Four University Campuses in Wisconsin Planning to be Energy Independent and Green in Five Years

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle announced a pilot program to demonstrate that four state university campuses can make their campuses completely energy independent within the next five years. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, UW-Oshkosh, UW-River Falls and UW-Stevens Point will take part.

If they meet the challenge, the schools will be the first state-owned facilities capable of acquiring or producing renewable energy equivalent to their consumption.

The campuses are already involved in sustainable energy programs. For example, in April 2006, UW-Steven's Point Chancellor Linda Bunnell signed an agreement that allows green power to be used as an energy source on campus as of September. UW-Steven's Point has begun purchasing renewable energy through the NatureWise program available through Wisconsin Public Service. UWSP is purchasing blocks of methane generated power and wind to replace 10 percent of fossil fuel generated energy consumption. Students initiated and fund this project on campus.

For the new initiative, the campuses will work with the Department of Administration’s Division of State Facilities to identify and implement technologies capable of replacing external fossil-fuel power supplies currently serving their locations. The project will also emphasize energy conservation strategies to curtail overall energy demand. Currently all four campuses produce their own heating and cooling by burning fossil fuels.

It is expected that funding for the program will be proposed as part of the next state budget submittal by Governor Doyle.

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Farmer Ownership Should Be Federal Focus in Building Cellulosic Ethanol Industry

A new report issued by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance urges the U.S. Department of Energy to change its piecemeal approach to commercializing ethanol from cellulose and develop a comprehensive strategy. "The future of American agriculture may depend on this," says David Morris, Vice President of ILSR and author of Putting the Pieces Together: Commercializing Cellulosic Ethanol.

Congress made clear its farmer and rural development focus in the Energy Policy Act (EPAct). It required that projects "demonstrate outstanding potential for local and regional economic development." In addition, EPAct requires that a priority be given to projects "that include agricultural producers or cooperatives of agricultural producers as equity partners in the ventures; and... have a strategic agreement in place to fairly reward feedstock suppliers."

The ILSR report proposes that DOE's strategy take into account a key element of the Energy Policy Act: a mandate for 250 million gallons/year of cellulosic ethanol by 2013. ILSR argues that the various incentives contained in the Act -- direct grants, loan guarantees and direct purchasing -- will not significantly accelerate that time line. Therefore, ILSR has urgedDOE to use the EPAct's resources to achieve its qualitative goals: maximizing the benefits to the nation's farmers and rural communities.

"Given the mandate, the country will achieve EPAct's quantitative goals regardless of what DOE does," says Morris. "On the other hand, the future structure and prosperity of American agriculture may well depend on how DOE, and USDA, craft their biofuels strategy." For six years, Morris was a member of a Congressionally-created advisory committee that reviewed the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture biomass strategy.

Although EPAct authorizes over $2 billion for incentives, ILSR notes that Congress has yet to appropriate any funds. The appropriation debate will take place this fall. "All Americans should get involved in that debate," Morris declares. "For it will answer the vital question: Will we have over 1,000 farmer owned biorefineries, allowing virtually all full time farmers in the country to directly benefit from the coming age of biofuels, or will future agriculture look the same as current agriculture, with millions of small producers selling to a handful of dominant processing companies?"

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New World Trade Center Complex Will Use On-Site Distributed Generation

The Freedom Tower and other buildings on the redeveloped World Trade Center site will be partially powered from a suite of on-site fuel cell power plants totalling 4.8 MW. According to NY Governor Pataki, the buildings will meet LEED's gold standard for green buildings.

The Governor also announced an agreement that calls for the NY Port Authority and Silverstein Properties to purchase renewable energy for the remainder of the base building's electricity requirements that are not provided by the fuel cell systems.

"The redevelopment will be a global example of green building design and a constant reminder of our commitment to break the cycle of dependence on foreign energy," said the Governor. "By moving forward with state-of-the-art design and guidelines, New York will once again show the world our ingenuity, innovation and commitment to building a stronger, brighter future for all."

The Freedom Tower, World Trade Center Transportation Hub, Memorial and Memorial Museum will be powered by renewable energy. NYPA will purchase 93 million kilowatt hours of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Silverstein Properties will also purchase 91 million kilowatt hours of RECs for Towers 2, 3 and 4.

The Freedom Tower, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub and the Memorial, "Reflecting Absence", are currently all under construction at the World Trade Center site.

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ND Cooperative's Green Pricing Premium Drops to Zero

Finding that wind power provides their customers and business with financial benefits rather than increased costs, Nodak Electric Cooperative announced that they have dropped their green pricing premium altogether for the 650 customers who signed up to purchase renewable energy.

Nodak Electric's President and CEO, George Berg, said "In recent years, the average cost of power from the market has been on a steady rise. This has caused the 'average value' of wind-generated power to be greater... it was determined that the subscription charge could be eliminated. Those Nodak members who have been paying a little extra for renewable energy are no longer being charged the added subscription price." Berg added that, based on the experience so far, it may be wise to build more wind generation in the near future.

The two-turbine, 1.8 MW wind energy project was developed in 2002 by the Minnkota Power Cooperative, a generation and transmission cooperative that supplies electricity to 11 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and North Dakota including Nodak Electric. Minnkota has lowered the premium charged for its Infinity Wind Energy program several times over the years, most recently from 1.5¢/kWh to 0.5¢/kWh. Nodak Electric is now abosorbing that 0.5¢/kWh premium throughout its entire rate base.

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Pennsylvania Government Buys Renewable Energy Credits Covering 20 Percent of Electricity Use

In what is billed as the largest green power purchase yet by a state government, Pennsylvania has announced a minimum two-year commitment to buy enough renewable energy credits to cover 20 percent of the state's internal government's electric use.

The Commonwealth simply expanded and doubled an existing green power contract it had with Community Energy Inc. Some news reports say that the new contract allows the state to purchase 200,000,000 kilowatt-hours a year at a premium price of $550,000 per year on top of normal electric rates. According to the Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), the contract's premium is 0.34 cents per kilowatt hour (equivalent to about $680,000/yr). The state currently pays about $70 million a year for electricity according to the DEP. Regardless of the correct green power rate, the premium represents less than a 1 percent increase in costs to state taxpayers.

The contract calls for electricity that is generated 40 percent from wind power and 60 percent from hydroelectric sources. Community Energy indicates that the 200,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy compared to the average generation mix in the regional electric grid will offset 109,000 tons of CO2.

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California Dream: Solar and Climate Legislation Aplenty

California has moved renewable energy and environmental responsibility to new levels with the passage of a solar power bill and two pieces of greenhouse gas emissions legislation. The solar power law raises net metering ceilings for utilities by five times from their previous levels. One climate bill will establish a cap on greenhouse gas emissions in California and could lead other states to take a similar step. The second climate bill establishes a greenhouse gas performance standard applicable to baseload power plants selling to the California market.

SB1 - Million Solar Roofs Bill
Resurrected again this session, the solar bill has been signed into law. The bill reiterates and supplements the California Public Utilities Commission's $2.9 billion California Solar Initiative (see previous story in Democratic Energy). The new law extends the PUC solar energy incentives initiative to publicly-owned utilities - municipal and cooperatives. Including the publicly-owned utilities, the PUC must limit the cost of the California Solar Initiative to $3.35 billion over the next 10 years.

The law requires the PUC to order electric service providers to expand the availability of net energy metering (the ability to sell excess solar electricity back to the utility) so that it is offered on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by all eligible customer-generators exceeds 2.5% of the electric service provider's aggregate customer peak demand.

A weaker part of the new law is that beginning in January 2011, sellers of new homes in developments of more than 50 units must offer solar electricity of at least 1kW as an option for the homes.
The sellers must disclose the total installed cost of the solar energy system option and the estimated cost savings associated with the solar energy system option.

AB 32 - California Global Warming Solutions Act
This bill is awaiting a promised signature by the Governor and would require the nation's most populous state and the world's 12th largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 (a reduction by about 25 percent from current levels).

The new initiative will work by imposing broad caps on GHG greenhouse-gas emissions that would apply to the state's major industries such as utility plants, oil and gas refineries, and cement kilns. One of the key mechanisms designed to drive the reductions is a market program that will allow businesses to buy, sell and trade emission credits with other companies.

The bill includes a "safety valve" that would allow California's governor to delay the emission-cap mandate if the state is hit with a natural disaster, terrorist attack or some other emergency.

SB 1368 - Greenhouse Gas Emissions Performance Standard Act
This bill, awaiting the Governor's signature, establishes a greenhouse gas (GHG) performance standard applicable to “baseload” generation resources that seek to sell into California electricity markets. The new standard prohibits any more long-term investments in power plants unless their air emissions are as low, or lower, than emissions from a clean and efficient natural gas power plants.

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