorado
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Generating electricity with micro-hydro power, building a solar-powered “not-so-big” house, and creating heating and cooling solutions in your own backyard via geoexchange, are a few of the various workshops offered Friday and Saturday at the 2008 Alternative Energy Expo in Delta.
Twenty-six exhibitors from around the state, and 11 alternative energy workshops — all free — will be featured at the energy expo to be held at the Bill Heddles Recreation Center. The expo opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 4:30 p.m. both days.
The event is being hosted by the Western Slope Environmental Resource Council — a Paonia-based organization that works primarily on environmental issues in Delta County. The group is being sponsored in part by the Delta-Montrose Electric Association who held a similar energy expo last year in Montrose.
Other workshops will include biofuels, wind power, capturing coal mine methane to create power, green building, energy efficiency, solar heating, and hybrid and electric vehicles.
People will be able to learn about what types of alternative energy would best suit their needs, said Barbara Silverman of WSERC.
“We’re not dealing with a lot of theory. We’re really trying to give people very practical information,” Silverman said.
The Grand Junction-based Atlasta Solar will be among the exhibitors at the energy expo.
Atlasta will be letting people know about Xcel energy rebates that make installing solar more affordable for both residential and commercial properties, said Andy Whipple, of Atlasta Solar.
Congress recently extended and removed the cap on tax credits for people who want to install solar power on their properties. The amount of credit residential property owners have been able to recoup has been capped at $2,000. Starting in January, homeowners will be able to enjoy the same level of tax credits as commercial properties.
“It’s huge,” Whipple said. “It’s going to be a boost for the industry. It’ll make it that much easier for the average guy to get into it and produce his own energy.”
“It’s the silver lining in the $700 billion bailout package,” Whipple said.
U.S. senators added the tax breaks for alternative energy to the bailout package to drum up support from constituents for the controversial plan, Whipple said.
“Amp Up Your Energy IQ” is the title of a presentation by Randy Udall to be given Friday at 7 p.m. at the Delta County Center for the Performing Arts, 822 Grand Ave.
Cost for this event is $20 for the general public, and $15 for WSERC members.
Randy Udall has directed the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE), a nonprofit organization that promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy since 1994.
“He’s the energy guru,” Silverman said. He’s funny and he’ll definitely have a message about increasing our energy sources and decreasing our dependence on foreign oil.”
To see a schedule of the two days of free workshops visit www.wserc.org.
Pre-registration is not required to attend the event.
By Sharon Sullivan
ssullivan@gjfreepress.com
Grand Junction, CO Colorado
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Generating electricity with micro-hydro power, building a solar-powered “not-so-big” house, and creating heating and cooling solutions in your own backyard via geoexchange, are a few of the various workshops offered Friday and Saturday at the 2008 Alternative Energy Expo in Delta.
Twenty-six exhibitors from around the state, and 11 alternative energy workshops — all free — will be featured at the energy expo to be held at the Bill Heddles Recreation Center. The expo opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 4:30 p.m. both days.
The event is being hosted by the Western Slope Environmental Resource Council — a Paonia-based organization that works primarily on environmental issues in Delta County. The group is being sponsored in part by the Delta-Montrose Electric Association who held a similar energy expo last year in Montrose.
Other workshops will include biofuels, wind power, capturing coal mine methane to create power, green building, energy efficiency, solar heating, and hybrid and electric vehicles.
People will be able to learn about what types of alternative energy would best suit their needs, said Barbara Silverman of WSERC.
“We’re not dealing with a lot of theory. We’re really trying to give people very practical information,” Silverman said.
The Grand Junction-based Atlasta Solar will be among the exhibitors at the energy expo.
Atlasta will be letting people know about Xcel energy rebates that make installing solar more affordable for both residential and commercial properties, said Andy Whipple, of Atlasta Solar.
Congress recently extended and removed the cap on tax credits for people who want to install solar power on their properties. The amount of credit residential property owners have been able to recoup has been capped at $2,000. Starting in January, homeowners will be able to enjoy the same level of tax credits as commercial properties.
“It’s huge,” Whipple said. “It’s going to be a boost for the industry. It’ll make it that much easier for the average guy to get into it and produce his own energy.”
“It’s the silver lining in the $700 billion bailout package,” Whipple said.
U.S. senators added the tax breaks for alternative energy to the bailout package to drum up support from constituents for the controversial plan, Whipple said.
“Amp Up Your Energy IQ” is the title of a presentation by Randy Udall to be given Friday at 7 p.m. at the Delta County Center for the Performing Arts, 822 Grand Ave.
Cost for this event is $20 for the general public, and $15 for WSERC members.
Randy Udall has directed the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE), a nonprofit organization that promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy since 1994.
“He’s the energy guru,” Silverman said. He’s funny and he’ll definitely have a message about increasing our energy sources and decreasing our dependence on foreign oil.”
To see a schedule of the two days of free workshops visit www.wserc.org.
Pre-registration is not required to attend the event.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Solar power outshining Colorado's gas industry
Solar power outshining Colorado's gas industry
By DINA CAPPIELLO
Associated Press Writer
DURANGO, Colo. — The sun had just crested the distant ridge of the Rocky Mountains, but already it was producing enough power for the electric meter on the side of the Smiley Building to spin backward.
For the Shaw brothers, who converted the downtown arts building and community center into a miniature solar power plant two years ago, each reverse rotation subtracts from their monthly electric bill. It also means the building at that moment is producing more electricity from the sun than it needs.
"Backward is good," said John Shaw, who now runs Shaw Solar and Energy Conservation, a local solar installation company.
Good for whom?
As La Plata County in southwestern Colorado looks to shift to cleaner sources of energy, solar is becoming the power source of choice even though it still produces only a small fraction of the region's electricity. It's being nudged along by tax credits and rebates, a growing concern about the gases heating up the planet, and the region's plentiful sunshine.
The natural gas industry, which produces more gas here than nearly every other county in Colorado, has been relegated to the shadows.
Tougher state environmental regulations and lower natural gas prices have slowed many new drilling permits. As a result, production — and the jobs that come with it — have leveled off.
With the county and city drawing up plans to reduce the emissions blamed for global warming and Congress weighing the first mandatory limits, the industry once again finds itself on the losing side of the debate.
A recent greenhouse-gas inventory of La Plata County found that the thousands of natural gas pumps and processing plants dotting the landscape are the single largest source of heat-trapping pollution locally.
That has the industry bracing for a hit on two fronts if federal legislation passes.
First, it will have to reduce emissions from its production equipment to meet pollution limits, which will drive up costs. Second, as the county's largest consumer of electricity, gas companies probably will see energy bills rise as the local power cooperative is forced to cut gases released from its coal-fired power plants or purchase credits from other companies that reduce emissions.
"Being able to put solar systems on homes is great, you take something off the grid, it is as good as conserving," said Christi Zeller, the executive director of the La Plata Energy Council, a trade group representing about two dozen companies that produce the methane gas trapped within coal buried underground.
"But the reality is we still need natural gas, so embrace our industry like you are embracing wind, solar and the renewables," she said.
It's a refrain echoed on the national level, where the industry, displeased with the climate bill passed by the House this summer, is trying to raise its profile as the Senate works on its version of the legislation.
In March, about two dozen of the largest independent gas producers started America's Natural Gas Alliance. In ads in major publications in 32 states, the group has pressed the case that natural gas is a cleaner-burning alternative to coal and can help bridge the transition from fossil fuels to pollution-free sources such as wind and solar.
"Every industry thinks every other industry is getting all the breaks. All of us are concerned that we are not getting any consideration at all from people claiming they are trying to reduce the carbon footprint," said Bob Zahradnik, the operating director for the Southern Ute tribe's business arm, which includes the tribes' gas and oil production companies. None is in the alliance.
Politicians from energy-diverse states such as Colorado are trying to avoid getting caught in the middle. They're working to make sure that the final bill doesn't favor some types of energy produced back home over others.
At a town hall meeting in Durango in late August, Sen. Mark Udall, who described himself as one of the biggest proponents of renewable energy, assured the crowd that natural gas wouldn't be forgotten.
"Renewables are our future ... but we also need to continue to invest in natural gas," said Udall, D-Colo.
Much more than energy is at stake. Local and state governments across the country also depend on taxes paid by natural gas companies to fund schools, repair roads and pay other bills.
In La Plata County alone, the industry is responsible for hundreds of jobs and pays for more than half of the property taxes. In addition, about 6,000 residents who own the mineral rights beneath their property get a monthly royalty check from the companies harvesting oil and gas.
"Solar cannot do that. Wind cannot do that," said Zeller, whose mother is one of the royalty recipients. In July, she received a check for $458.92, far less than the $1,787.30 she was paid the same month last year, when natural gas prices were much higher.
Solar, by contrast, costs money.
Earlier this year, the city of Durango scaled back the amount of green power it was purchasing from the local electric cooperative because of the price. The additional $65,000 it was paying for power helped the cooperative, which is largely reliant on coal, to invest in solar power and other renewables.
"It is a premium. It is an additional cost," said Greg Caton, the assistant city manager.
Instead, the city decided to use the money to develop its own solar projects at its water treatment plant and public swimming pool. The effort will reduce the amount of power it gets from sources that contribute to global warming and make the city eligible for a $3,000 rebate from the La Plata Electric Association.
Yes, the power company will pay the city to use less of its power. That's because the solar will count toward a state mandate to boost renewable energy production.
"In the typical business model, it doesn't work," said Greg Munro, the cooperative's executive director. "Why would I give rebates to somebody buying someone else's shoes?"
The same upfront costs have prevented homeowners from jumping on the solar bandwagon despite the tax credits, rebates and lower electricity bills.
Most of Shaw's customers can't afford to install enough solar to cover 100 percent of their homes' electricity needs, which is one reason why solar supplies just a fraction of the power the county needs.
The higher fossil-fuel prices that could come with climate legislation would make it more competitive.
"You can't drive an industry on people doing the right thing. The best thing for this country is if gas were $10 a gallon," said Shaw, as he watched two of his three full-time workers install the last solar panels on a barn outside town.
The private residence, nestled in a remote canyon, probably will produce more power from the sun than it will use, causing its meter to spin in reverse like the Smiley Building's. The cost, however, is steep: more than $500,000.
___
On the Net:
Smiley Building: http://smileybuilding.com/solar/conservation.html
La Plata Energy Council: http://www.energycouncil.org/
America's Natural Gas Alliance: http://www.anga.us.
Durango: http://www.durangogov.org/environmental.cfm
La Plata Electric Association: http://tinyurl.com/ya5qx6x
___
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.
By DINA CAPPIELLO
Associated Press Writer
DURANGO, Colo. — The sun had just crested the distant ridge of the Rocky Mountains, but already it was producing enough power for the electric meter on the side of the Smiley Building to spin backward.
For the Shaw brothers, who converted the downtown arts building and community center into a miniature solar power plant two years ago, each reverse rotation subtracts from their monthly electric bill. It also means the building at that moment is producing more electricity from the sun than it needs.
"Backward is good," said John Shaw, who now runs Shaw Solar and Energy Conservation, a local solar installation company.
Good for whom?
As La Plata County in southwestern Colorado looks to shift to cleaner sources of energy, solar is becoming the power source of choice even though it still produces only a small fraction of the region's electricity. It's being nudged along by tax credits and rebates, a growing concern about the gases heating up the planet, and the region's plentiful sunshine.
The natural gas industry, which produces more gas here than nearly every other county in Colorado, has been relegated to the shadows.
Tougher state environmental regulations and lower natural gas prices have slowed many new drilling permits. As a result, production — and the jobs that come with it — have leveled off.
With the county and city drawing up plans to reduce the emissions blamed for global warming and Congress weighing the first mandatory limits, the industry once again finds itself on the losing side of the debate.
A recent greenhouse-gas inventory of La Plata County found that the thousands of natural gas pumps and processing plants dotting the landscape are the single largest source of heat-trapping pollution locally.
That has the industry bracing for a hit on two fronts if federal legislation passes.
First, it will have to reduce emissions from its production equipment to meet pollution limits, which will drive up costs. Second, as the county's largest consumer of electricity, gas companies probably will see energy bills rise as the local power cooperative is forced to cut gases released from its coal-fired power plants or purchase credits from other companies that reduce emissions.
"Being able to put solar systems on homes is great, you take something off the grid, it is as good as conserving," said Christi Zeller, the executive director of the La Plata Energy Council, a trade group representing about two dozen companies that produce the methane gas trapped within coal buried underground.
"But the reality is we still need natural gas, so embrace our industry like you are embracing wind, solar and the renewables," she said.
It's a refrain echoed on the national level, where the industry, displeased with the climate bill passed by the House this summer, is trying to raise its profile as the Senate works on its version of the legislation.
In March, about two dozen of the largest independent gas producers started America's Natural Gas Alliance. In ads in major publications in 32 states, the group has pressed the case that natural gas is a cleaner-burning alternative to coal and can help bridge the transition from fossil fuels to pollution-free sources such as wind and solar.
"Every industry thinks every other industry is getting all the breaks. All of us are concerned that we are not getting any consideration at all from people claiming they are trying to reduce the carbon footprint," said Bob Zahradnik, the operating director for the Southern Ute tribe's business arm, which includes the tribes' gas and oil production companies. None is in the alliance.
Politicians from energy-diverse states such as Colorado are trying to avoid getting caught in the middle. They're working to make sure that the final bill doesn't favor some types of energy produced back home over others.
At a town hall meeting in Durango in late August, Sen. Mark Udall, who described himself as one of the biggest proponents of renewable energy, assured the crowd that natural gas wouldn't be forgotten.
"Renewables are our future ... but we also need to continue to invest in natural gas," said Udall, D-Colo.
Much more than energy is at stake. Local and state governments across the country also depend on taxes paid by natural gas companies to fund schools, repair roads and pay other bills.
In La Plata County alone, the industry is responsible for hundreds of jobs and pays for more than half of the property taxes. In addition, about 6,000 residents who own the mineral rights beneath their property get a monthly royalty check from the companies harvesting oil and gas.
"Solar cannot do that. Wind cannot do that," said Zeller, whose mother is one of the royalty recipients. In July, she received a check for $458.92, far less than the $1,787.30 she was paid the same month last year, when natural gas prices were much higher.
Solar, by contrast, costs money.
Earlier this year, the city of Durango scaled back the amount of green power it was purchasing from the local electric cooperative because of the price. The additional $65,000 it was paying for power helped the cooperative, which is largely reliant on coal, to invest in solar power and other renewables.
"It is a premium. It is an additional cost," said Greg Caton, the assistant city manager.
Instead, the city decided to use the money to develop its own solar projects at its water treatment plant and public swimming pool. The effort will reduce the amount of power it gets from sources that contribute to global warming and make the city eligible for a $3,000 rebate from the La Plata Electric Association.
Yes, the power company will pay the city to use less of its power. That's because the solar will count toward a state mandate to boost renewable energy production.
"In the typical business model, it doesn't work," said Greg Munro, the cooperative's executive director. "Why would I give rebates to somebody buying someone else's shoes?"
The same upfront costs have prevented homeowners from jumping on the solar bandwagon despite the tax credits, rebates and lower electricity bills.
Most of Shaw's customers can't afford to install enough solar to cover 100 percent of their homes' electricity needs, which is one reason why solar supplies just a fraction of the power the county needs.
The higher fossil-fuel prices that could come with climate legislation would make it more competitive.
"You can't drive an industry on people doing the right thing. The best thing for this country is if gas were $10 a gallon," said Shaw, as he watched two of his three full-time workers install the last solar panels on a barn outside town.
The private residence, nestled in a remote canyon, probably will produce more power from the sun than it will use, causing its meter to spin in reverse like the Smiley Building's. The cost, however, is steep: more than $500,000.
___
On the Net:
Smiley Building: http://smileybuilding.com/solar/conservation.html
La Plata Energy Council: http://www.energycouncil.org/
America's Natural Gas Alliance: http://www.anga.us.
Durango: http://www.durangogov.org/environmental.cfm
La Plata Electric Association: http://tinyurl.com/ya5qx6x
___
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.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Huge US Majority Support Solar
By Ann Rascalli
The dwindling number of politicians and naysayers who still regard renewable energy as a passing fancy may have just gotten smaller; and those holdouts who still reside in that camp may want to keep their opinions to themselves after the latest polling results.
According to the results of a new study conducted by the independent polling firm Kelton Research, 92% of Americans think it’s important for the country to develop and use solar power.
What’s more, solar’s growing popularity extends almost evenly across political parties, with 89% of Republicans, 94% of Democrats and 93% of Independents agreeing that solar energy is an important aim.
The 2009 Schott Solar Barometer found that 77% of respondents also believe the federal government should make solar power development a national priority. Nearly half are considering solar power options for their home or business, while 70% of those hope to make the switch in the next five years. Only 3% already use the sun for energy.
The answers for one particular question revealed solar to be the number one choice if, as president of the U.S., respondents had to choose one energy source to fund. 43% said they would chose solar, followed by the 17% who picked wind, the 12% who settled on natural gas and the 10% who selected nuclear.
Solar is popular, yes, but not a particularly understood form of power. Results of the survey show that only 12% of those polled could say that they were extremely informed about solar power while 74% said they wished they knew more about solar power options.
The study, conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 8, was commissioned by German photovoltaic company Schott Solar and the Solar Energy Industries Assn.
The dwindling number of politicians and naysayers who still regard renewable energy as a passing fancy may have just gotten smaller; and those holdouts who still reside in that camp may want to keep their opinions to themselves after the latest polling results.
According to the results of a new study conducted by the independent polling firm Kelton Research, 92% of Americans think it’s important for the country to develop and use solar power.
What’s more, solar’s growing popularity extends almost evenly across political parties, with 89% of Republicans, 94% of Democrats and 93% of Independents agreeing that solar energy is an important aim.
The 2009 Schott Solar Barometer found that 77% of respondents also believe the federal government should make solar power development a national priority. Nearly half are considering solar power options for their home or business, while 70% of those hope to make the switch in the next five years. Only 3% already use the sun for energy.
The answers for one particular question revealed solar to be the number one choice if, as president of the U.S., respondents had to choose one energy source to fund. 43% said they would chose solar, followed by the 17% who picked wind, the 12% who settled on natural gas and the 10% who selected nuclear.
Solar is popular, yes, but not a particularly understood form of power. Results of the survey show that only 12% of those polled could say that they were extremely informed about solar power while 74% said they wished they knew more about solar power options.
The study, conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 8, was commissioned by German photovoltaic company Schott Solar and the Solar Energy Industries Assn.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Grand Valley Solar Tour Oct 3 2009
Solar Powered homes will be showcased from 9am to 2pm Free to the public. You are invited to join a self-guided tour throughout the Grand Valley. See how your neighbors are using solar energy and energy efficiency to reduce their monthly utility bills and increase the resale value of the home; Find out how you can too!
GREG (Grand Valley Renewable Energy & Efficiency Group) members are local businesses that work together to ensure the Grand Valleys’ renewable energy needs are represented, and to create more opportunities for sustainability in our community. Current members include High Noon Solar, Atlasta Solar Center, Simplicity Solar, and Ecofly Renewable Energies.
Everyone in the community is invited to the ASES National Solar Tour. Look for our map in the Free Press on Friday, October 2nd or at greggroup.org. It’s a great way to see many solar powered homes in your area and talk to solar professionals. The tour is the world's largest grassroots solar event – “which is a direct result of the efforts of local organizers.”
It takes place annually during the first Saturday in October in conjunction with National Energy Awareness Month. Thank you.
GREG (Grand Valley Renewable Energy & Efficiency Group) members are local businesses that work together to ensure the Grand Valleys’ renewable energy needs are represented, and to create more opportunities for sustainability in our community. Current members include High Noon Solar, Atlasta Solar Center, Simplicity Solar, and Ecofly Renewable Energies.
Everyone in the community is invited to the ASES National Solar Tour. Look for our map in the Free Press on Friday, October 2nd or at greggroup.org. It’s a great way to see many solar powered homes in your area and talk to solar professionals. The tour is the world's largest grassroots solar event – “which is a direct result of the efforts of local organizers.”
It takes place annually during the first Saturday in October in conjunction with National Energy Awareness Month. Thank you.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Xcel Explores Potential of Concentrated Solar
Xcel Explores Potential of Concentrated Solar
by Allen Best
09.17.09 - 05:18 pm
Unique Experiment Launched East of Grand JunctionDENVER – Any economic booster’s promotion kit for Colorado cheerily announces the state’s 300 days of sunshine per year.In reality, old sol lounges at some places more than others, and a map posted on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory website shows the sunshine intensity for the West. In comparison to the painful-looking road rash of California’s Mojave Desert, the San Luis Valley in Colorado looks like a bad bruise. Still, it’s the sunniest swath of Colorado. Pockets near Grand Junction, Fairplay and the Four Corners also look bruised, at best.But seen in another light, those bruises look like gold. Some of the world’s best minds have concluded that solar energy remains the most promising of the renewable sources for a long-term energy foundation.In this transformation, Colorado could become a major player. Nate Lewis, a professor of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, has calculated that an area of southeastern Colorado and adjoining areas of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas could by itself convert enough solar energy into electricity to meet the nation’s existing needs.As this was the setting for the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, this suggests a rags-to-riches story as the nation pushes to decarbonize its economy.Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest electrical supplier, has already created an eight-megawatt farm of photovoltaic panels near Alamosa in the San Luis Valley.Now, a less familiar type of technology called concentrated solar power is being deployed east of Grand Junction at the Cameo coal-fired power plant, where Abenoga Solar is partnering with Xcel Energy to erect parabolic mirrors on 6.4 acres. The mirrors will redirect the sun’s rays to a central unit, where fluid will be heated to produce steam and hence generate electricity.This is just a tiny step. Cameo, among the smallest of Xcel’s power plants in Colorado, generates 77 megawatts of electricity by burning coal. This new solar unit will add just 1 megawatt.This is the first concentrated solar plant in Colorado, although it’s likely not the last. Xcel has proposed to state regulators adding 280 megawatts of concentrated solar and other cutting-edge technology, including geothermal, to its portfolio, along with 700 megawatts of energy from wind and photovoltaic sources. The company currently produces 54 percent of its electricity by burning coal.The basic technology of concentrated solar has been around for decades. Installations in the Mojave Desert altogether can produce 350 megawatts of electricity. Huge up-front costs have held it back. But now, with coal and natural gas more expensive than 20 years ago, concentrated solar is starting to shine.“It’s a proven technology,” says Chuck Kutscher, one of NREL’s leading researchers in concentrated solar at its campus in Golden. He points to a new 64-megawatt plant near Las Vegas, a 259-megawatt plant being built to supply Phoenix, and proposals –- backed up by cash down-payments -– that could theoretically yield 97,000 megawatts of solar power, most of it from installations in the Mojave Desert.Kutscher points out that energy captured by concentrated solar can be retained for six hours through the medium of molten salt.. Batteries can store electricity produced by photovoltaic panels, but at much higher costs.“It produces power in a way that utility folks are familiar with,” says Kutscher.Costs remain higher than coal or even natural gas. The new plant in Arizona, for example, will produce electricity at an estimated cost of 14 to 15 cents per kilowatt-hour. That’s wholesale. In Colorado, the retail cost of electricity runs about 10 cents a kwh.But while sunshine can be expected to cost the same for decades, natural gas has been subject to wild price swings. A year ago it was selling for more than $13 per million British thermal units; in early September the price was $2.35 at the Opal Hub in Wyoming.Xcel plans to close Cameo, an old coal-fired plant, next year. Before it does, however, this provides an opportunity to kick the tires of this idea of integrating solar with coal for possible application elsewhere. It is the first such attempt in the world.If successful, more electricity can be generated without expanding the carbon footprint, says Randy Larson, senior project manager for Xcel.“Colorado is not the prime location for solar, but it has some very good locations,” says Larson. “Grand Junction is pretty good. Pueblo is good, although not as good as the Mojave.”Leslie Glustrom, director of an activist group called Clean Energy Action, says Xcel has changed its mind about the value of concentrated solar since 2007. “All told, we have a lot to be grateful for,” says Glustrom, who sued Xcel in an effort to block the utility’s construction of a 750-megawatt coal-fired plant called Commanche III, which will go on line later this year at Pueblo.Carol Tombari, author of Power of the People: America’s Electrical Choices, calls concentrated solar a sleeper. She notes significant venture capital has been invested in concentrated solar. “Yes, venture capital sometimes makes mistakes. But on the order of magnitude that has been invested in this, I’d say it’s going to succeed.” How it succeeds still remains in doubt. In theory, solar from Colorado could be used to light Los Angeles. Already, LA gets power from the Pacific Northwest, 1,000 miles away. But the cost of building this new transmission remains a major challenge, both financially and, to an extent, environmentally. The journey to this El Dorado of sunshine-based wealth still has plenty of shadows, says Kelly Murphy, who organizes conferences about energy topics. Even California, with an earlier timeline for increasing its renewable energy portfolio, has struggled to connect metropolitan markets with the energy available in the sun-soaked Mojave Desert, he says.Many energy analysts see concentrated solar being part of a much bigger mix of renewables that together are stronger than the sum of their parts.Hank Price, who manages the engineering for Abenoga Solar in Colorado, sees need for a diverse set of renewable resources. “If you were really thinking, you would throw in hydroelectric, wind and perhaps geothermal, and you could have a nice renewable mix,” he says. The intermittency of wind and other renewables makes them difficult to integrate to create steady so-called base-load generation.
© telluridewatch.com 2009
by Allen Best
09.17.09 - 05:18 pm
Unique Experiment Launched East of Grand JunctionDENVER – Any economic booster’s promotion kit for Colorado cheerily announces the state’s 300 days of sunshine per year.In reality, old sol lounges at some places more than others, and a map posted on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory website shows the sunshine intensity for the West. In comparison to the painful-looking road rash of California’s Mojave Desert, the San Luis Valley in Colorado looks like a bad bruise. Still, it’s the sunniest swath of Colorado. Pockets near Grand Junction, Fairplay and the Four Corners also look bruised, at best.But seen in another light, those bruises look like gold. Some of the world’s best minds have concluded that solar energy remains the most promising of the renewable sources for a long-term energy foundation.In this transformation, Colorado could become a major player. Nate Lewis, a professor of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, has calculated that an area of southeastern Colorado and adjoining areas of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas could by itself convert enough solar energy into electricity to meet the nation’s existing needs.As this was the setting for the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, this suggests a rags-to-riches story as the nation pushes to decarbonize its economy.Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest electrical supplier, has already created an eight-megawatt farm of photovoltaic panels near Alamosa in the San Luis Valley.Now, a less familiar type of technology called concentrated solar power is being deployed east of Grand Junction at the Cameo coal-fired power plant, where Abenoga Solar is partnering with Xcel Energy to erect parabolic mirrors on 6.4 acres. The mirrors will redirect the sun’s rays to a central unit, where fluid will be heated to produce steam and hence generate electricity.This is just a tiny step. Cameo, among the smallest of Xcel’s power plants in Colorado, generates 77 megawatts of electricity by burning coal. This new solar unit will add just 1 megawatt.This is the first concentrated solar plant in Colorado, although it’s likely not the last. Xcel has proposed to state regulators adding 280 megawatts of concentrated solar and other cutting-edge technology, including geothermal, to its portfolio, along with 700 megawatts of energy from wind and photovoltaic sources. The company currently produces 54 percent of its electricity by burning coal.The basic technology of concentrated solar has been around for decades. Installations in the Mojave Desert altogether can produce 350 megawatts of electricity. Huge up-front costs have held it back. But now, with coal and natural gas more expensive than 20 years ago, concentrated solar is starting to shine.“It’s a proven technology,” says Chuck Kutscher, one of NREL’s leading researchers in concentrated solar at its campus in Golden. He points to a new 64-megawatt plant near Las Vegas, a 259-megawatt plant being built to supply Phoenix, and proposals –- backed up by cash down-payments -– that could theoretically yield 97,000 megawatts of solar power, most of it from installations in the Mojave Desert.Kutscher points out that energy captured by concentrated solar can be retained for six hours through the medium of molten salt.. Batteries can store electricity produced by photovoltaic panels, but at much higher costs.“It produces power in a way that utility folks are familiar with,” says Kutscher.Costs remain higher than coal or even natural gas. The new plant in Arizona, for example, will produce electricity at an estimated cost of 14 to 15 cents per kilowatt-hour. That’s wholesale. In Colorado, the retail cost of electricity runs about 10 cents a kwh.But while sunshine can be expected to cost the same for decades, natural gas has been subject to wild price swings. A year ago it was selling for more than $13 per million British thermal units; in early September the price was $2.35 at the Opal Hub in Wyoming.Xcel plans to close Cameo, an old coal-fired plant, next year. Before it does, however, this provides an opportunity to kick the tires of this idea of integrating solar with coal for possible application elsewhere. It is the first such attempt in the world.If successful, more electricity can be generated without expanding the carbon footprint, says Randy Larson, senior project manager for Xcel.“Colorado is not the prime location for solar, but it has some very good locations,” says Larson. “Grand Junction is pretty good. Pueblo is good, although not as good as the Mojave.”Leslie Glustrom, director of an activist group called Clean Energy Action, says Xcel has changed its mind about the value of concentrated solar since 2007. “All told, we have a lot to be grateful for,” says Glustrom, who sued Xcel in an effort to block the utility’s construction of a 750-megawatt coal-fired plant called Commanche III, which will go on line later this year at Pueblo.Carol Tombari, author of Power of the People: America’s Electrical Choices, calls concentrated solar a sleeper. She notes significant venture capital has been invested in concentrated solar. “Yes, venture capital sometimes makes mistakes. But on the order of magnitude that has been invested in this, I’d say it’s going to succeed.” How it succeeds still remains in doubt. In theory, solar from Colorado could be used to light Los Angeles. Already, LA gets power from the Pacific Northwest, 1,000 miles away. But the cost of building this new transmission remains a major challenge, both financially and, to an extent, environmentally. The journey to this El Dorado of sunshine-based wealth still has plenty of shadows, says Kelly Murphy, who organizes conferences about energy topics. Even California, with an earlier timeline for increasing its renewable energy portfolio, has struggled to connect metropolitan markets with the energy available in the sun-soaked Mojave Desert, he says.Many energy analysts see concentrated solar being part of a much bigger mix of renewables that together are stronger than the sum of their parts.Hank Price, who manages the engineering for Abenoga Solar in Colorado, sees need for a diverse set of renewable resources. “If you were really thinking, you would throw in hydroelectric, wind and perhaps geothermal, and you could have a nice renewable mix,” he says. The intermittency of wind and other renewables makes them difficult to integrate to create steady so-called base-load generation.
© telluridewatch.com 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Xcel seeks to expand solar rebate program
Xcel seeks to expand solar rebate program
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Xcel Energy filed a request Monday with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to expand its Solar*Rewards program and meet the requirements of the Renewable Energy Financing Act of 2009.
The act, also known as Colorado Senate Bill 51, goes into effect today. The act intends to make alternative energy more affordable and accessible to consumers by increasing the amount the state can loan for clean energy projects and expanding the loan pool to more projects.
Solar*Rewards offers rebates to solar power users. The rebate amount depends on the size of the system.
The law also allows the owner of a solar power system to sell electricity to people that have the solar equipment on their property if the equipment supplies no more than 120 percent of the average electricity amount used by the typical Colorado household or business in a year. That’s why Xcel is proposing changing its energy cap on new metered solar power systems to the 120 percent limit and allowing a rewards customer to buy solar-generated electricity from a company.
Xcel would also like to change the Solar*Rewards program to include all 100 to 500 kilowatt systems that apply for a Solar*Rewards contract. These large systems did not always win a contract with Xcel in the past.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Cameo Plant and Solar
First-of-its-kind solar operation going up next to Cameo plant
By EMILY ANDERSON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Xcel Energy’s Cameo Station will have a new neighbor during its last anticipated year of operation.
Xcel and Abengoa Solar broke ground on a solar power plant Thursday in a field west of the coal-fired Cameo plant. Abengoa Solar, which is based in Seville, Spain, but has a U.S. headquarters in Lakewood, will hire 25 construction workers to build a demonstration solar plant from September through the end of the year.
It will be the first solar plant in the world to combine solar and fossil fuels to produce electricity, Xcel said. The demonstration year will give Xcel and Abengoa a chance to see if it’s efficient to use the two together.
Combining operations could allow the Cameo plant to use 900 fewer tons of coal in 2010 and reduce the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions by 200,000 tons, according to Xcel project engineer Randy Larsen.
The demonstration plant will remain in operation for one year. After that, the plant may move or cease operation, Xcel Energy Supply President David Wilks said. If the demonstration year proves successful, it’s not likely the solar plant will stay in Mesa County, Larsen said.
Plans for the solar panels are up in the air after the end of 2010, but the Cameo closing is all but certain, Wilks said.
“Plants have a certain lifetime, and this one is 52 years old,” he said.
The solar plant will not directly generate electricity by itself, which is what makes it different from previous ones. Instead, the plant will aid the Cameo coal plant in producing electricity.
Coal is heated to run a turbine that generates electricity. The solar plant will heat water with the sun’s rays. That will produce steam to help heat the boiler where the coal goes. The hot air from the boiler churns the turbine that helps the plant’s generator create electricity. This method is called concentrating solar power (CSP) technology, said Hank Price, Abengoa’s vice president of technology development in North America. Abengoa’s Colorado employees developed the technology.
Solar power will help add 50 degrees to Cameo’s boiler, meaning less coal is needed.
Each panel included in the solar plant will consist of parabolic metal structures with mirrors on them. The mirrors are designed to follow the sun as it crosses the sky from dawn until dusk in order to collect the maximum amount of sunlight.
By EMILY ANDERSON/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Xcel Energy’s Cameo Station will have a new neighbor during its last anticipated year of operation.
Xcel and Abengoa Solar broke ground on a solar power plant Thursday in a field west of the coal-fired Cameo plant. Abengoa Solar, which is based in Seville, Spain, but has a U.S. headquarters in Lakewood, will hire 25 construction workers to build a demonstration solar plant from September through the end of the year.
It will be the first solar plant in the world to combine solar and fossil fuels to produce electricity, Xcel said. The demonstration year will give Xcel and Abengoa a chance to see if it’s efficient to use the two together.
Combining operations could allow the Cameo plant to use 900 fewer tons of coal in 2010 and reduce the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions by 200,000 tons, according to Xcel project engineer Randy Larsen.
The demonstration plant will remain in operation for one year. After that, the plant may move or cease operation, Xcel Energy Supply President David Wilks said. If the demonstration year proves successful, it’s not likely the solar plant will stay in Mesa County, Larsen said.
Plans for the solar panels are up in the air after the end of 2010, but the Cameo closing is all but certain, Wilks said.
“Plants have a certain lifetime, and this one is 52 years old,” he said.
The solar plant will not directly generate electricity by itself, which is what makes it different from previous ones. Instead, the plant will aid the Cameo coal plant in producing electricity.
Coal is heated to run a turbine that generates electricity. The solar plant will heat water with the sun’s rays. That will produce steam to help heat the boiler where the coal goes. The hot air from the boiler churns the turbine that helps the plant’s generator create electricity. This method is called concentrating solar power (CSP) technology, said Hank Price, Abengoa’s vice president of technology development in North America. Abengoa’s Colorado employees developed the technology.
Solar power will help add 50 degrees to Cameo’s boiler, meaning less coal is needed.
Each panel included in the solar plant will consist of parabolic metal structures with mirrors on them. The mirrors are designed to follow the sun as it crosses the sky from dawn until dusk in order to collect the maximum amount of sunlight.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
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
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
Monday, August 10, 2009
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.
Monday, August 3, 2009
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
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
Friday, July 31, 2009
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.
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.
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