Western Business Coalition for New Energy Technologies Update
Incorporating News from the Arizona, Colorado and Utah Coalitions for New Energy Technologies
10 February 2003
Welcome!
The Arizona, Colorado and Utah Coalitions for New Energy Technologies bring together over 130 companies from throughout these three states in support of raising awareness of clean new energy technologies. These new energy technologies include renewable energy technologies such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and small hydro, as well as more efficient ways of using energy.
Since the founding of our first coalition in Colorado in 1999, followed by the Arizona and Utah coalitions in 2002, our message has been consistent: new energy technologies help foster environmentally beneficial economic development and are a rapidly growing industry of the future. All three of these coalitions operate under the umbrella of the Western Business Coalition for New Energy Technologies (WBCNET).
Our coalitions pursue outreach to key constituencies, using our member companies as examples of how a vibrant business community is helping to advance these new technologies, and how these businesses are poised to shape our region’s economic future. Our most visible outreach activity is our annual series of statehouse briefings in Denver (since 2000) and in Phoenix (since 2002), to which legislators and all other interested parties are invited. At these briefings, various coalition member companies provide short presentations on how their products, services and business practices are helping to advance clean and economically beneficial new energy technologies. In 2003, we will once again hold briefings in Denver and Phoenix, as well as in Salt Lake City.
These statehouse briefings are conducted under the auspices of the bipartisan Renewables and Energy Efficiency Caucuses, which our coalitions have helped legislators to form in the Arizona and Colorado Legislatures. These groups of legislators have helped to advance awareness of the important roles that our member companies play throughout the West.
Other coalition activities include participation in stakeholder events and meetings with leaders of key constituencies. Through our work, we strive to represent our members and their innovative products and business practices as we reach out to decision makers and opinion leaders in all parts of our region.
Starting with this issue of “WBCNET Update,” we are consolidating our separate, state-based newsletters into one newsletter that will be circulated simultaneously to our members and other interested parties throughout Arizona, Colorado, Utah and other parts of the region and the country. Each of these newsletters will have news of particular interest to each state and will be issued periodically. This consolidation will ensure that news is provided on a timely basis to all parts of our region. In addition, members of the Arizona, Colorado and Utah Coalitions for New Energy Technologies (that is, WBCNET members) receive additional updates and opportunity notifications as events warrant.
I invite you to contact me to see how your company can benefit from membership in WBCNET in Arizona, Colorado or Utah.
I look forward to working with you to advance awareness and knowledge of new energy technologies by key constituencies throughout the western United States.
Thank you very much.
Craig Cox
Executive Director
Western Business Coalition for New Energy Technologies
[Arizona, Colorado and Utah Coalitions for New Energy Technologies]
303-679-9331
In This Edition
Welcome to New Coalition Members
Arizona: Western Wind Energy
Colorado: Boulder Community Hospital
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
Utah: Advanced Thermal Systems
Regional News
Statehouse Coalition Briefings Scheduled for Salt Lake City, Denver and Phoenix
New Mexico Sustainable Energy Day to take Place on 21 February
Regional Legislative/Regulatory Roundup:
Arizona: Legislature Considers Renewables And Energy Efficiency Legislation
Arizona: Energy Bill Focuses on Energy Conservation in Public Buildings
Arizona: House Committee Passes Sales Tax Contractor’s Solar Exemption
Colorado: New Bipartisan Legislation Establishes Renewable Energy Standard
Colorado: Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard Legislation Introduced Senate
Colorado: Appliance Efficiency Standards Bill Defeated In House Committee
New Mexico: PRC Adopts Minimum Renewable Energy Requirements
Utah: Legislators Considering Renewable Energy Standard
Western Industry and Non-Profit Organizations Launch New Energy Trade Association
EIA Reports on Mountain Region Appliance Data
Slide Shows on Renewable Energy Available Online
New Aspen Skiing Company Initiatives Promote Hybrid Vehicles and Wind Energy
Utah Energy Office Anemometer Loan Program a Success
Utah Farm Bureau Supports Incentives to Develop Renewable Energy Sources
Utah Geothermal Working Group to be Launched
Arizona: Who is Really the World’s Solar PV Leader?
National News
New Panel to Tackle Energy Policy
Bush Administration Releases FY 2004 Budget Request
President Bush Proposes $1.2-billion Hydrogen Initiative
Greenhouse Gas News:
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Decrease by 1.2 Percent in 2001
14 Organizations to Cut Greenhouse Gases 4 Percent by 2006
Federal Legislation Introduced by Senators Lieberman and McCain
Oak Ridge Study Assesses the Whole Cost of Electricity Generation
International News
U.S. State Department Outlines Clean Energy Initiatives
European Master in Renewable Energy Available
WELCOME TO NEW COALITION MEMBERS
[For complete member lists of the Arizona, Colorado and Utah Coalitions for New Energy Technologies, visit the respective state sites at www.newenergytechnologies.org]
Arizona
Western Wind Energy
http://www.westernwindenergy.com/
Tucson
Western Wind Energy, operating as Verde Resources of Tucson, has joined with Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. (AEPCO), to set up a testing station in Cochise to determine whether sufficient wind resources exist in the area to warrant construction of a 40-megawatt generation facility in the area. Western Wind Energy Corporation is developing sites with over 150 megawatts of capacity, while AEPCO is a customer-owned utility based in Benson serving over 114,000 customers through its member cooperatives.
Colorado
Boulder Community Hospital
Boulder
Founded in 1922 as a community-owned and operated not-for-profit hospital, Boulder Community Hospital is dedicated to meeting the evolving healthcare needs of its citizens and providing access to high quality medical care.
ERTH Inc.
Longmont
Established in 1997, ERTH™ is poised to be a major force in the $60 billion waste disposal market. The waste disposal industry is searching for better answers to its problems, and has become increasingly frustrated with the available solutions. ERTH’s™ technology can address the difficult disposal problems of hazardous wastes such as chemical warfare agents, munitions and halogenated organic compounds, as well as many toxic industrial wastes. ERTH™ can lead the way in environmental cleanup with its revolutionary designs and full protection of its patents.
HydrogenWorks
Denver
HydrogenWorks is a new company devoted to helping move the debate forward about how hydrogen can help society.
Neumeon Dynamics Company
Colorado Springs
Neumeon Dynamics Company is a Professional Wind Resource Developer that builds mutually beneficial partnerships with landowners to develop their wind resources. We provide value to landowners by forging strong business relationships with all necessary stakeholders to deliver profitable, high quality wind generation assets that enhance the quality of life for local communities and the nation.
Shell WindEnergy, Inc.
http://www.shell.com/renewables
San Diego, Calif.
Shell WindEnergy focuses on developing and operating wind farms and selling ‘green’ electricity. Working with its partners in Europe and the U.S., the company has advanced rapidly from early pilot projects to commercial-scale wind energy production. As wind energy becomes more and more competitive with conventional power sources, Shell WindEnergy aims to be one of the industry’s leading players and a force for progress in this rapidly developing sector.
Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
Boulder
The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is a new public interest initiative promoting greater energy efficiency in a six-state region that includes: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. This is a high-growth region where energy efficiency efforts have been lagging compared to other regions, air pollution is a growing concern, and many new power plants are under development.
Utah
Advanced Thermal Systems
http://www.advancedthermalsystems.com/
Reno, Nevada
Advanced Thermal Systems is a new type of energy company---committed to the goal of providing clean, efficient and affordable energy. For more than a decade, affiliates of Advanced Thermal Systems have provided over 4 million megawatt hours of power from geothermal resources south of Reno, Nevada with an operational availability of more than 99.6%. Now, the company is expanding its portfolio of assets to provide more clean, reliable and affordable power to electric distributors in Nevada, California, Utah and elsewhere in the nation.
Hill Air Force Base
Ogden
Hill Air Force Base is an Air Force Materiel Command base located in northern Utah. Hill is home to many operational and support missions, with the Ogden Air Logistics Center (OO-ALC) serving as the host organization. The center provides worldwide engineering and logistics management for the F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt, Minuteman III and Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles. The base performs depot maintenance of the F-16, A-10 and C-130 Hercules aircraft.
Prebon Energy
Salt Lake City
Prebon Energy is a leading global energy broker providing information and liquidity to an expanding range of energy markets.
RE Solar
Logan
RE Solar is a division of Raynes Engineering, Inc. specializing in renewable energy systems and products. RE Solar provides system design consultation, installation, parts sales, and service to off-grid customers in Utah.
Sound Geothermal
Roosevelt
Sound Geothermal (“SoundGT”) is dedicated to the proper design, installation, application and support of geothermal heating and cooling systems. The fundamental mission of SoundGT is to participate in the growing ground source heating and cooling business in the western U.S. as a provider of properly designed and packaged equipment, professional installation services, quality control/warranty certification and financing for residential, commercial and process applications.
COALITION STATEHOUSE BRIEFINGS SCHEDULED IN SALT LAKE CITY AND DENVER
—Phoenix Briefing Planned for Third Week of March
You are invited to attend the following events taking place in the state capitols of Colorado, Utah and Arizona during February and March:
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Salt Lake City
State Office Building (behind the Capitol), Room 4112
“Leveraging Utah’s New Energy Wealth”
Briefing by Utah Coalition for New Energy Technologies
This inaugural breakfast briefing by the Utah Coalition for New Energy Technologies will feature presentations by three companies that are forging new energy futures for Utah using wind energy, geothermal energy and energy efficiency. Presenters will include St. George Steel, Advanced Thermal Systems and a major wind energy developer.
Please join us for breakfast and take a fascinating look at the future of energy in Utah. All interested parties are invited to this briefing, which is free of charge.
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Denver
State Capitol (room to be announced)
“Harnessing Wind for Economic Development”
Briefing by Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies
This first briefing in 2003 by the Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies, in conjunction with the Colorado Business Energy Partnership of the Wirth Chair at the University of Colorado will feature speakers discussing how wind energy has brought new economic benefits to their rural communities in eastern Colorado.
Coffee and pastries will be provided, and all interested parties are invited to learn more about this timely issue. More details on the speakers and room location will be announced shortly.
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13 March
Denver
State Capitol (room and time to be announced)
“Efficient and Renewable Resorts”
Briefing by the Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies
Coalition members Aspen Skiing Company, Vail Resorts and Xanterra Park & Resorts will provide compelling presentations on how their companies integrate energy efficiency and renewable energy into all facets of their successful business operations.
As with other coalition briefings at the Colorado statehouse, coffee and pastries will be provided to attendees, and all interested parties are invited to hear these presentations.
____________________
Mid to late March
Phoenix
State Capitol
Briefing by the Arizona Coalition for New Energy Technologies
The Arizona Coalition for New Energy Technologies is working with its members to schedule a briefing for legislators and other interested parties during the third or fourth week of March. We will provide details on this event as soon as they are confirmed!
NEW MEXICO SUSTAINABLE ENERGY DAY SCHEDULED FOR 21 FEBRUARY
—Daylong Event at State Capitol to Feature Events, Displays
The Sustainable Energy Day at the New Mexico State Capitol is scheduled for 21 February. Organizers note that this daylong event has been organized by private and public entities “to raise awareness of the connection between sustainability (energy efficiency, alternative fuels, renewable energy and pollution prevention) and economic development in New Mexico.”
A number of entities have already arranged for displays at the Capitol, and more information on displays can be obtained from René Parker, Program Manager at the state’s Energy Conservation and Management Division, 505-476-3314.
Events that day include a Legislative Leadership Breakfast as well as a reception for legislators that evening. The breakfast and reception are being coordinated by the Green Alliance, a non-profit organized to promote, educate and integrate the comprehensive use of green principles that result in livable and sustainable communities. For information on sponsorship opportunities for the breakfast and reception, contact the Green Alliance’s Karen Cook, 505-842-9596.
STATE LEGISLATIVE/REGULATORY ROUNDUP
Arizona: Legislature Considers Renewables And Energy Efficiency Legislation
Arizona’s renewable energy industry hopes to see support for solar and renewables from the “Ninth Floor” (Governor Napolitano’s office) as well as from the legislature during its current session.
The impact of energy on Arizona’s economy was recently demonstrated in a report by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP), which reports that “an aggressive energy efficiency campaign could save consumers and businesses $10.5 billion during 2003-2020 with a net benefit of $5,690 per household during this period.” SWEEP reports that “this would have the effect of increasing statewide personal income by $550 million per year and statewide employment by 24,100 jobs by 2020.” These figures do not take into account the many additional benefits of greater use of solar energy systems, which, in Arizona, can provide significant additional economic benefits.
Several bills dealing with solar, renewable energy and energy efficiency have been introduced in the Arizona legislature. Two of them, HB 2322 and HB 2324, are detailed in separate articles below. Two other bills include:
HB 2001, energy cost savings in schools, introduced by Rep Randy Graf (R-Green Valley), making it easier for a school district to contract for the procurement of a guaranteed energy cost savings contract. This legislation would allow Arizona’s schools to take advantage of energy saving technologies without the upfront investment.
HB 2323, excess utilities in schools, also introduced by Rep. Graf. This bill provides for a reduction in the excess utility cost category of school district budgets. It sets a formula to allow a school district to use the difference between the maximum amounts allowed and the amount the school district actually budgeted for excess utilities to pay for energy saving devices or services. It also allows a school district to carry forward any unused monies allowed for energy saving devices or services to subsequent years.
—By Michael Neary, State Director of Arizona Coalition for New Energy Technologies
Arizona: Energy Bill Focuses on Energy Conservation in Public Buildings
—HB 2324 Passes First Hurdle in House Committee
The Arizona legislature’s Government and Retirement Committee heard HB 2324, “Energy Conservation in Public Buildings,” on 4 February and passed it with amendments softening the bill’s conservation goals. Introduced by State Rep. Randy Graf (R-Green Valley), HB 2324 focuses on three provisions:
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energy conservation target for state buildings;
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change in energy code reference; and
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requirement to purchase of energy star products.
To follow the progress of this legislation through the Arizona legislature, visit
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=2324&x=32&y=6.
For more information on this legislation, contact Amanda Ormond of the Ormond Group or Jeff Schlegel of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project.
Arizona: House Committee Passes Sales Tax Contractor’s Solar Exemption
On 4 February, the Arizona Legislature’s Ways & Means Committee passed HB 2322, correcting a longstanding problem for the Department of Revenue and the solar industry by equalizing the sales tax exemption between solar contractors and retail companies doing business in the state. It also provides relief to contractors who mistakenly had not been properly charging sales tax due to information provided by the Department of Revenue.
Making another appearance after failing to pass by one vote last session, solar advocates note that this bill will equalize the tax and eliminate any future confusion between the industry and the Revenue Department.
To follow the progress of this legislation through the Arizona legislature, visit http://www.azleg.state.az.us/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=2322&x=25&y=1
For more information on this legislation, contact Michael Neary.
Colorado: New Bipartisan Legislation Establishes Renewable Energy Standard
—Committee Hearing to be Held on Thursday
On 5 February, Colorado House Speaker Lola Spradley (R-Beulah) and House Minority Leader Jennifer Veiga (D-Denver), together with Senators Ken Kester (R-Las Animas) and Terry Phillips (D-Louisville) introduced HB 1295, establishing a renewable energy standard in Colorado.
As introduced, HB 1295 calls for the state’s two investor-owned utilities (Xcel Energy and Aquila) to provide a minimum of 500 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy (including wind, solar, biomass, hydro and geothermal) in Colorado by 2006, 900 MW by 2010 and 1,800 MW by 2020. The bill provides a “triple credit” for solar resources, and a 150% credit for renewable energy generated in enterprise zones around the state. The bill also contains a number of other provisions, such as a cost cap, establishment of a credit trading system and transmission availability provisions, designed to protect utilities and their customers against unexpected costs.
HB 1295 is modeled closely on last year’s SB 180, which passed the Colorado Senate and House last spring, only to die in the final hours of the 2002 legislative session when it failed to be placed on the Senate concurrence calendar.
All four sponsors of HB 1295 are longtime supporters of renewable energy legislation in the Colorado legislature and are expected to pursue passage of this bill aggressively through the rest of the current session, which ends on 7 May. It has been referred to the House Transportation & Energy Committee, which will hold a hearing on this bill on Thursday, 13 February.
To review HB 1295 and follow its progress through the legislature, visit:
Denver Post Endorses Renewable Energy Standard in Editorial, 7 February 2003:
Colorado: Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard Legislation Introduced Senate
—Committee Hearing to be Held Tuesday
Colorado State Senator Peggy Reeves (D-Fort Collins) has introduced SB 129, the Energy Efficiency Performance Standards legislation, or “EEPS.” According to Howard Geller of the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, energy efficiency performance standards (EEPS) are electricity savings targets that would apply to larger utilities in Colorado. The utilities would be directed to save a specified number of kilowatt-hours each year through their energy efficiency programs and purchase of energy savings credits. Smaller utilities in the state would be encouraged (but not required) to implement similar targets and efficiency programs
SB 129 will be heard in the Colorado Senate Business Affairs and Labor Committee on Tuesday, 11 February upon adjournment of the Senate. For more information on this legislation, which has been judged to have “no fiscal impact” [to the state budget] by the Colorado Legislative Council staff, contact Howard Geller or Mark Ruzzin of SWEEP.
Related Article from Denver Post, 6 February 2002:
Bill requires cut in electricity sales
Related Letter to the Editor from Senator Reeves in Rocky Mountain News, 8 February:
“Energy-saving bill a win-win solution”
Colorado: Appliance Efficiency Standards Bill Defeated In Colorado House Committee
On 27 January, the Colorado House Information and Technology Committee failed to approve a bill sponsored by Rep. Alice Borodkin (D-Denver) that would have set minimum energy efficiency standards on ten products not covered by federal efficiency standards. The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) estimates that bill would have saved consumers and businesses in Colorado about $740 million and lowered water use by nearly 8 billion gallons during 2005-2020. The bill had broad support from businesses, governmental authorities, and consumer and environmental groups. No party testified against the bill at the hearing, and there was no known opposition to the bill. The bill was “postponed indefinitely” (i.e., defeated) on a party-line vote, with the 6 Republicans on the Committee voting against it and the 5 Democrats supporting it.
“Appliance efficiency standards are a win-win opportunity in that they save consumers money, reduce water use, and reduce pollutant emissions,” stated Howard Geller, Executive Director of SWEEP. “This should not be a partisan issue; in fact the original national appliance standards legislation was signed into law by President Reagan in 1987. But unfortunately the House Information and Technology Committee made it a partisan issue, and Colorado’s consumers, businesses, and environment will lose as a result,” Geller added.
Portions of this bill were adopted in California last year and the entire bill is being considered in at least eight states this year. For more information, contact Howard Geller or Mark Ruzzin at SWEEP, 303-447-0078.
New Mexico: PRC Adopts Minimum Renewable Energy Requirements
—PNM Appeal Denied
On 17 December, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission approved an order requiring public utilities in the state to use renewable energy for a percentage of their total electricity supply. By 1 January 2006, public utilities must draw on renewable energy for five percent of the electricity that they sell. That percentage must increase at least one percent per year until 2011, when renewable energy will supply at least 10 percent of the electricity sold by public utilities.
The commission’s order also encourages some forms of renewable energy by allowing them to earn extra credit. New hydropower facilities less than 50 megawatts in capacity and any wind power facilities are credited with the actual kilowatt-hours that they produce, but solar power systems earn three times the actual kilowatt-hours they produce. Electricity produced from biomass, landfill gas, geothermal energy, or fuel cells earn twice their actual kilowatt-hours.
The rule exempts rural electric cooperatives in the state, although they must provide a green power option to their customers. Texas-New Mexico Power Company is also exempt until December 2006, when the utility’s existing power contract expires.
The commission’s order is available for review at: http://www.nmprc.state.nm.us/3619for.pdf.
Following the PRC’s ruling, the Public Service Company of New Mexico petitioned the commission for another hearing on the portfolio standard. On 4 February, the PRC voted 4-1 to stand by its December decision, with Commission Chairwoman Lynda Lovejoy of Crownpoint saying that “a majority of the panel is confident that the issue had been examined thoroughly over a period of two and one-half years.” Lovejoy noted that “we considered all points of view and examined information very methodically, and we’re at a point where we need to move forward on this matter that will have positive, far-reaching implications for consumers and our natural environment.”
PRC Commissioner Herb Hughes of Albuquerque said the commission intentionally delayed the rule’s implementation date until July so that the New Mexico Legislature could have time to weigh in with incentives for energy diversification or other ideas. “We formulated this rule over a long period of time,” Hughes said. “I see it as an evolutionary process. We needed to jump start this process now in order to keep up with what other states are already doing and to show everyone that we are serious.”
Commissioner Shirley Baca of Las Cruces said utilities, ranchers, farmers, environmentalists and other stakeholders all had an opportunity to shape the new rule. Making the rule mandatory ensures that progress on the issue is not delayed, she said. “Industry has always had the opportunity to have a voluntary renewable energy portfolio and in other states, they weren’t very aggressive until a regulatory agency mandated it,” Baca said. “It’s working very well in those states…”Industry has concerns about costs going in. The cost is always up front on anything that’s new. But then those costs diminish and in this case, we’ll be left with improved technology, more jobs and a cleaner environment,” Baca said.
Utah: Legislators Considering Renewable Energy Standard
The Utah Legislature is tackling key issues this session, which began on 20 January and runs through 5 March. Declining tax revenues, tuition tax credits, and many health and human services issues are generating much attention from the media in Salt Lake City.
Public interest is beginning to shift toward proposed legislation in the energy arena, with the greatest focus on the Renewable Energy Amendments sponsored by House Democrat Jim Gowans. Also known as House Bill 89, the Renewable Energy Amendments establish a Renewable Energy Standard (RES) for electricity retailers in Utah. Key points of the legislation are:
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The RES will be applicable to investor owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives. (Municipals are not defined as electrical corporations, but will be encouraged to participate.)
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The renewable resources included are solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and a limited amount of hydroelectricity.
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The level of renewable electricity required will be meaningful, but less than the amount of growth in electricity consumption.
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A system of tradable credits will be established that will allow market forces to drive prices down, while making compliance easier for smaller utilities.
The RES includes a price cap mechanism that will assure ratepayers that the cost of compliance will be reasonable.
HB 89 can be reviewed online at: http://www.le.state.ut.us/asp/billsintro/SubResults.asp?Listbox4=00929
—By Jessica Lorah, State Director of Utah Coalition for New Energy Technologies
WESTERN INDUSTRY AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS LAUNCH NEW ENERGY TRADE ASSOCIATION
Prominent national wind developers joined with leading Colorado and Utah non-governmental organizations in announcing the launch of the Interwest Energy Alliance on 28 January. On behalf of its members, this new trade association will advocate public policies that leverage the West’s competitive advantage in clean and abundant renewable energy technologies such as wind, biomass and solar. It will also pursue public policies to strengthen the region’s energy efficiency potential.
“Wind energy is a cost-competitive and increasingly reliable energy technology,” said Craig Cox, acting executive director of the Interwest Energy Alliance [and executive director of the Western Business Coalition for New Energy Technologies]. “If given proper public policy support, wind and other renewable energy technologies could provide over a billion dollars of economic development benefits in Colorado alone over the next 20 years, mostly in rural and agricultural parts of the state. Other western states have equally high potentials for economic development through wind and other renewable technologies.”
Hap Boyd, GE Wind Energy’s Vice President for Government Relations, said that “as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of wind turbines, GE Wind Energy looks forward to providing the turbines to develop Colorado’s abundant wind resource. Several western states have opened the door to renewable development and have experienced significant rural economic growth, as we know Colorado will.”
“Clean energy businesses now have a voice in the Four Corners states” said American Wind Energy Association Regional Representative Ron Lehr. “As in other regions, these economic interests will have a focus, and an active partnership with clean energy advocates in the region,” he noted, adding “these coalitions have changed policy and developed markets where they are active-in California, the Northwest, and the Midwest.”
Cox said that the first goal of the Interwest Energy Alliance will be to advance a renewable energy standard (RES) in the Colorado and Utah legislatures. The Alliance is represented in the Colorado legislature by Bill Artist, Eric Morgan and Steve Holdren of J. William Artist & Associates.
“New energy technologies have the potential to become as important to the region’s economy in the future as the fossil industry is today,” said Cox, “and at the end of the day, we want these technologies to play an important role in providing clean, reliable and affordable energy to consumers throughout the West.”
The Interwest Energy Alliance’s website is www.interwestenergy.org.
Founding Members of the Interwest Energy Alliance are:
American Wind Energy Association
Colorado Coalition for New Energy Technologies
Colorado Public Interest Research Group
Land and Water Fund of the Rockies
Utah Clean Energy Alliance
Related article from Rocky Mountain News of 29 January 2003:
Renewable energy group to push wind, solar power
EIA REPORTS ON MOUNTAIN REGION APPLIANCE DATA
—Electric Appliances More Common in Mountain Region Than Elsewhere in U.S.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration compiles statistics on a wide range of energy usage in the United States. One of these reports is Appliance Reports, which are brief statistical reports in which long-term U.S. trends in market share of air-conditioning units and about two dozen appliances are compared with trends in each U.S. Census Division. EIA says that its Appliance Reports are the only source of long-term regional data on appliance market share.
EIA’s newest Appliance Report focuses on the Mountain States (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) and includes new data for 2001 on the market shares of appliances in these eight states. EIA notes that the data show that, among the 7 million households in the Mountain Division, electric appliances, particularly evaporative coolers, continued to be more common than among U.S. households, and gas appliances and air-conditioning continued to be less common.
The full Appliance Report can be viewed at
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/reps/appli/mountain.html
SLIDE SHOWS AVAILABLE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY
Coalition member Carol Tombari of Mountain Energy Consultation has prepared two presentations on all aspects of renewable energy. Her presentations, available for viewing or downloading at http://www.newenergytechnologies.org/colorado/slideshow.htm, contain many photographs and provide a wealth of information on the resource potentials of wind, biomass and solar technologies, along with overviews of renewable energy policies in Colorado and other states.
Though these presentations focus on Colorado, much of the information is applicable to states around the country, and particularly to the interior western states.
ASPEN SKIING COMPANY INSTITUTES FREE PARKING FOR GREEN VEHICLES, WILL INCREASE PURCHASES OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
Free Parking for Hybrid Vehicles
Coalition Member Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) announced on 28 January that free parking will be provided at its mountains for guests driving hybrid-electric vehicles. The policy was designed to reward owners of the low-emission and fuel-efficient vehicles, and encourage their use.
“Hybrid cars offer comparable benefits to car pooling, at least from an emissions standpoint. We provide free parking for car-poolers, so it makes sense to do the same for drivers of Hybrids. We think they should be rewarded for their choice,” said Auden Schendler, ASC’s Director of Environmental Affairs.
Owners of hybrid-electric vehicles will be allowed free parking at Lot A and Two Creeks in Snowmass, and at Aspen Highlands. ASC will educate parking attendants about the vehicles so staff will be able to identify the cars. Vehicles that qualify include the Honda Insight, Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius.
Aspen Increases Reliance on Wind Energy
On 30 November, Aspen Skiing Co. announced that it will buy enough wind power this season to run the Silver Queen gondola, and plans to tout its reliance on renewable energy at the World Cup races and upcoming X Games.
The company became a partner with X Games’ broadcaster ESPN, Holy Cross Energy, the nonprofit Community Office for Resource Efficiency and Aspen Municipal Electric Utility to raise $25,000 to buy the power from a wind farm in eastern Colorado.
With the purchase, the resort’s use of wind power jumps from 2 to 6 percent, six times more than any other North American resort, according to environmental affairs director Auden Schendler.
UTAH ENERGY OFFICE ANEMOMETER LOAN PROGRAM A SUCCESS
—Anemometers help businesses, developers, farmers, ranchers, and homeowners determine good wind resource areas
For years, general knowledge about Utah’s wind energy resources was based either on a limited number of site-specific wind measurement programs or on a coarse, outdated national atlas produced by the federal government in the mid-1980’s. Because these programs offered only limited insights into the complex distribution of wind resources throughout the state, the Utah Energy Office--funded in part by the Department of Energy--initiated a loan program for anemometers.
The program began with ten anemometers in 2001. Designed to help businesses, developers, farmers, ranchers, and homeowners gain quantitative information from which to make informed wind energy siting and planning decisions, the program has had an overwhelming response. For every year since its inception, over 50 applicants have applied for the anemometer loan. To meet some of the demand, five additional anemometers were added to the program in 2002, and another two for the 2003 measurement period.
There are currently sixteen locations for anemometers this year: Snowville, Tremonton, Callao, Weber Canyon, Monticello, Elmo, Traverse Ridge, Oakley, Dugway Valley, Minersville, Manti, Duchesne, Kingston, the Ranch Exit East of I-40, Snyderville Basin, and Richfield.
The loan recipients are a diverse group. Some of the recipients include a schoolteacher and students in Minersville; students gained hands-on experience when they helped Christine Watson of the Utah Energy Office erect the anemometer. A Duchesne County Commissioner had the vision to apply for an anemometer; they are now looking to see if there is enough wind for a project in that county. Organic farmers in Snowville and operators of a turf farm in Richfield would like to get more value from their land and look to wind development as a possibility.
Last year’s analysis from the anemometers should be completed and on the web shortly. For more information about the Anemometer Loan Program, contact Christine Watson, Energy Engineer at 801-538-4792. For information online, visit www.wind.utah.gov.
Be on the look out for information about the second Utah Wind Power Conference, hosted again by the Utah Energy Office, which will take place in September or October 2003.
—By Jessica Lorah, State Director of Utah Coalition for New Energy Technologies
UTAH FARM BUREAU SUPPORTS INCENTIVES TO FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
Over 500 attendees from across the state met at the Utah Farm Bureau’s annual convention on 21 and 22 November in Salt Lake City to examine pending agriculture issues and discuss and adopt the organization’s governing policies for 2003. Several policies pertaining to Energy and Electric Utility Restructuring were adopted including support for incentives to facilitate the development of renewable energy sources.
The Utah Farm Bureau 2003 Policy Book can be viewed online at: http://www.fb.com/utfb/Legislative/Final%20UFBF%20Policies%20Post%20Resolution%20Committee%20Terry%20copy.pdf
—By Jessica Lorah, State Director of Utah Coalition for New Energy Technologies
UTAH GEOTHERMAL WORKING GROUP TO BE LAUNCHED
—Organizational Meeting Scheduled for 4 March
The Utah Geological Survey and the Utah Energy Office are convening a Utah Geothermal Working Group (GWG) in support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s GeoPowering the West initiative. Robert Blackett, GWG Coordinator, writes that “the purpose of the Utah GWG is to promote the continued development of geothermal resources in Utah.”
The first organizational meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, 4 March at the Utah Department of Natural Resources in Salt Lake City (1594 W. North Temple). The meeting may include a luncheon. Participants will include a wide variety of geothermal experts and users, and the meeting’s organizers hope that each periodic meeting will feature a speaker on some aspect of geothermal-related development.
Blackett writes that “the goals of UGWG will be to (1) focus on needs, barriers, and opportunities in Utah to help facilitate future geothermal development (2) provide public outreach with a legislative component, (2) gain access to land with geothermal resources, (3) discover and develop markets for geothermal energy, (4) conceptualize projects with attractive returns on investment, and (5) review geothermal potential vs. utilization. We will consider a wide range of applications including: electric power generation, direct-use technology, and ground-source heat pumps.”
Meetings will not focus on a single topic, but will cover a wide variety of subjects for promotion of Utah’s geothermal resources. The organizers expect the first meeting to last two to three and that future meetings will take place about every six months. The value, frequency and topics of future meetings will be discussed at this first meeting.
Blackett notes that “geothermal energy technology can help meet Utah’s future energy needs and offers potential economic benefits to both rural and urban residents. Presently, Utah has two geothermal power facilities and 13 areas where geothermal fluids are used commercially for space heating of greenhouses, aquaculture, recreation, and balneology. In addition, there are many sites where ground-coupled heat pumps provide year-round space conditioning. Since recent inventories show that nearly 1,000 thermal springs and wells are present in Utah, we believe that geothermal resources in the state are underutilized, due chiefly to the relatively low cost of competing fossil fuels.”
For more information on the new Utah Geothermal Working Group, contact Robert Blackett at the Utah Geological Survey, 435-865-8139.
ARIZONA: WHO IS REALLY THE WORLD’S SOLAR PV LEADER?
The Arizona Daily Star reports in its 29 December edition that “[t]wo Arizona utilities are competing to become the world leader in turning sunshine into electricity. Tucson Electric Power Co., which owns and operates the world’s second-largest photovoltaic solar generating site, is gunning to surpass the current solar leader, an Italian power station, in 2004. And Phoenix-based APS is on target to top TEP’s solar efforts in three to five years, although TEP hopes to regain the lead.”
However, Donald E. Osborne, CEO of Spectrum Energy, and SMUD’s former Superintendent for Renewable Generation (and former chairman of the Arizona Solar Energy Commission), wrote a letter to the Daily Star on 4 January saying:
“It was with great pleasure that I read about the accomplishments of Arizona utilities starting to put the Arizona sun to work. They are to be congratulated and should be encouraged to go far beyond this fine start. Photovoltaics and other solar applications can play a significant role in a secure and sustainable Arizona economy. Fully implementing the Arizona Renewable Portfolio Standard and supporting solar development is indeed a wise investment for Arizona.
One correction is in order however, as impressive as the TEP PV facility is, it is not the largest PV generating station in the US. That honor still goes to the Sacramento (CA) Municipal Utility District (SMUD) with the Rancho Seco 3.5 MW PV facility at the site of our closed nuclear plant. It is, today, the world’s largest PV plant. I look forward to the day, soon, when it is surpassed by TEP, APS and other utilities joining SMUD in making solar truly available as an energy choice for their customers -- not only in large solar power plants but as an affordable option for self-generation on our own roof tops.”
[Thanks to Jack Stone’s NCPV Hotline for these stories.]
NEW PANEL TO TACKLE ENERGY POLICY
—Commission aims to find approach “safe from partisan sniping”
John J. Fialka reports in the 26 November edition of the Wall Street Journal that “[a] group of prominent philanthropic foundations has created a $10 million commission of former energy-policy planners from both the Bush and Clinton administrations as well as representatives from industry and environmental groups to chart a long-range energy policy…The National Commission on Energy Policy, which expects to present its report in two years, could pave the way for the federal government to re-examine energy policy and come up with a coherent strategy to balance energy use and environmental protection that will pass Congress.”
For the full story, visit http://webreprints.djreprints.com/654940897047.html
BUSH ADMINISTRATION RELEASES FY 2004 BUDGET REQUEST
—Funding for Efficiency and Renewables Remains Nearly Steady
President Bush released his administration’s proposed $2.2 trillion federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2004 on 3 February. As the White House notes, “the budget meets the challenges posed by three national priorities: winning the war against terrorism, securing the homeland, and generating long-term economic growth. Despite these three priorities, the budget maintains funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.”
The proposed overall budget for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) remains nearly steady, increasing about 0.1 percent above the President’s request for FY 2003 (the FY 2003 budget has not been finalized, so it is not available for comparison).
The President’s proposed budget assumes enactment of the energy tax incentives proposed in the President’s 2003 budget, including tax credits for the use of solar power in residences and for purchases of hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles. It also proposes a two-year extension in tax credits for electric vehicles, clean-fuel vehicles, and power produced from certain renewable energy sources (the so-called “production tax credit”).
Summaries of the FY 2004 Department of Energy budget request, including state-by-state tables and other useful information, can be reviewed at http://www.mbe.doe.gov/budget/04budget/index.htm, while the department’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program requests can be reviewed at http://www.mbe.doe.gov/budget/04budget/content/es/solar.pdf.
[from EERE Network News; see following story]
DOE’S EREN IS NOW EREE
EERE Network News Editor Kevin Eber writes on 5 February:
“We’ve moved! The Web site for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), formerly known as EREN, has moved to a new address and shed its former moniker. Now known simply as the EERE Web site, the new site places greater emphasis on EERE and its 11 technology programs. The site’s new Web address also emphasizes EERE while aligning with DOE’s move from doe.gov to energy.gov back in October 2000…”