Glacier Wind Farm is state’s biggest wind energy project October 31, 2009

Last week was a week of good news for NaturEner USA, Montana Alberta Tie, Ltd., the State of Montana and Glacier and Toole Counties.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Jose Maria Sanchez Seara, NaturEner USA’s Chief Executive Officer, dedicated the second phase of the Glacier Wind Farm on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The Glacier Wind Farm, which is located in Glacier and Toole Counties, is the largest wind energy project in Montana.

“This wind farm is one of the reasons Montana is on the map as a leader in wind energy development,” said Gov. Schweitzer. “With a total of 210 megawatts, this is a significant contribution of clean and green, domestic energy to our region.”

San Diego Gas and Electric has contracted with NaturEner to purchase some of the energy produced by the project’s 140 turbines.

During the dedication ceremony, Ken Young, NaturEner’s Director of Asset Management, provided a brief history of the project. At the “land owner and local officials appreciation dinner” later that evening, Young expressed his gratitude to all those involved in the project.

He said he has worked on projects in Texas and New York, but working in Montana has been an enjoyable experience. He described the area landowners as “good stewards” of the land, adding they are a “good fit” for NaturEner.

Seara recalled his first trip to Montana three years ago to review the area, which now boasts 140 turbines and a $500 million investment by his company. “I know, I wrote the checks,” he grinned. He, too, thanked the land owners involved in the Glacier Wind Farm project, describing them as “one of our company’s most valuable assets.”

Gov. Schweitzer pointed out it won’t be long until the Glacier Wind Farm will be surpassed by another NaturEner wind farm, the Rim Rock Project, which is scheduled for construction 25 miles due north of the Glacier Wind Farm. NaturEner’s projected investment in the 206-turbine wind farm is $800 million. At 309 megawatts, the Rim Rock Wind Farm will be one of the largest in the Northwest and will create more than 500 construction jobs.

The Supreme Court of Canada, on Thursday, Oct. 22, dismissed the final appeal by an Alberta landowner group, which has been opposed to the construction of the $213 million Montana Albert Tie Ltd. (MATL) transmission line. With the Canadian high court’s decision, all avenues for legal challenges and appeals have been exhausted and construction of the transmission line and NaturEner’s Rim Rock Wind Farm can begin.

“We are extremely satisfied with the decision from the Supreme Court of Canada,” said Bob Williams, vice-president Regulatory, Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. “This was the last remaining road block and we plan to start construction as soon as possible.”

The power line project has undergone a complex, comprehensive and lengthy regulatory approval process taking almost four years including public hearings, environmental assessments and stakeholder engagement at multiple levels in both Canada and the United States. “We will continue to engage with all the landowners, listen to their concerns and negotiate fair compensation for the use of their land,” said Williams. “We are committed to being a good neighbor.”

The 230-kilovolt line will run from Lethbridge, Alberta to Great Falls and will be capable of moving 300 megawatts of power either north to south or south to north. Construction of the line provides a more reliable supply of electricity for southern Alberta and northern Montana and accesses the power grid for almost $1 billion in renewable wind power projects in the USA.

In dismissing the appeal, the Canadian Supreme Court also awarded legal costs to Montana Alberta Tie Ltd., NaturEner Energy Canada Inc. and NaturEner USA, LLC.

By LeAnne Kavanagh, Shelby Promoter – http://www.goldentrianglenews.com/articles/2009/10/28/shelby_promoter/news/news2.txt

NW energy efficiency better in 2008, council says October 31, 2009

Improved energy efficiency reduced power demand by an amount equal to about 148,000 homes across the Northwest last year.

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council said regional energy savings in 2008 were the best for any year since recordkeeping began 30 years ago.

The Portland-based council said that 2008 efficiency improvements conserved a total of 234 average megawatts of electricity – or the output of an average-size natural gas-fired power plant.

Nearly two-thirds of the energy savings was in homes, mostly from switching to compact fluorescent lights. Commercial buildings had the second-largest efficiency gains.

The council is an agency of the states of Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington created by Congress with the Northwest Power Act of 1980.

Associated Press – http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=11421001

Oregon geothermal projects get $40M in stimulus money October 31, 2009

Continuing efforts to advance alternative energy resources and break our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) announced nearly $40 million in Recovery Act funding for the exploration and development of geothermal energy technologies in Oregon.

“This funding will literally help to bring Oregon’s geothermal energy potential to the surface,” Wyden said. “It will create and sustain jobs improving alternative energy technology to better tap into Oregon’s unique set of renewable energy resources.”

“The Recovery Act continues to spur growth in the emerging clean energy industry,” Merkley said.  ”These projects will create new jobs and solidify Oregon’s position as a leader in renewable energy production.”

Distributed by the U.S. Department of Energy, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding will support and create seven Oregon-based geothermal projects.

The funding dramatically increases geothermal energy development both in Oregon and nationwide and is a large step toward comprehensive utilization of alternative energy resources throughout the state.

The following seven Oregon projects are receiving funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

Nevada Geothermal Power Company- Crump Geyser- $1,764,272
This project will test a new, low environmentally impacting drilling technique and create a method to model the movement of fluid in the reservoir.

Newberry Geothermal Holdings- Newberry- $4,475,075
This project will use advanced techniques to locate geothermal reservoirs.

ORMAT, Nevada, Inc. – Glass Buttes- $4,377,000
This project will locate faults in geothermal reservoirs using advanced techniques.

The City of Klamath Falls- Klamath Falls- $816,000
This project will fund the construction of a low-temperature power plant with a district heating system to power the city of Klamath Falls.

Johnson Controls, Inc.- Oregon Institute of Technology (Klamath Falls)- $1,047,714
This project will install a low-temperature unit on the Oregon Institute of Technology campus.

AltaRock Energy, Inc. – Newberry Volcanic Monument (Bend)- $24,999,430
This project will generate power from the Newberry Geothermal Resource Area by demonstrating EGS (engineered geothermal systems) technology.

According to a San Francisco Chronicle article on a Bay Area project, AltaRock is developing a new form of geothermal power, drilling deeper into deep rocks, hotter than 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The Bay Area company will fracture those rocks with high-pressure water, creating a network of cracks. AltaRock then will pump more water into the cracks, using the rocks to heat the water and create steam.

Surprise Valley Electrification Corporation- Paisley- $2,000,000
This project will build a binary power plant that uses low-temperature fluids. It will also help to construct a local aquaculture facility.

Associated Press – http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=11410230

Portland-area builders shift to small, efficient homes October 31, 2009

The rows of white turbines spinning over wheat fields and ridgelines in eastern Oregon are ample evidence that renewable energy from wind is real and growing.

So much so that the aging network of transmission lines and power stations that carries energy around the region is loaded to its limits.

But wind developers are just getting started. And thousands of miles of new power lines carried by skyscraper-sized steel towers will need to be laid across deserts, farms and forests as more wind farms rise in farther-flung corners of Oregon and the West.

It won’t be cheap, or without controversy.

More than half of Oregon is public land that Oregonians value for recreation, unobstructed vistas and habitat for sensitive species. And the cleared corridors that accommodate such transmission lines cut a wide swath.

Expanding the power grid is one trade-off of the national effort to expand clean energy technology and combat climate change.

“There’s no question that we are changing the face of the state right now,” said Brent Fenty,  executive director of the Oregon Natural Desert Association in Bend, which is tracking transmission proposals in eastern Oregon. “And the important part is that we do that in a way that is responsible and reflects our values.”

Energy experts have long lamented the inadequacy of the nation’s energy grid. The federal government estimates that even though electricity demand has increased nationally by a quarter since 1990, construction of new transmission facilities has slowed.

The Department of Energy also says $60 billion in new investment in transmission, or about 12,650 miles of new lines nationwide, is needed by 2030 to get 20 percent of power from wind.

Oregon ranks fifth among states for wind power capacity. It now gets 7 percent of its power from wind, versus 1 percent a few years ago. And the state will require large utilities to source a quarter of the power they sell from renewable resources such as wind by 2025.

The creation of federal dams such as Bonneville over the past century was accompanied by the build-out of major new transmission lines to carry the power they produced. And over the past decade, excess capacity on those old lines — due in no small part to the disappearance of energy-eating aluminum smelters — has been filled up by new wind projects.

But now those lines are getting full.

“Especially with all the wind projects on the east side, the cross-Cascades capacity is beginning to be congested,” said Michael Mikolaitis,  director of transmission projects for Portland General Electric.

Northwest projects

PGE proposes building a 200-mile, 500-kilovolt line from near Boardman in northeast Oregon, across the Cascade Mountains and into the Willamette Valley, one of a half-dozen or so proposed transmission projects in the Northwest.

PGE says it has requests to carry 700 megawatts of wind power from proposed wind farms near Maupin and Arlington, and its planners expect the line to serve 400 megawatts beyond that. (One megawatt of wind power is enough to power about 200 homes.) The new line also would connect to PGE’s planned natural gas plant, another existing natural gas plant and a coal plant near Boardman.

PGE hopes to break ground in 2013 and have the line up and running two years later.

But building a transmission line is complicated. Terrain varies. Transmission towers are up to 190 feet tall, and they are built in corridors 125 to 250 feet wide that have to be kept clear of trees.

“These corridors have a long-term environmental impact in that they are permitted clear-cuts. Most of the time they are hundreds of feet wide, and that impacts wildlife habitat and clean water,” said Erik Fernandez,  wilderness coordinator for the group Oregon Wild.

About 27 miles of the Cascade Crossing line would be on U.S. Forest Service land, with an additional 30 miles over the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reservation and most of the rest on private land.

New lines often mean new rights of way, and across the American West, there are about 10,000 miles of new high-voltage lines — those exceeding 200 kilovolts — being considered in the next 10 years, according to the Western Electricity Coordinating Council. At a meeting of Western governors in June, Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal lamented that transmission lines could make his state look like a jumbled plate of spaghetti.

“We are talking about in a very short time span having a massive build-out of the power infrastructure. And if we do this the wrong way, there’s going to be a large price tag environmentally,” Fernandez said.

Permitting process

Most of Oregon’s wind development has focused on the Columbia River Gorge, where there are existing transmission lines, farmers willing to lease their land for turbines and good wind, at least in the summer.

“If you take a look at maps of where the high-quality wind sites are, they’re generally not where people live. And ultimately the energy that’s produced needs to be delivered to consumers,” said Brian Silverstein, senior vice president for transmission services at the Bonneville Power Administration.

The agency, which markets the power from federal dams, has 15,200 miles of transmission lines in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, that make up about three-fourths of the regional grid. And it proposes 225 miles of new lines, mostly to handle the increased energy production from new wind farms, Silverstein said.

Those thousands of miles of lines don’t take into account the multitude of smaller feeder lines that will be needed to connect scattered wind projects to the grid. A good example is the roughly 50-mile line Columbia Energy Partners proposes to carry power from its planned wind farm on the north end of Steens Mountain in Harney County.

Originally envisioned to cross the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, the line was rerouted after opposition from environmental groups. The new route would cross mostly private land, with six power poles proposed on Bureau of Land Management land, said Columbia President Chris Crowley.

“Our project is permitted, and it’s on private land. But to connect to the grid, we have to cross federal land. And that’s proven to be the hook,” Crowley said.

The BLM has 30 pending applications for transmission projects in the West, according to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. On Wednesday, Salazar and other administration officials announced an agreement to streamline the permitting process for transmission projects on public land.

Simultaneously, Western states and federal agencies are trying to plot where new transmission corridors should be located based on where the renewable resources are greatest and potential environmental impacts the least.

That includes the West-wide Energy Corridor, a plan to designate 6,000 miles of new energy corridors on 3 million acres of federal lands in Oregon and 10 other Western states where applications to build new pipelines or electricity lines would be expedited.

By Matthew Preusch, The Oregonian - http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/10/wind_powers_success_spurs_new.html

Efficiency Program in Portland sets the standard October 31, 2009

Clean Energy Works Portland is a groundbreaking new program that enables Portland residents to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and pay for the improvements over time through their utility bills.

A contractor performing a blower door test to identify air infiltration and leakage throughout a home. But the most exciting and unique aspect of the program is the Community Workforce Agreement that was developed by representatives of labor unions, community groups, businesses, community colleges, and other stakeholders. It is a comprehensive plan to make sure that new jobs created by Clean Energy Works Portland are high quality, career-track jobs that offer family-supporting wages and benefits, and that they go to local residents from diverse backgrounds.

“We wanted to have this project reflect some higher set of goals beyond just retrofitting homes and reducing carbon emissions,” said Derek Smith of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, the city’s go-to person on the Clean Energy Works Portland program.

The program uses $2.5 million in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funds the city received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as seed money to start a revolving loan fund that will enable Portland homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes at no up-front cost. The energy improvements that will be available to homeowners during the pilot phase of the program, which will cover 500 homes, include insulation, air sealing, duct sealing, and improvements to space heating and water heating systems.

The Energy Trust of Oregon will schedule home energy assessments for interested homeowners and help them choose the energy saving options that best meet their needs. To pay for the improvements, homeowners will receive low-interest, long-term loans and will pay them off via their monthly utility bills.

Once the pilot phase is completed next summer, some 100,000 homes in Multnomah County, which encompasses the city of Portland, could qualify for the program.

A state law, Oregon’s Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Technology Act of 2009 (HB 2626), made the Portland financing mechanism possible. “Portland is the first pilot project for this new statewide, low-interest loan program for weatherization work that you can pay back on your utility bill. That’s how we’re going to spread this idea around the state,” said Barbara Byrd, who wears many hats in Oregon, including secretary-treasurer of the Oregon AFL-CIO and coordinator of the Oregon Apollo Alliance, which strongly supported passage of HB 2626.

Fifty-five direct jobs will be created by the pilot program, but many more are expected to be created after the pilot phase. In order to make sure those jobs will have good wages and benefits and be accessible to community members with previous barriers to employment, the city pulled together approximately 60 stakeholders to develop a Community Workforce Agreement that would complement Clean Energy Works.

Smith of the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability said he got the idea to bring labor and training standards and community benefits into the program from being part of the Green For All “community of practice.” The community of practice connects people throughout the United States who are working on green jobs programs and helps them share their learning experiences with others in the field. Green For All is a partner in Clean Energy Works Portland, along with the Energy Trust of Oregon, Portland General Electric and others.

Maurice Rahming, president of the National Association of Minority Contractors of Oregon, participated in the Clean Energy Works Portland stakeholder meetings that culminated in the Community Workforce Agreement. “I think it’s a tribute to the mayor that he got minority contractors involved early on, rather than having them involved at the very tail end. It shows he’s looking to diversify the contracting pool,” Rahming said.

“Construction isn’t always the most diverse workforce that’s out there, and we wanted to set up an understanding that let’s have the workforce and the contractors reflect the city of Portland,” he added.

In addition to minority contractors, the stakeholder meetings included many groups that offer pre-apprenticeship training to prepare people in basic work skills so that they can then enter training programs that teach skills specific to an occupation. These groups included the Native American Youth and Family Center, which offers employment training courses to Native Americans; and Oregon Tradeswomen, which offers women training courses to prepare them to enter the building and construction trades. Pre-apprenticeship training programs like these will funnel participants into weatherization technician training courses linked to Clean Energy Works Portland.

Many labor unions also participated in the development of the Community Workforce Agreement, including the Laborers union, which is about to begin offering training courses in weatherization that will be available to graduates of the pre-apprenticeship programs described above. “A part of what we wanted to see [in the Community Workforce Agreement] was that people were going to get quality training, because then they’re going to come into the market with better skills, and that’s a chance for them to get their wages up,” said Al Davita, the training director of the Laborers Training Program in Oregon and southern Idaho.

Davita said the Laborers will be providing three levels of training in weatherization-an 80-hour entry-level class for weatherization installers/technicians that will require 80 hours in general residential construction to get into the class; a 40-hour weatherization supervisor training; and a 40-hour energy auditor training. This means that trainees who become weatherization technicians through Clean Energy Works Portland will be able to move into other careers with additional training.

“Our plan is to recruit people who are out of work, give them quality training so they can go out and do this work, but also give them a career pathway so that they can potentially stay in weatherization for the next 20 years or may be able to move into commercial building construction or demolition, where the wages are higher. So we’re looking to give people the chance to change their lives,” Davita said.

After five weeks of meetings, the stakeholders came to consensus on a Community Workforce Agreement for the Clean Energy Works Portland pilot program that lays out requirements for worker training, wages and benefits, local hiring, contractor standards and more. Key goals and targets of the agreement, which was passed by the Portland City Council on September 30, include:

Local hire: at least 80 percent of employees used in the pilot program will be hired from the local workforce.

Family-supporting jobs: workers will earn no less than 180 percent of the state minimum wage.

Diverse workforce: historically disadvantaged or underrepresented people, including people of color, women, and low-income city residents, will perform at least 30 percent of total trades and technical project hours.

Diverse business participation: twenty percent of the dollars that flow through the project will go to businesses owned by historically disadvantaged or underrepresented people.

Prevailing wage: contractors will pay wages that are at least 180 percent of Oregon state minimum wage or the prevailing wage for weatherization work, whichever is higher.

Worker training: contractors will hire 100 percent of new weatherization employees from designated training programs until 50 percent of the contractor’s non-supervisory work hours are performed by these training program graduates.

Labor peace: contractors will sign a labor peace agreement that includes a majority sign-up provision (meaning that contractors will respect the will of the workers if a majority of them signs up to form a labor union).

The Community Workforce Agreement also sets up a system of “best value contracting,” which means that contractors wishing to join the pool of qualified contractors for the Clean Energy Works Portland program will be scored on a range of attributes. They will earn points for having a successful track record of hiring and retaining historically disadvantaged people; having a plan for establishing sub-contracting relationships with businesses owned by people of color and women; and hiring graduates of pre-apprenticeship training programs, among other criteria.

Clean Energy Works Portland’s criteria for qualified training programs requires the programs to have at least three defined partnerships with state recognized pre-apprenticeship programs or signatory community organizations that service underrepresented populations, and to make sure a majority of trainees are women, people of color, low-income people or people from disadvantaged communities.

“In Oregon, a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, Clean Energy Works Portland stands to provide a scalable national model by leveraging federal recovery dollars to put people back to work and achieve significant carbon reductions,” said Portland Mayor Sam Adams. “With our community workforce agreement, we have the ability to promote social equity in a measurable way, providing an opportunity for under-employed youth and adults to gain career training in the sustainable building industry, and ensure that Portland stays at the forefront of the green economy.”

For other cities that are considering designing programs similar to Portland’s, several of the people who participated in the process that created the Community Workforce Agreement emphasized the importance of involving stakeholders early in the process. “My bottom line advice is that if you want to do this, you have to involve the stakeholders from the very beginning of the process,” said Barbara Byrd. “It’s not something the city can put together and ask people to sign on to. It was the involvement of the stakeholders that not only created the workforce agreement, but will also make sure it works.”

Rahming said that the early involvement of minority contractors will help them be able to participate in the program. “In contracting, time is everything,” Rahming said. “A lot of times, larger companies can put proposals together more quickly, because they have more staff. This time, because the project was presented to my contractors at the front end, it will allow them to be able to meet the wage and benefits and training requirements.”

Now that the Community Workforce Agreement is in place and the pilot program has already begun converting loans for homeowners, some of the same people who were involved in the stakeholder process will oversee how the program is run.

“The side benefit of this whole effort is energizing a community,” Smith told Oregon Live in a recent interview. “People are really interested in this. It’s good for the economy. It’s good for their home energy bills and (the environment). It seems like one of the promises of the new clean economy could be realized here.”

For more information about Clean Energy Works Portland, go to www.cleanenergyworksportland.org.

Read the Community Workforce Agreement.

by Andrea Buffa, Grist - http://www.grist.org/article/2009-10-28-portland-weatherization-program-gives-top-billing-to-labor-stand/

Walla Walla colleges energize community solar project October 31, 2009

If representatives from each of Walla Walla’s three colleges have their way, the region will soon be transformed by an energy revolution. This, at least, is the hope of Walla Walla University physics professor Fred Liebrand. Liebrand is working on a community solar project which will unite Whitman, WWU and Walla Walla Community College in a venture to generate renewable energy.

“It just seemed like a very good idea that could help everyone,” said Liebrand. His idea is to solicit investments from community members and alumni of all three schools, which would be used to purchase a solar energy system.

“The idea is to allow people from the community in—people who couldn’t afford to put solar panels on their own homes,” said junior Nat Clarke, president of Whitman’s Campus Greens. Clarke is enthusiastic about the project and says Whitman only found out about it this fall.

“The school’s current involvement is cautiously interested but not actually engaged,” he said.

Clarke, along with Professor of Geology Bob Carson and the Whitman Conservation Committee, is in the process of determining how Whitman can become involved in the project.

Liebrand says that for both WWU and WWCC, the project would provide technical training for students who are studying engineering and other related fields. The goal of the project would be for students to do the actual system installation themselves.

“Whitman may rely more on the goodwill of its students,” he said, referring to the fact that Whitman has no technical programs. Nevertheless, he feels that installing a solar system would be a valuable experience for Whitman students.

“Knowing how things are put together is always valuable,” he said.

In addition to the logistical details, a major aspect of the project has been determining its financial viability. Installing a functional solar energy system is expensive, costing about $5,000 per kilowatt. One kilowatt will generate about $85 worth of energy in a year, so government incentives are key for the project to work.

Currently, the federal government will subsidize the installation of solar systems by giving a 30 percent tax credit on the cost of the entire system once it is installed. Washington also has a program in place to pay per kilowatt hour of energy generated. Community solar projects are eligible for double the rate residential projects can receive, and if the project uses solar panels made in Washington, the total incentive is up to $1.08 per kilowatt hour.

Though these incentives might seem high, Carson points out that it makes sense for the government to invest in solar energy.

“New power facilities are expensive, and we’re also getting clean air,” he said.

Carson said he’s communicating with the other colleges involved in the project to determine how they can move forward. The cooperation of local governments and utilities will be important, as will the participation of all three schools.

Whitman junior Ari Frink also sees an opportunity for the Network for Young Walla Walla to get involved in the project. The network was founded this year so that WWU, WWCC and Whitman students can work together on projects and share ideas.

“Once we find out what a solid role for the network could be within the solar project, I’ll bring it up,” he said.

Currently, the project’s future is still being determined. In spite of the logistical obstacles, Clarke believes the project can succeed.

“I’m really excited about this project,” he said. “If it gets through, it’s going to be the next big green thing on campus.”

By Rachel Alexander - http://whitmanpioneer.com/news/community/2009/10/29/community-solar-project/

Mid-Columbia could be smart energy center October 31, 2009

The Mid-Columbia’s future could be as a smart energy center, says the first public look at plans being developed by a coalition of area business leaders led by the Tri-City Development Council.

One opportunity to do that may be by launching a carbon-friendly project to reduce the 45,000 gallons of diesel that the Hanford vitrification plant could require per day when it begins treating radioactive waste, said Gary Petersen, TRIDEC vice president of Hanford programs.

He and Keith Klein, president of the Local Business Association, spoke about the new Smart Energy Initiative at the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce meeting Wednesday.

Community leaders have long been concerned that the region’s economy relies on the Hanford nuclear reservation’s environmental cleanup. Now about 11,500 people are employed there. But as soon as 2015, when areas of the reservation are cleaned up, employment could start a long decline.

“In the meantime, we have an opportunity to rebrand ourselves,” Klein said.

A vision for the region’s future began to develop after DOE began discussing the idea of focusing more cleanup money on reducing the contaminated footprint of nuclear weapons sites across the nation.

Newly available land then could be turned into industrial parks to research and produce clean energy.

At Hanford, about 60 square miles of land would be available for an energy park, primarily in the southeast corner. Land likely would be leased rather than sold.

Since January, a coalition of local leaders in energy businesses, economic development, job training and education have been meeting to brainstorm strategies to develop the Mid-Columbia’s potential as a clean energy center.

The TRIDEC group is looking at three potential projects with different energy sources for the vitrification plant, Petersen said. While the group is not ready to discuss specifics, two projects would be carbon-neutral and the third would produce a smaller carbon footprint than the diesel fuel now planned to be used at the plant.

Under the current plan, the vitrification plant would use a combination of diesel fuel, which could peak at 45,000 gallons per day on cold winter days, and 70 megawatts of electrical power.

As the Smart Energy Initiative moves forward, TRIDEC will need to know what land and facilities DOE would be willing to make available for private use, Petersen said.

Among TRIDEC’s interests is pitching the 250,000-square-foot Fuels and Materials Examination Facility at Hanford for recycling nuclear fuel that has been used once at commercial power production plants.

TRIDEC and the coalition of business leaders also need some seed money and would like a better way to cut across all the DOE offices for the support they need. For instance, land managed by the DOE Office of Environmental Management is proposed for an energy park at Hanford, but the office can only spend money on Hanford cleanup.

But it’s not just the Hanford resources that would contribute toward making the Mid-Columbia a clean energy center. It already has an impressive energy infrastructure, Petersen said.

About 40 percent of Washington’s total power and 100 percent of its wind power is produced within 100 miles of the Tri-Cities, Petersen said. Power generation within 100 miles comes from wind, hydroelectricity, coal, natural gas and a nuclear plant, with biomass power being developed.

It also has the science and technology backbone needed to become a smart energy center, with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Washington State University-Tri-Cities’ Bioproducts Science and Engineering Laboratory and the Tri-Cities Research District.

The area has multiple energy companies ranging from Areva, which produces the nuclear fuel for 5 percent of the nation’s power supply, to companies focused on wind and solar energy.

By Annette Cary – http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/northwest/story/934438.html

Teanaway Solar Farm plan draws heated opposition October 29, 2009

Call it a baptism of fire for David Bowen, a former Kittitas County commissioner and former county auditor now working for Puget Sound Energy, who was announced Wednesday as the president of the American Forest Land Co. (AFLC).

AFLC’s Wayne Schwandt, a principal in the company, announced Bowen’s hiring before a crowd of more than 100 people who were attending a meeting at the Swauk-Teanaway Grange on the Teanaway subarea plan. A subarea plan focuses developing a long-term plan that protects and promotes important characteristics of the study area and identifies future uses for most of the area.

Schwandt said Bowen would be the company’s spokesperson and a resource for those with questions or concerns. (Bowen can be reached at (509) 899-4950 with questions on the AFLC plan.)

By the time the three-hour meeting was over, Bowen had been scolded publicly by two audience members for taking a job with the company and his wife had risen to his defense after one particularly harsh attack.

There had been talk of lawsuits, accusations that three-ring binders related to a previous effort by the company to change the land use zoning had gone missing — and threats by an audience member that she would go to federal authorities regarding information on problems in the county.

It all added up to high drama, enough so that 83-year-old Violet Burke, who has lived in the Teanaway for 70 years, was fed up by the time the meeting ended.

“I hate seeing people degrade other people,” Burke said. “I don’t like seeing people get up and run other people down. It’s very upsetting.”

AFLC owns 46,851 of the 56,000 acres that are tentatively included in the subarea and is seeking to develop part of that. Bowen will assume his new position on Nov. 9 and become the company’s primary spokesman for the project.

The company’s move to alter the use of its land has been controversial, drawing increasingly vocal criticism from both local property owners, recreational users and conservation groups.

On Wednesday night, with Bowen seated a short distance behind him, Schwandt outlined the company’s vision for its Teanaway property.

He said the company has 39,744 acres in commercial forest land, 6,182 acres designated “forest and range 20 (acres)” and 932 acres designated “rural 3” (three-acre lots).

He told the audience the company wants to develop a “fully contained community” on some of the 6,688 acres in the “core area” of its holdings. That area currently includes commercial forest land, designated forest and range land and land designated rural 3.

He said the company hopes to do a “land exchange” in which designations on some areas would be exchanged to accommodate the development in the core area. The changes would not result in any loss of commercial forest acreage, he said, adding that at least 50 percent — at least 20,000 acres and possibly more — of the company’s commercial forest holdings would be given conservation status to provide perpetual protection for public use.

A “fully contained community,” he said, would be one which included places where people lived, worked, recreated and shopped. The term “fully contained community” does not mean a gated community, Schwandt has said. The proposed village would include affordable, moderate and high-end housing with single, multi-family and mixed-use units that would be home to a diverse population, he said. He said the proposed location within the AFLC holdings mean the village would not be visible to most residents of the area. It also would “be sensitive to the viewshed of the Stuarts” that current residents enjoy.

In past meetings, some critics have questioned the impact of any development on Teanaway Road. “We believe there’s a need for a second access,” Schwandt said. He said the company believes it has “several options” for that access. He also said a fully contained community would have residential, commercial and retail space and its own water system, sanitary waste treatment system and police, fire and emergency services. Initially, he said, those last three might be provided under contract with existing agencies until the community is able to sustain its own operations. He said the company would be looking for ways to contain water run off in the spring melt for use during low-water periods at other times of the year. Although he did not specify it during Wednesday’s meeting, he said earlier that day that the company owns water rights to 597 acre feet of water.

He said the company envisioned 250 acres to be used during “phase one” of the project. But he did not say how many housing units he expected to be built. He said the company is “absolutely committed to green energy.”

The vision Schwandt painted of the area’s possible future drew quick criticism.

“I find it implausible you’ve come this far in the development process and don’t have any idea (how many people will live there),” one man said.

Karl Forsgaard, an attorney with the Washington Forest Law Center, represents a host of conservation groups including the Sierra Club, Ridge, the North Cascades Conservancy, Kittitas County Conservation Coalition and the Alpine Lakes Protection Society, among others. He reiterated the growing opposition of conservation groups to development in the area and, as he did at a previous meeting, disputed company claims that the timber industry in this area is essentially dead forcing the company to seek other uses for the land.

Jim Halstrom, an Ellensburg area resident, said he and his wife were “more than a little incensed” by what had heard. He said Schwandt had offered very little substance.

“If approved, this development will justifiably be challenged in court,” said Halstrom, who works as a lobbyist. “I’ve never seen so much rhetoric and so many buzz words used to justify encroaching on natural resource land.” He accused AFLC of wanting to “exchange” land that had been decimated by inappropriate harvesting.

Kellie Connor, a Teanaway resident, also criticized the plan — and Bowen’s involvement.

“What golden carrot did they dangle in front of you to get you to cross to the dark side?” she said to Bowen, adding that she was “ashamed the county has let it go this far.”

But her words were nothing compared to Ellensburg’s Catherine Clerf who called it “totally unacceptable to stick a town in the middle of forest land of long-term significance.” Although Schwandt earlier had said that it had been only a year or a year and a half that the company had considered development, Clerf remained unconvinced. She said the company had most recently tried to get the land “de-designated” in 2006 and suggested the company had been planning development for some time.

AFLC has leased more than 900 acres of its Teanaway land to Teanaway Solar Reserve, LLC, a company that proposes to build a solar reserve on that land and Schwandt frequently references “green” energy. Some, including Clerf, believe it’s all part of a ruse. She called it AFLC’s “’get out of jail green’ card.”

At one point, she said she was fed up with Kittitas County. She threatened to “go to the feds” with “dirt” she said she has on the county.

She pointedly accused Bowen of selling out.

“I am outraged,” she told him saying she was guessing he was getting a quarter of million dollars to leave his job with Puget Sound Energy and become AFLC’s go-to man for the project.

Clerf spoke so long that Anna Nelson, the county’s lead planner on the subarea planning process told her she needed to conclude her remarks. Several audience members left during her comments.

Clerf’s remarks prompted Lisa Bowen, David Bowen’s wife, to step to the microphone.

In a calm but forceful tone, she told Clerf that her husband’s decision to take the job with AFLC was not based on finances but on his conviction that it was an opportunity to help the county move forward in the right way.

She urged Clerf and the rest of the audience to “keep an open mind and give it some time.”

But it is clear many feel there is no time for waiting.

Among them: Meg Myrhe, who stood up, held up a sheet of paper and invited others who share concerns about the proposed development to join her in fighting it.

“Let’s do it you guys — Team Teanaway,” she said. “Suncadia — shame on them. Teanaway? Shame on us!”

Clearly disappointed in the tone the meeting had taken, Burke paused on her way out. She said she is determined to do what Lisa Bowen had suggested: give it some time and keep an open mind.

“It’s food for thought,” she said. “I wrote it all down and I’m going to go home and talk it over with my son.”

By MARY SWIFT, Daily Record – http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2009/10/29/news/doc4ae9d05cdc06d959918847.txt

Public comment periods wind down on wind farm October 29, 2009

The public comment process is moving forward on several fronts toward determining whether the 1,432-megawatt Lower Snake River Wind Energy Project will be approved for Columbia and Garfield counties.

Puget Sound Energy Inc. proposes to independently build, own and operate the project, which includes approximately 795 turbine locations in an area of approximately 124,000 acres in Garfield and Columbia counties.

If permits are approved, construction on infrastructure in Garfield County is projected to begin in 2010, with towers installed in 2011.

A separate conditional use permit application is expected to be filed in Columbia County before the end of the year, with turbines expected to be installed in 2012, according to Anne Walsh, senior environmental/communications manager at PSE’s Dayton office.

The conditional use permit is the land use permit, and there are other permits to be obtained before construction can begin, Walsh said.

An open record public record hearing on the conditional use application will begin Nov. 5 at 9:30 a.m. in the main building at the Garfield County Fairgrounds.

Deadline for written comments on the project’s application is Friday at 5 p.m. Comments should be submitted to Garfield County Planning at the county auditor’s office, P.O. Box 278, Pomeroy, WA 99347.

Written and oral comments may also be submitted at the hearing.

The hearing examiner will also hear an appeal of the final environmental impact statement filed by Tucannon River Valley landowners Richard and Vicki Ducharme.

The appeal is based on failure to consider reasonable alternatives, deferred environmental analysis, visual impacts, noise, mule deer habitat, project impacts area larger than project specific area, turbine setback, and failure to consider cumulative impacts.

To view documents related to the environmental impact statement and the conditional use permit, go to: co.garfield.wa.us/landservices, and click on “Lower Snake River Wind Energy Project — CUP #012609.”

In a related matter, comments on the proposal by Bonneville Power Administration to build a new 500/230 kilovolt substation along its two existing Little Goose-Lower Granite 500-kV transmission lines will be accepted through Nov. 16.

The new facility, called Central Ferry Substation, would require approximately 25 acres of land in Garfield County, west of State Route 127 and south of the Snake River. The substation would be located adjacent to the existing transmission line rights-of-way.

The proposal is in response by a request by Puget Sound Energy Inc. to interconnect up to 1,250 megawatts of electricity generated from PSE’s proposed Lower Snake River Wind Energy Project in Garfield and Columbia counties.

Comments on the proposal may be submitted to BPA online at bpa.gov/comment, via mail to Bonneville Power Administration, Public Affairs — DKE-7, P.O. Box 14428, Portland, OR 97293-4428 or by fax to 503-230-3285.

More information about BPA’s proposed interconnection of the wind project is available by calling 800-622-4519, or visiting the BPA Web site: transmission.bpa.gov/PlanProj/Wind/

By CARRIE CHICKEN, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin – http://www.union-bulletin.com/articles/2009/10/29/local_news/091029local05wind%20power.txt

Richland gets look at ’smart grid’ plan October 28, 2009

A $20.8 million, eight-year plan for creating a “smart grid” electrical system in Richland was laid out for the city council at a meeting Tuesday.

Energy Services Director Ray Sieler said a smart grid would allow Richland’s Energy Services department to distribute power more efficiently and reliably, and beef up the availability of broadband communications in the city.

The plan includes installation of “smart” meters at all 24,500 homes and businesses in Richland, about 60 miles of fiber-optic cable throughout the city, and other hardware, software and communications infrastructure.

The smart grid would be created in phases, with the first section being completed in north Richland where companies such as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory could reap the benefits, according to the plan.

The smart grid concept is intended to transform the power grid with new technology to reduce the cost of using and delivering electricity, integrate renewable energy such as wind and solar power, give consumers more control over their energy use and improve the efficiency of the entire grid system.

The system could be used to curtail energy consumption during periods of peak use. Combined with real-time pricing, it would enable consumers to use less energy as costs go up.

The system could communicate with appliances in homes to schedule tasks such as pumping water or thawing an ice box at times of less demand on the system.

The city had hoped to receive about $10 million in stimulus money from $3.3 billion set aside for Department of Energy smart grid technology development grants, but learned Tuesday that its application didn’t make the list.

By Michelle Dupler, Tricity Herald – http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/770434.html

Firm takes step forward with wind farm plans October 28, 2009

Horizon Wind Energy’s plans to build a 300 megawatt wind farm near La Grande picked up steam last week as the company formally filed a site application with the state Energy Facility Siting Council.

Horizon plans to build the Antelope Ridge Wind Farm on a 47,000-acre site in the area of Craig Mountain, about 10 miles southeast of La Grande. The site is said to be one of the windiest in all the Pacific Northwest.

“This is a great area. The wind peaks in the winter time, which is when people need power the most,” said Horizon spokeswoman Valerie Franklin.

In April, Horizon filed a notice of intent to build the facility. Franklin said last week’s application filing is the next step in a long and complicated siting process.

Horizon Wind Energy owns wind farms throughout North America, including the 101-megawatt, 61-turbine Elkhorn Valley facility near Telocaset in Union County.

The Antelope Ridge wind farm would be substantially larger than Elkhorn, up to 300 megawatts and 182 turbines. But those figures are not yet set in stone, according to Franklin.

She said the number of turbines and their precise location will be determined later. For one thing, Horizon does not have a power purchase agreement.

“We don’t know how many turbines there will be until we have a buyer for the power,” she said.

The Antelope Ridge project has generated a fair degree of local controversy, with groups and individuals expressing concern over scenery values, effects on wildlife, possible damage to cultural resources, noise levels and decommissioning when the project is over.

Franklin said all those concerns will be addressed as EFSC works through the application process.

The process includes public hearings and review of the application by a myriad of federal, state, city, county and tribal agencies. Horizon will have to meet requirements set forth by those agencies.

Franklin said Horizon is highly aware of local concerns. One thing she is asking people to keep in mind is the actual footprint of the project.

“Of the 47,000 acres, 11,000 acres is the area studied, of which 1.5 percent will actually be utilized,” she said. “That’s an important message. People think, ‘Oh my God, it’s 47,000 acres,’ but the actual footprint is much smaller.”

On the wildlife issue, Franklin said the company is already taking steps to meet requirements.

“We’ve done a basic inventory and are working on a mitigation plan. We are funding a multi-year GPS study on big game in coordination with ODFW,” she said.

Regarding cultural resources, questions have been raised about the site’s proximity to the Old Oregon Trail.

Franklin said there are portions of the historic alignment of the trail that pass through Horizon’s study corridors, but added that care will be taken to preserve the trail.

“This is an issue we take very seriously,” she said.

The State Historic Preservation Office will set requirements for preservation. Franklin said that in the meantime, Horizon is reaching out to people with concerns.

Recently, she said, the company gave a tour of the site to members of the Oregon-California Trails Association.

“We were looking for their concurrence,” she said. “We’ve been transparent and tried to work with them.”

On the noise issue, Franklin said Horizon has hired a consultant to do a study and will meet any requirements imposed.

On decommissioning, she said Horizon will have to post a bond before construction ever begins.

“It’s a substantial bond, excluding scrap value,” she said. “It’s part of the state’s requirements. The money will be held in place,” she said.

Franklin said she knows there is some public opposition to the project, but also said she believes there is a good deal of public support.

She said the project carries many benefits, including energy from a green renewable source, property taxes paid to Union County, lease payments to landowners, and most of all, jobs.

“That’s at the top of the list. We don’t have an exact number for Antelope Ridge, but I can tell you Elkhorn provides 14 family wage jobs, most of which were hired locally,” she said.

Bill Rautenstrauch, The Observer – http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/News/Business/Firm-takes-step-forward-with-wind-farm-plans

Solar company bypasses Nampa, picks Denver for plant October 27, 2009

Nampa was one of two finalists for the manufacturing plant planned by German solar manufacturing firm SMA Solar Technology AG.

“We are disappointed,” said Paul Hiller, executive director of the Boise Valley Economic Partnership, a unit of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce. “But the Boise Valley was in the running until the last minute, and the decision for SMA was a very difficult one.”

SMA selected Denver because of its proximity to suppliers who provide the materials used in the manufacture of solar inverters, Hiller said Monday. Solar inverters change direct current from photovoltaic arrays into alternating current.

Officials said previously that the plant eventually could employ 1,200 people.

The Treasure Valley competed well by having an abundant, skilled workforce, low electric power costs, available real estate, a business-friendly environment and a favorable quality of life, he said.

The company considered a 200,000-square-foot building owned by Micron Technology that used to house MPC Computers.

Idaho Statesman – http://www.idahostatesman.com/micron/story/950296.html

Eastern Idaho county approves new wind power ordinance October 27, 2009

The Power County Commission has approved an ordinance that helps clear the way for wind power developers.

The new ordinance requires that each turbine be issued a building permit and a single use permit is required for the entire project. The Idaho State Journal reports the new ordinance comes in response to a pair of wind power projects being considered for the rural Eastern Idaho county.

One company, Ridgeline Energy, has applied for permits to build a 66-turbine wind farm across 900 acres of land between American Falls and Rockland.

Associated Press – http://www.capitalpress.com/newest/AP-ID-wind-farm-102709

Idaho awarded $49M in Smart Grid Stimulus Funds October 27, 2009

Boise – Idaho Power Company
Modernize the electric transmission and distribution infrastructure, including deploying a smart meter network for all 475,000 customers throughout the service area and implementing an outage management system and irrigation load control program that will reduce peak and overall energy use and improve system reliability. Will also benefit customers in OR. $47,000,000

Boise – M2M Communications
Install smart grid-compatible irrigation load control systems in California’s central valley agricultural area in order to reduce peak electric demand in the state. $2,171,710

Washington receives $36M for Smart Grid from Feds October 27, 2009

The money is slatted to go to two projects. One in Spokane and the other in Everett.

Here are the details so far:

Spokane – Avista Utilities
Implement a distribution management system, intelligent end devices, and a communication network to reduce distribution system loses, enable automatic restoration to customers during outages, and allow for the integration on-site generating resources. Will also benefit customers in ID. – $20,000,000

Everett – Snohomish County Public Utilities District
Install a smart grid framework on the utlity side, including a digital telecommunications network, substation automation and a robust distribution system infrastructure, that will allow enable the implementation of future smart grid technologies. – $15,825,817

Oregon gets $30 million in stimulus funds for smart grid projects October 27, 2009

President Barack Obama announced $3.4 billion of taxpayer investment in so-called smart grid projects during a visit to Florida today, and about $30 million of that is headed to Oregon.

Smart grid improvements are meant to make energy use more efficient and include things like meters that charge homeowners less for power that’s used when overall electricity demand is low.

The state-by-state list of projects that will receive the funding, which is part of the federal stimulus bill, has two entries for Oregon.

In Portland, the Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative will get about $20 million to “implement a smart grid system, including more than 95,000 smart meters, substation equipment, and load management devices, that will integrate 15 electric cooperatives across four states.”

And the Central Lincoln People’s Utility District in Newport will receive nearly $10 million to install smart grid technology for its 38,000 customers.

Obama said the stimulus money would create thousands of jobs while building a “smarter, stronger and more secure electric grid,” the news agency Reuters reported from Florida.

“At this moment, there’s something big happening in America when it comes to creating a clean energy economy,” Obama said.

By Matthew Preusch, The Oregonian – http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/10/oregon_gets_30_million_in_stim.html

 

Dairy farm utilizes alternative energy sources October 26, 2009

A farmer in tough times has to squeeze every penny from his operation, but Huls Dairy is squeezing in places few farmers have.

Dairy cows at the Corvallis farm produce 6 million gallons of manure a year, which this fourth-generation farm in Northwest Montana’s Bitterroot Valley taps for methane fuel and a bagged, organic lawn-and-garden fertilizer sold as Afterburner Boost.

The methane generates enough energy to power Huls’ 350-cow dairy operation, plus one home.

“Our farm has tried to utilize our cows, to market whatever we have,” said Tim Huls, who is facing the lowest payments in nearly three decades for his farm’s milk. “It wouldn’t be enough to offset the dairy crisis, in terms of taking you from being in the red, but at this point it’s paid its own way, particularly in fertilizer. Afterburner Boost does very well in the marketplace.”

Finding small ways to save or make a buck has become crucial for Montana farmers struggling with feast-or-famine market prices. Huls likens the erratic price behavior of his commodity to a seismograph reading for Yellowstone National Park. After receiving a record high price for his milk two years ago, Huls would now need dairy payouts to increase a third just to break even.

For Huls Dairy, the decision to go into the methane energy business was as much about squeezing a dollar as bracing for environmental change. Methane from livestock is increasingly being viewed as a liability for farmers, one they might be penalized for producing possible federal legislation to curb global warming.

Methane is 21 times more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. By scraping the manure from the alleys inside the dairy barn and feeding the waste into an anaerobic digester, Huls Dairy makes a burnable fuel to power its operation, rather than releasing the gas into the atmosphere.

Other farmers are turning to no-till crop practices to minimize the amount of carbon dioxide they release when seeding. In doing so, they allow pollution captured by crops and pulsed into the ground through roots to remain sequestered in the soil. Their hope is that carbon sequestration will offset their costs under any future pollution penalties imposed by the government.

Like Huls, their environmentalism earns a small profit. Farmers sell their sequestered carbon as offsets for industrial polluters buying green credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange. But there are concerns that money for carbon won’t be enough.

“There’s a fair amount of uncertainty in the ag world right now about climate change,” Mattson said. “Where does climate change take ag? When you’re working in a business with low, single-digit margins of two or three percent, it’s a concern.”

At Huls Dairy, Tim Huls is thinking about other ways to save a dollar, like local marketing, or better state and federal price controls to keep dairies from operating at a loss. The milking machine squeezes teats as the cows turn round. The pensive dairy farmer squeezes pennies, nickels and dimes.

“You can’t stop feeding your cows. You can’t stop milking your cows. You do what has to be done every day,” Huls said. “You watch costs. You can get involved in policy at the federal and state levels. And you pray, I guess.”

By TOM LUTEY Billings Gazette – http://www.helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/article_7af7b0d8-c0db-11de-853c-001cc4c002e0.html

Power from Nothing: Northwest’s 20-year energy plan stresses conservation October 26, 2009

The Bonneville Power Administration paid Woody Guthrie $266.66 to write 26 songs in 30 days in 1941 to promote what the BPA was selling, hydroelectricity. The songs celebrated the Columbia River, Grand Coulee Dam and “electricity runnin’ all around, cheaper than rainwater.” One of Guthrie’s best, Roll on, Columbia, Roll on, became Washington’s official folk song.

If Guthrie hired on today, he might warble about efficient washing machines, compact fluorescent bulbs and ductless heat pumps. Roll on, conservation measures, roll on.

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council, created by Congress in 1980 when the region was suffering from ill-fated investments in unneeded nuclear plants, will soon adopt a plan intended to guide energy development in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana for the next 20 years.

In Guthrie’s day, electricity was not only as cheap as rainwater, but as plentiful as well. Today, power generation is suppose to be easy on the environment, too. With the dam-building era over and the climate-change epoch beginning, the power council says conservation will be the No. 1 way the region will keep up with the demand for electricity.

According to a draft of the 20-year plan, conservation measures will not only cost a fraction of new power plants, it will reduce the release of greenhouse gases.

Besides conservation, the council says the region can meet its energy needs with more wind turbines and natural gas-fired power plants, though the council doesn’t rule out emerging forms of green energy and even the re-emergence of nuclear plants.

Environmental groups praise the council’s emphasis on conservation and wind power.

“This is the best plan they’ve ever put out,” Northwest Energy Coalition spokesman Marc Krasnowsky, whose organization nevertheless complains the council didn’t take a strong enough stand against coal plants, the electricity sector’s top emitter of greenhouse gases.

The council estimates that between 2010 and 2030, the four-state region will need enough new electricity to power five cities the size of Seattle. Four of those cities, according to the council, could be energized by simply using less electricity to run everything from traffic lights to irrigation systems.

By conservation, the council does not mean turning down the thermostat and putting on a sweater. Energy savings will come as businesses and homes gradually switch to energy-stingy lights, appliances, electronics, motors, pumps, fans, etc. “There is nothing pie-in-the-sky here,” council spokesman John Harrison said. “We’re not assuming any unusual consumer behavior.”

Regionwide, according to the council, the greatest savings will come in homes. In Guthrie’s day, aluminum smelters drove up the demand for electricity. Now, lifestyles push up consumption. Televisions per household (2.73) outnumber people (2.6). Nursing homes and assisted-living centers will become massive users of electricity as baby boomers age. An increasing number of air conditioners will make the region’s summertime use of power nearly as high as in the winter.

In industry-heavy Cowlitz County, though, energy savings primarily will come from 27 industrial customers, which consume three-quarters of the electricity supplied by Cowlitz PUD.

Over the next decade, the PUD hopes to do its part and conserve enough electricity for 13,000 households. Some 80 percent of the savings are expected to come in the industrial sector, PUD energy conservation manager Jim Wellcome said.

“We’re going to have to look more to industries. We can’t get the kind of numbers we’re looking at just from the residential and commercial sectors. Not even close,” he said. “That’s the difference between our utility and other utilities.”

The PUD already spends $2 million a year to reward ratepayers who take energy-saving measures such as insulating attics, installing weather-tight windows and buying efficient appliances. The utility plans to approximately double the amount it spends on incentives to help industries pay for energy-saving projects and to give rebates to industries that cut energy consumption.

“They need these incentives because they’re businesses concerned about the bottom line,” Wellcome said.

The PUD says ratepayers will benefit by subsidies to businesses because lower industrial consumption will hold down residential rates. “It’s cheaper to conserve than to build a plant to generate power,” PUD spokesman Dave Andrew said.

Conservation will become all the more important to PUD and it’s customers in 2011. That’s when BPA will limit the amount of low-cost federal hydropower it will sell utilities such as Cowlitz PUD. The more customers conserve, the less the PUD will have to shop around for expensive non-BPA power, Andrew said.

Even if utilities meet conservation goals, however, the Northwest still will need new sources of electricity.

In assessing where that electricity will come from, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council concluded that it’s unlikely more coal plants will be built in the region unless greenhouse gases can be permanently stored underground rather than released into the air. So far, the technology is unproven on a large scale.

Critics complain the council should be bolder in charting how the region can retire its existing coal plants.

“It’s become clear we have to reduce carbon emissions and holding them steady is not enough,” Krasnowsky said. “There’s no way to do it without dealing with coal.”

Coal plants emit 85 percent of the carbon dioxide from the region’s energy generators while supplying 18 percent of the electricity.

In comments to the council, Kennecott Energy, which operates coal mines in Wyoming, Montana and Colorado, argued the coal industry is becoming less damaging to the environment and that there is no cheaper or more reliable source of energy than coal. Coal should play a greater role in the Northwest, according to Kennecott.

The council’s power plan, however, observes that even the cleanest new coal plants can’t meet carbon-emission limits set by Washington, Oregon and Montana.

Washington’s law scuttled plans to build a coal plant in Kalama. Before that happened, the plant’s proponent, Energy Northwest, distanced itself from coal by saying the plant would probably use primarily petroleum coke, a byproduct from refining oil that actually emits more carbon, sulfur and metals than coal.

Harrison, the council spokesman, said the council has no authority to regulate coal plants, but it foresees the possibility that a carbon tax or federal cap on emissions will curtail output from those plants and help states meet their goals to roll back carbon emissions.

“I think we can assume there will be some control of carbon emissions,” he said.

Main sources of Northwest energy in the next 20 years

Conservation

Conservation measures, such as installing compact fluorescent light bulbs, will meet 85 percent of the Northwest’s demand for more electricity over the next 20 years.

Wind

Laws mandating investments in renewable energy guarantee wind farms will continue to sprout in the Northwest.

Natural gas

The region may need to build more natural gas-fired plants to reduce the use of coal and pick up the slack when calm weather cuts the output of wind turbines.

Green energy

Small-scale renewable energy plants, such as ones that burn wood debris, could supplement and back up wind turbines.

Coal

It’s unlikely more coal-fired power plants will be built unless technology can be perfected that will allow carbon emissions to be stored permanently underground instead of released into the air.

Nuclear

The Trojan cooling tower (above) was imploded in 2006, and only one Northwest nuclear plant remains. A new-generation of nuclear plants could be a source of energy that doesn’t contribute to climate change.

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity supplies nearly half of the energy used in the Northwest. Additional large hydro projects appear unlikely, but there could be new small-scale development.

Rates

BPA hearing on new transmission line is Thursday

Higher natural gas prices, carbon taxes on coal plants and mandates to invest in renewable energy likely will gradually push electric rates up.

The Bonneville Power Administration is holding a public meeting from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at Mark Morris High School to discuss a proposed new transmission line extending from Castle Rock to Troutdale, Ore.

The federal agency says it’s seeking to build the line between two new power substations to meet growing power demand along the Interstate 5 corridor.

The transmission system in Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon is approaching capacity, according to the BPA.

For more information on the proposal, visit www.bpa.gov/go/i5

The Daily News – http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/10/25/top_story/doc4ae3a64bb9449039452097.txt

Western states stress energy cooperation October 26, 2009

State lawmakers from around the West are gathering in the northern Wyoming resort town of Jackson over the next few days to figure out how to get better coordinated on energy issues. Many are also interested in showing a united front as Congress considers bills that could put a damper on the nation’s longterm appetite for coal.

Wyoming has put up more than $400,000 to fund the Western States Energy and Environment Symposium. Organizers say about 75 state lawmakers from around the West are attending.

Wyoming, the leading coal-producing state in the nation, has a keen interest in legislation pending in Congress aimed at tackling global warming. The Senate is set to debate this week a bill intended to cut greenhouse gases by about 80 percent by 2050.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told the state lawmakers he’s concerned about projections that the pending federal legislation will cut jobs in Wyoming and elsewhere in the West.

“I’m in favor of the green jobs, but I’m also in favor of the red, white and blue jobs that we have right now in the Rocky Mountains,” Barrasso said.

“Cap and trade will not keep energy affordable, and will weaken our economy,” Barrasso said. The term “cap and trade” refers to a system that would allow companies to buy and sell permits to pollute.

Ted Boyer, a member of the Utah Public Service Commission, said in an interview that it appears bills pending in both the Senate and House would hurt western states that depend on coal-fired plans for the bulk of their power.

Boyer said he hopes western states can work together to reduce the risks of a cap and trade program.

Boyer said western states all have different energy resource portfolios. Wyoming, for example, has developed abundant natural gas and coal, and increasingly, wind power. States in the Southwest have solar resources, while those in the Northwest have hydropower, he said.

“If we can move more cooperatively, and use those resources on a regional basis, it seems to me that we can as a region, comply with whatever regime is imposed on us without drastic, catastrophic costs,” Boyer said.

Edward Randolph, chief policy consultant to the California State Assembly’s Committee on Utilities and Commerce, is representing his state. A special budget session prevented California lawmakers from attending.

Randolph said California law prohibits utilities in that state from signing new long-term contracts for electricity generated from burning coal. Even so, he said California sees value in the symposium.

“The other states potentially have markets for wind power, for solar power, for geothermal power, and in some cases, some natural gas,” Randolph said. “So even without coal, a lot of the western states have some resources that I think we could use in the future.

“On the flip side, I think we’re going to have some resources in the future that we expect to export to other western states as well. The prime spots for solar are all in California,” Randolph said.

“Everybody wants their lights to stay on, but nobody wants a transmission line built anywhere near their house,” Randolph said. “So you get into the standard fights of everybody thinking that over the next ridge line is the best place for a transmission line. Which has made siting and permitting a very difficult process.”

By BEN NEARY – http://www.tri-cityherald.com/1154/story/767177.html

Silicon Energy of Arlington crafts a sleeker kind of solar panel October 26, 2009

Sometimes it’s what you don’t see that makes a product special.

When you stand beneath a solar panel built by Arlington’s Silicon Energy, you won’t see jumbled, ugly wires or opaque padding. You’ll see blue from the silicon cells and sunlight streaming through.

“It makes a better-looking product and a safer one,” said Gary Shaver, president and chief executive of Silicon Energy.

The state’s first solar panel manufacturer, Silicon Energy’s product just entered this market this summer, when the company received certification from Underwriters Laboratory for its solar modules. The UL’s stamp of approval means that Silicon Energy’s solar panels meet product safety and compliance guidelines.

The certification process took longer than Silicon Energy’s Shaver expected. But that’s not unheard of when you’re doing something different — like hiding the panel’s electrical gear in small, protected side panels and sandwiching silicon between supersturdy glass.

Silicon Energy’s product is more expensive than some on the market. The company promotes its solar modules as “beautiful, strong and durable.”

“We’re not a cheap product,” Shaver said.

Silicon Energy prices a 1.4 kilowatt panel between $11,000 and $14,000. But government incentives are making solar panels an attractive product for consumers, businesses and utilities.

The federal government offers a tax credit to consumers for up to 30 percent of the purchase and installation costs for a solar panel system. The state has a production incentive of 15 cents to 54 cents per kilowatt hour, with power produced from Washington-made products receiving the higher amount. And the state has made it easier for Silicon Energy to do business in Washington, offering a 43 percent reduction from the standard business and occupations tax rate for solar manufacturers. Additionally, local utilities, such as Snohomish County’s PUD, provide further incentives to consumers for solar power.

Silicon Energy designed its solar panels to withstand 125 pounds per square foot, making the product durable enough to endure high winds and heavy snows. The company’s solar panels can be used for canopies, carports and awnings, as well as more traditional roof installations or wall installations. Eight panels could provide 40 percent to 50 percent of a typical home’s electricity, Shaver said.

As a small start-up company, Silicon Energy is a little slow on the production side, but it’s picking up the pace, Shaver said. Together with its parent company, OutBack Power Systems, Silicon employs about 20 people. While the company is providing some jobs on the manufacturing side, Shaver sees his company helping to create green jobs on the installation and power distribution side of the industry. And that’s what drew kudos from Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., when Silicon Energy got the OK to start selling UL-certified products this summer.

“The certification again shows us that Washington leads the way in the clean energy economy,” Inslee said.

Despite the rain, Western Washington has an excellent climate for solar power production, Shaver said. It’s a popular misconception that solar panels work best in hot, dry sites.

“Our spring, summer and fall are spectacular for generating energy,” Shaver said.

By Michelle Dunlop, Herald Writer - http://www.enterprisenewspapers.com/article/20091025/BIZ/710219982/0/ETPZONELT

Teanaway Solar Reserve Promises to be good neighbor October 24, 2009

The Teanaway Solar Reserve (TSR) will be both an engine for economic growth and new jobs and a good neighbor, representatives of Teanaway Solar Reserve LLC, the company that plans to build the project, told about 60 people during a question-and-answer session at Walter Strom Middle School Thursday night.

Representatives said the Teanaway Solar Reserve will inject $97.5 million dollars into Kittitas County in the purchase of local goods and services during the three-year construction period according to an economic impact study released this week.

The total development cost is expected to run between $300 million and $350 million and will translate into annual sales tax revenues of $2.6 million a year during construction. Once the project is operational, it is expected to generate between $1.5 and $1.6 million every year in property tax revenues.

The project is expected to produce 225 jobs during the construction phase and 35 permanent jobs once it is operational.

The 75-megawatt reserve, planned for a site northeast of Cle Elum, is the largest photovoltaic solar project ever proposed for the Northwest and, if built on schedule, would be one of the largest operating in the world.

Those figures aside, community members had questions about issues ranging from visibility concerns and potential impact on wildlife to road use, water run-off concerns, why the company chose the Teanaway location in the first place and why the company is leasing the land for 20 years rather than buying it.

“It’s just a cash thing,” Howard Trott, managing partner for Teanaway Solar Reserve, LLC, said in response to the question about leasing instead of purchasing. He told the audience choosing a site came down to a number of factors. Among them: finding a site with adequate solar exposure and an owner willing to lease the land and the fact the location has power lines on it.

Water run-off has been an issue, one person said, asking how TSR planned to manage that. The company will maintain vegetation wherever it can and keep surfaces pervious to prevent problems with run-off, representatives said. One audience member questioned how the company would handle water needed to keep the surface of the panels clean. Trott said that the photovoltaic panels being used were not mirrored and were not expected to need regular cleaning with water. What water will be needed would be brought in with trucks, he said.

In terms of elk and other animal migration, TSR will work to mitigate impacts, he said. The reserve will not be fenced, except for about an acre that will house a substation.

“We have the good instinct that trying to keep deer and elk out of anything is usually a thankless job,” Trott said. Local residents who have historically enjoyed access to the area, whether for horseback riding or other recreation, won’t be prevented from doing so, he said. The reserve will have security on-site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. TSR also is working to minimize visual impact, he told the audience.

Others wanted to know whether the company’s plan to have a manufacturing plant located in Cle Elum to assemble the 400,000 photovoltaic panels the project will require means the company would stay here once the project is complete.

“We do want to bring the jobs here. We want to leave the jobs here,” Trott told the audience. But he said the company that assembles the panels will be the party that determines how many jobs the project will create.

“What happens if you go broke?” one audience member asked.

Even if TSR decided not to extend its lease beyond 20 years, the company can’t just walk away from the site, representatives said.

There won’t be a situation where TSR just “leaves a graveyard up there,” said Nichole Seidell, project manager with CH2M Hill, an engineering and consulting firm working on the project. A decommissioning plan is required as part of the development agreement for the project, she said.

State Rep. Bill Hinkle, standing at the rear of the room, told the audience “normally there is a bond” to guarantee the site can’t just be abandoned.

One question Trott didn’t answer was exactly who the investors are behind the project. Most are from the West Coast, he said, calling them “quiet folks investing with the right ideas. These people are very private people who don’t need notoriety for doing these things” and who are backing the project “for the right reasons,” he said.

He said backers have no plans to just build the project and then sell it.

“This is a long-term thing, and we don’t intend to sell it,” he said.

After the meeting, Phil Hess, a professional forester who lives in the Teanaway area, approached Trott.

“I think a lot of people may have come thinking this is a bad idea and expecting to shoot it down,” he said. “I think they’re walking away thinking this is a good idea. It’s a win-win for the county. If you pull off the manufacturing plant, that’s a huge win for Cle Elum.

“What you’re doing is building a foundation of community support. Otherwise, it’s not going to happen. The great thing is,” he told Trott, “you’re building it right from the start.”

By MARY SWIFT, Daily Record – http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2009/10/23/news/doc4ae1fd78bf5c1997723981.txt

State-Of-The-Art HVAC system is college lab for OIT October 23, 2009

The city of Beaverton and Oregon Institute of Technology have joined forces to develop an educational program that promotes a better understanding of energy management systems.

Students in OIT’s fall heating, ventilation and air conditioning class will utilize the Beaverton Central Plant at The Round as a working laboratory to study energy management equipment, systems and operations.

“The new partnership with OIT is a tremendous opportunity for the city of Beaverton to promote an understanding of innovative energy use and help educate tomorrow’s workforce,” said Beaverton Mayor Dennis Doyle. “Our team looks forward to working with OIT.”

The institute is also looking forward to the partnership.

“This is a unique opportunity for the university to access a state-of-the-art, energy management system that the city has invested in and use this as an ideal educational platform,” said Thomas J. White, assistant professor of renewable energy engineering at OIT. “It’s essential we continue to grow our understanding of how we manage our use of energy and I expect learning in real-world environments will be an area that we will continue to expand within the university.”

The first class for OIT energy management, which is required for a bachelor’s degree in renewable energy engineering, began this month and runs through December.

This Beaverton lab will provide an opportunity for on-site data collection to evaluate the performance of key pieces of heating and cooling equipment, including the boilers, chillers, cooling towers, pumps, heat exchangers, and the hydronic fan coil systems.

The Beaverton Central Plant is a district energy system providing space conditioning to The Round, a mixed-use development in downtown Beaverton.

The plant delivers energy efficient heating and cooling to the multiple buildings at The Round. In addition to heating and cooling services, the plant also provides domestic hot water to both residential and retail spaces and equipment cooling for dedicated computer and server rooms or similar, critical cooling needs.

The Beaverton Valley Times – http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=125632840158774300

WSU gets $1M for transmission grid research and development October 23, 2009

Researchers from WSU’s College of Engineering and Architecture have been working on developing better power grid technology.

Sen. Patty Murray included $1 million for transmission grid research and development at WSU in the 2010 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill.

The Senate passed the bill Oct. 15.

Eli Zupnick, Murray’s deputy press secretary, said he expects President Barack Obama to sign the bill into law soon.

“Our nation’s transmission system is badly aged and vulnerable to disruptions,” Zupnick said. “WSU researchers are working to develop faster, more advanced technologies that will ensure the stability of the power grid.” WSU’s specialty is creating computer and communication systems that allow the power grid to function in real time and increase efficiency, reliability and stability, said Anjan Bose, a co-principal investigator and Regents professor in the College of Engineering and Architecture.

The technology helps to avoid and anticipate major blackouts as well as incorporating renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar, Bose said. The grant will be used to create a platform to simulate the behavior of the large grid to test the computer and control algorithms being developed for the smart grid.

“This platform should be running in about a year,” Bose said.

Other professors from the College of Engineering and Architecture, Dave Bakken, Carl Hauser and Mani Venkatasubramanian, will work with Bose as the other co-principal investigators for the transmission grid research and development.

Last year, the professors received a similar grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, and with a team of graduate students, research associates and postdoctoral fellows, they started researching and developing this summer, Bose said. They are having the first of many meetings with the DOE on Monday.

WSU has also been working with local companies like Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. and Avista Corp. on similar projects.

Improving the electric grid to smart grid technology is a national focus, and an initiative for the smart grid was included in the $819 billion stimulus package passed by the House of Representatives on Jan. 28.

Avista has paired with other regional partners, such as Battelle, and proposed implementing smart grid technology through the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project. The project would make Pullman the region’s first smart grid community to be followed by the rest of the Northwest. The companies hope to get matching stimulus money from the DOE to pay for the total implementation cost of $178 million.

If approved, this would create benefits for students as well as Avista customers, Avista spokesman Hugh Imhof said.

Avista customers’ rates would remain the same, but new technologies, like a smart-meter, would allow consumers to better control and cut down their usage and essentially save them money, Imhof said.

“People don’t realize how much they can save by making a few adjustments,” he said.

WSU is one of the multiple partners that would participate in the smart grid project for Pullman, and the university already has a lot of interaction with Avista, Imhof said.

Kerry Gugliotto, The Daily Evergreen – http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/29871

Model of efficiency: Home with no furnace or gas lines averages $25 monthly heating bills October 23, 2009

Glen Moyer talks like a salesman, and that’s because he is.

On Thursday morning, he delivered his pitch:

“It’s super quiet, because sound travels through the air and this house is airtight. And it’s cleaner. Plus, there are no cold spots in this house – anywhere.”

Moyer, owner of the housing development company Kingdom Ventures, might sound like he was trying to close a deal, except this house is not for sale – at least not yet. Instead the developer who also moonlights as a pastor was unveiling the “I-Pad,” a model home off Mullan Road, which he claims is likely the most energy-efficient house ever built in Missoula.

How efficient? Think $25 monthly heating bills, on average, over a year.

And almost all of the heat comes from a source that rates a mere 5,000 BTUs, when the average home needs 60,000. It is a small electric-coil heater designed to look like a gas fireplace, that keeps comfortable 1,288 square feet of home.

No furnace. No gas lines. No electric baseboards. No sounds.

Moyer’s pitch was not all bluster. Confirmation came when Russ Hellem whipped out his thermal imager and took aim at every corner of the kitchen and living room. If there was a draft or leak, it would appear as a blue smear on a screen filled with reds and yellows.

“This is one of the best houses in the area, from an air-tightness and efficiency standpoint,” said Hellem, owner of EnergeTechs, which helps design and build energy-efficient buildings and certifies them as Energy Star compliant.

Moyer, along with Mark Noon, owner of the separate company Kingdom Builders, want to build and sell extremely energy-efficient homes while keeping them affordable.

Since 2003, they have been studying and implementing the technologies that make it possible – and improving the process year by year. This year, they were confident in unveiling a model home.

In July, they began building at 5138 Horn Road. One item noticeably absent from the check list? A furnace.

“We’ve never had the courage to build a house without a gas furnace,” Moyer said.

“We’ve seen this science work firsthand enough that we were confident in taking that next step,” Noon added.

They call it a “hybrid” home, because, like hybrid cars, it looks and functions like any other home, but is built using strategies and technologies that dramatically ratchet up energy efficiency.

There are several. First, the house has two layers, separated by more than 3 1/4 inches – an outer “shell” followed by the interior walls.

The attention given to sealing, studding and trimming was great, said Noon, who subcontracted much of the work but personally built the energy-efficient portions.

“Gluing everything,” is how he described the sealing process. “Taping everything. Nothing super high-tech, just a lot of care with taking care of that shell.”

The home also features high-efficiency double-paned windows, silent ceiling fans in every room to circulate heat and top-rated insulation everywhere.

Perhaps most important, though, is the heat recovery ventilator, a ceiling-attached machine that traps heat – even heat from running hot water – then combines it with fresh outside air, which then flows through ceiling ducts to keep the home and its three bedrooms heated and filled with clean air.

The result is an extremely airtight, energy-efficient house, which comes at a price.

Because of the efficiency requirements, the bedrooms are small and the hallway space approaching cramped.

Plus, Noon calculates that this home cost $18,000 more to build than if he used traditional construction. But, he said, subtract around $12,000 because there is no furnace and no gas lines to install or trenches to dig.

The result is a home that may cost a sliver more than if it were built traditionally. But then again, there will be no dread in opening January’s heating bill.

Moyer and Noon are banking that going “green” isn’t just a fad, but a growing trend as energy prices soar and more people, because of concern over the environment or their wallets, begin to downsize.

“There are a lot more energy-conscious people out there these days,” said Moyer. “Just like we don’t need huge gas-guzzling cars, we don’t need big, huge houses that eat up energy and space.”

Jamie Kelly, The Missoulian – http://www.missoulian.com/news/local/article_fe0dd12e-bf90-11de-8044-001cc4c03286.html

Plastic bottle recycling plant planned in St. Helens October 23, 2009

Two plastic-industry veterans and the state’s bottle-handling cooperative Wednesday announced plans to build the Northwest’s first facility for recycling plastic water and pop bottles.

The $10-million complex, slated to begin operating in mid-2010 on four acres owned by the Port of St. Helens, was made possible by state legislation which set a 5-cent deposit on bottled-water containers that took effect in January, one of its backers said.

Before this year, said Tom Leaptrott,  the president of Quantum Leap Packaging in Vancouver, it wasn’t possible to collect enough recyclable bottles to supply a recycling facility in Oregon. Quantum is one of the partners in the new facility.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Leaptrott said. “We’re creating a commercially viable business, reducing Oregon’s carbon footprint and continuing Oregon’s tradition as a recycling innovator.”

Bottles made of PET, or polyethylene terephthalate,  are now collected at 3,000 grocery stores in the state by the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, which administers Oregon’s bottle bill. The cooperative, a partner in the new plant, now loads PET bottles into containers that are shipped to Asia.

The St. Helens plant, to employ 50 people, will clean and shred the containers for manufacture into new products in the United States.

The facility will replace some of the 300 jobs eliminated in St. Helens last fall by layoffs at paper mill owned by Boise Inc. “It’s a badly needed shot in the arm,” said Gerry Meyer, the Port of St. Helens executive director. The facility will get tax breaks because it is in an enterprise zone and the port is investing $1.5 million in infrastructure improvements, Meyer said

Denton Plastics Inc. of Gresham is a partner in the new project. With both Quantum and the recycling cooperative as partners, “we’ve created a dream team for PET recycling,” said company president Dennis Denton.

Plans for the 90,000-square-foot, two building complex call for rainwater harvesting, rooftop solar panels, special processes for saving water and space, and building materials made out of recycled products.

Initially plans call for the facility to wash and cut the bottles into flakes, which will be sold for re-use. Next, after one or two years, equipment will be installed to convert the flakes into pellets and sheets. Finally after three years, the plant will get equipment to directly vacuum-mold the sheets into products such as clamshell containers.

The amount of PET collected statewide is up from about 9 million pounds in 2008 to a projected 14 million pounds by the end of this year, said John Andersen, president of the recycling cooperative, which includes 65 Oregon beverage distributors. He said 20 million pounds of PET could be collected in Oregon next year.

“It’s a pretty cool deal,” he said of the new plant. “We’re coming together to solve a problem without government intervention.”

Jonathan Brinckman, The Oregonian - http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/10/plastic_water_recycling_plant.html

New Tualatin plant will make wind turbines October 23, 2009

While other businesses struggle in this economy, Tigard’s Powin corporation may have found a niche market that is thriving — wind power. The company plans to extend its reach into that market.

Powin is building a new 71,000-square-foot plant in Tualatin to manufacture 20-kilwatt wind turbines.

Powin’s owner, Joseph Lu, says the company is currently making some smaller turbines — 3 kilowatt and 10 kilowatt — in its Quality Bending & Fabrication plant on Herman Road in Tualatin.

“But it looks like the market is getting bigger,” Lu said.

The new plant will most likely employ 95 people, and Lu says the company doesn’t plan to shut down its Herman Road facility which currently employs 23 people.

Groundwork on the new plant’s site, on the north side of Tualatin-Sherwood Road at 115th Avenue, began last month. Powin Pacific Properties Project Manager Thomas Falk says they hope to begin construction of the plant “ASAP.”

“We’re just waiting for the final plans to get out of architectural review, and then we’re going to start construction,” Falk said.

The plant will sit on about 7.5 acres, of the 38 acres Powin bought from the Koch family in 2007.

Is the wind turbine a good business to be in right now?

“I hope so,” Lu said.

At its existing Tualatin plant — Quality Bending & Fabrication (QBF) — Powin manufactures a variety of custom parts for equipment manufacturers. The plant also serves as Powin’s U.S. prototyping facility. QBF has been operating since 1988, but Powin bought the plant three years ago.

With its variety of equipment QBF can develop the mold and fixtures needed for new parts development and production. The plant has manufactured parts for companies such as Boeing, Freightliner, Daimler-Chrysler, American La France, Anthro Corp, Warn, Valmont, LSM Dental, Hewlett Packard and Paccar.

Powin at a glance

Powin was founded in 1989 by Joseph Lu, a Chinese-American, who saw unique value in his family ties in China. Using his connections and knowledge of the nuances of Chinese local laws and languages, he arranged to manufacture goods for American distributors. Over time, his abilities grew into a balance of low-cost production and high-value dependability — guaranteeing the quality and services companies rely on. This combination helped build Powin into the $60 million company it is today.

With nine plants in two continents and more than 3,500 workers worldwide, the company says it provides an unparalleled level of manufacturing support for companies all across the United States. More than 2,000 products and parts are produced by Powin on a regular basis, everything from outdoor cookware to exercise equipment.

The company’s headquarters are in Tigard.

By Nick Peterson, The Times - http://www.tualatintimes.com/news/story_2nd.php?story_id=125617524013180400

Oregon is No. 4 in U.S. energy efficiency ranking, Washington No. 7 October 23, 2009

Oregon is one of the top five states to make energy efficiency a priority, according to a new 50-state scorecard on energy efficiency policies, programs and practices from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Oregon, which ranked fourth in the nation, is in the company of California, Massachusetts and Connecticut for doing things like having strict building energy codes and encouraging energy efficiency, such as combined heat and power systems.

“The governor is pleased with the ranking,” said Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s spokesman Rem Nivens. “He sees energy efficiency as the best way to reduce greenhouse gases and move toward energy independence.”

While Oregon’s overall score remained the same as last year, its state-to-state ranking dropped: from second in the nation last year.

The 2009 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard is the nonprofit’s third edition of its annual state-by-state ranking on the adoption and implementation of energy efficiency policies, which intends to recognize leadership among the states and identify best practices.

The scorecard examines six state energy efficiency policy areas: utility-sector and public benefits programs and policies; transportation polices; building energy codes; combined heat and power; state government initiatives; and appliance efficiency standards.

Oregon’s tax credits for electric vehicles — up to $1,500 for a hybrid — is one example of the incentives that were cited as reasons for the state’s high marks.

According to the scorecard, the 10 states doing the most to implement energy efficiency are: California; Massachusetts; Connecticut; Oregon; New York; Vermont; Washington state; Minnesota; Rhode Island; and Maine.

By Beth Casper,  Statesman Journal - http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20091022/GREEN/910220342/1001/NEWS

Wise energy use creates unique partnerships October 23, 2009

At first blush, the Thurston County Economic Development Council and Thurston Climate Action Team might seem like strange bedfellows.

One group is in business to stimulate the local economy and the other was formed to fight global warming on the local level.

But the two groups have found common ground and a place to work together in the world of energy efficiency.

It makes perfect sense. Using energy wisely and efficiently is good for businesses, good for families and good for the community. Investing in energy conserving measures creates jobs, keeps more money circulating in the local economy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps utilities such as Puget Sound Energy reduce the need to invest in expensive new power plants, which are ultimately financed by ratepayers.

The climate action team partnered with the economic development council to apply for a federal stimulus grant of $1 million to stimulate investments in energy conservation for middle-income homeowners and small businesses. While all the details have yet to be hammered out, the program will offer technical assistance to help Thurston County businesses and residents navigate the sometimes confusing world of tax credits, rebates, utility programs and other avenues to get hooked up to energy improvement projects.

The climate action teams wants to make it easier for people to upgrade their home energy systems, which is a worthwhile goal. One way to accomplish this is to have neighborhood workshops on everything from how to get a home energy audit to how to connect with qualified contractors for such things as insulation, window and furnace upgrades. The program fits with the EDC mission of providing technical support for community-based projects that improve quality of life in South Sound.

Community members should look forward to more information on how to get involved in the Thurston County Energy Efficient Program, which should be up and running is the first six months of 2010.

The Olympian – http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/1009398.html

Arlington, Wash. firm leads way in solar panels October 23, 2009

Sometimes it’s what you don’t see that makes a product special.

When you stand beneath a solar panel built by Arlington’s Silicon Energy, you won’t see jumbled, ugly wires or opaque padding. You’ll see blue from the silicon cells and sunlight streaming through.

“It makes a better looking product and a safer one,” said Gary Shaver, president and chief executive of Silicon Energy.

Silicon Energy, the state’s first solar-panel manufacturer, released the product to the market this summer, when the company received certification from Underwriters Laboratory for its solar modules. The UL’s stamp of approval means Silicon Energy’s solar panels meet product safety and compliance guidelines.

The certification process took longer than Silicon Energy’s Shaver expected. But that’s not unheard of when you’re doing something different — like hiding the panel’s electrical gear in small, protected side panels and sandwiching silicon between supersturdy glass.

Silicon Energy’s product is more expensive than some on the market. The company promotes its solar modules as “beautiful, strong and durable.”

“We’re not a cheap product,” Shaver said.

Silicon Energy prices a 1.4-kilowatt panel between $11,000 and $14,000. But government incentives are making solar panels an attractive product for consumers, businesses and utilities.

The federal government offers a tax credit to consumers for up to 30 percent of the purchase and installation costs for a solar panel system. The state has a production incentive of 15 to 54 cents per kilowatt hour, with power produced from Washington-made products receiving the higher amount. And the state has made it easier for Silicon Energy to do business in Washington, offering a 43 percent reduction from the standard business and occupations tax rate for solar manufacturers. Additionally, local utilities, such as Snohomish County’s PUD, provide further incentives to consumers for solar power.

Silicon Energy designed its solar panels to withstand 125 pounds per square foot, making the product durable enough to endure high winds and heavy snows. The company’s solar panels can be used for canopies, carports and awnings as well as more traditional roof installations or wall installations. Eight panels could provide 40 percent to 50 percent of a typical home’s electricity, Shaver said.

As a small start-up company, Silicon Energy is a little slow on the production side, but it’s picking up the pace, Shaver said. Together with its parent company, OutBack Power Systems, Silicon employs about 20 people. While the company is providing some jobs on the manufacturing side, Shaver sees his company helping to create green jobs on the installation and power distribution side of the industry. And that’s what drew kudos from Rep. Jay Inslee when Silicon Energy got the OK to start selling UL-certified products this summer.

“The certification again shows us that Washington leads the way in the clean-energy economy,” Inslee said.

Despite the rain, western Washington has an excellent climate for solar power production, Shaver said. It’s a popular misconception that solar panels work best in hot, dry sites.

“Our spring, summer and fall are spectacular for generating energy,” Shaver said.

By Michelle Dunlop, HeraldNet – http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091021/BIZ/710219982/1005

Economic impact report on Teanaway Solar Reserve released October 23, 2009

The proposed Teanaway Solar Reserve could increase tax revenue and create both primary and secondary jobs in Kittitas County, according to a just released economic impact analysis done for Teanaway Solar Reserve, LLC, the company planning the project.

The proposed project would be located on a leased 982-acre site four miles northeast of Cle Elum. About 500 acres of that site would be used for the solar reserve.

The analysis, done by CH2MHill, a Colorado-based internationally-known consulting and engineering firm, predicts the project could generate $2.6 million annually in sales tax revenue during construction, $2.1 million for the state and $487,500 for the county. Once it is operational, the estimate is that it would generate $34,160 annually in sales tax revenue for the state and $7,880 in annual sales tax revenue for the county.

However, the analysts indicate a question about whether solar equipment is included in a retail sales tax exemption approved by the legislature for renewable energy production equipment will affect how much, or if any, direct sales tax revenue the project would generate during construction. The legislation provides a 100 percent tax exemption from July of this year through June 30, 2011. Beginning July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2013, the exemption is equal to 75 percent of the state and local sales tax. The exemption expires in 2013.

According to the analysis, Kittitas County Assessor Marsha Weyand has said it is unclear whether solar equipment currently is included in the exemption. If it is, and if the project is completed within the appropriate time span, it is unlikely either the state or county would receive sales tax revenues on equipment during construction of the project.

The project, which backers currently estimate will cost $300 million to $350 million, would generate between $1.56 million to $1.82 million in annual property tax revenue once it is operational, according to the study.

Between $605,530 and $706,460 in property tax revenue would be raised for the state (depending on what the cost of the project turned out to be) once the project is operational. The project would generate an estimated $267,610 to $312,210 for the county in annual property taxes. As an example of local benefit, the analysts predicted annual property tax revenue of $263,680 to $307,630 for the Cle Elum-Roslyn School District.

Construction of the project is expected to take place over a two- to three-year period. On Tuesday, Howard Trott, managing director for Teanaway Solar Reserve, said if the project is done over two years the number of employees each year would increase from the figure cited in the three-year analysis.

Analysts predicted that “direct average employment” over three seven-month construction periods would be 225 employees including subcontractors plus an additional 563 employees in secondary jobs related to the project.

“Secondary income effects are things like you hire people and they go out to eat locally,” he said. That also increases sales tax revenue, he said.

Peak employment during construction could be as high as 450.

The construction phase would, directly or indirectly, generate about 789 jobs a year during a three-year construction period, according to the report.

An employment multiplier associated with construction employment is calculated to be 3.5, according to the report. It means that for every construction job created by the project more than two additional jobs would be created in a support capacity.

But once operational the plant isn’t expected to have a major impact in the area’s unemployment. Its total direct workforce is expected to be just five full-time staff according to the analysis.

However, the employment projections outlined in the economic impact analysis don’t include the potential of bringing a solar panel manufacturer to the Cle Elum area to assemble the 400,000 panels that would be used in the project. (Despite critics who suggest that manufacturer will move on once the project is completed, Trott has said previously that he hopes there will be incentives for the manufacturer to remain in the Upper County.)

According to the analysis, construction spending for the project will generate $44.75 million in direct income in Kittitas County. In addition, the study estimates that nearly $19.3 million in secondary income will be generated annually in the county. Once the project is operational, it will generate $2.4 million in operations and maintenance expenditures annually in Kittitas County, plus nearly $400,000 in secondary annual income for the county, the report estimates.

Backers had hoped to get Kittitas County’s approval of the proposed project by the end of this year or in early January.

That timeline has been moved back to provide more time to research and address environmental issues that have been raised regarding the project.

Even so, “we’re still confident we can meet the timeline even while we take time to address concerns,” Trott said this week.

The good news, Trott said, is that the project can be done in phases.

“We can turn on half the project which is probably what we will do. We don’t have to have it all done,” he said.

He knows many still question the cost of producing solar power but says many of the figures cited are based on “old data.”

By MARY SWIFT, Daiy Record – http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2009/10/21/news/doc4adf3a1033dad626235056.txt

Behind closed doors: council ponders Desert Claim Wind Power Project October 23, 2009

The state Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, or EFSEC, today resumes deliberations on whether to approve the 95-turbine, $330 million Desert Claim Wind Power Project proposed for eight miles northwest of Ellensburg.

EFSEC’s seven members were scheduled to gather again behind closed doors in Olympia at 1 p.m. today, according to EFSEC Manager Allen Fiksdal.

The council first began deliberations at a Sept. 22 session and since have been communicating among themselves via e-mail and telephone conversations.

It was earlier speculated that EFSEC members may reach consensus this month on whether to recommend approval of the wind farm to Gov. Chris Gregoire, who makes the final decision.

The project, planned to be located north of Smithson Road, is detailed in “thousands” of pages of testimony, hearing transcripts, letters, e-mails, reports, legal briefs and other documents, according to Fiksdal, which EFSEC members are now studying.

Fiksdal said the project’s final environmental impact statement, with its supplemental report, likely will be approved a few weeks before the council meets in an open, public session to make their decision.

According to the state’s Administrative Procedures Act, EFSEC members act as judges in a quasi-judicial process in making a decision on the wind farm proposed by the international wind development firm of enXco Inc. USA.

According to the act, EFSEC may deliberate in private and is not subject to the state’s Open Public Meetings Act.

The recommendation, once finalized, then goes to Gov. Gregoire who makes the final decision within 60 days of receiving the recommendation.

Meeting at 905 Plum St. in Olympia today, EFSEC members are charged with reaching consensus on the project, and then directing EFSEC’s administrative law judge to write up a draft order to reflect that consensus.

Fiksdal said the document then will be circulated among the members to make sure it accurately reflects the council’s direction on the project.

It’s likely EFSEC will set a public meeting in Ellensburg to take final, formal action on the draft order that will reflect its recommendation to the governor.

Fiksdal said EFSEC can continue today’s meeting to another date, or members can continue to work on the recommendation by communicating outside the closed-door meeting.

The recommendation also can contain a minority report if some EFSEC members have objections to parts or all of the recommendation and draft order.

Fiksdal said enXco previously has signed agreements with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and with the Counsel for the Environment on procedures and mitigation measures to lessen the environmental and visual impact of the wind farm and to monitor its operations.

EFSEC conducted a public hearing and a short adjudicative hearing on the 5,200-acre project on July 13 in Ellensburg.

In an earlier report, an economic study commissioned by Desert Claim concluded the wind farm will create an estimated 282 jobs and generate more than $33 million in economic activity throughout the state in the year it is constructed.

It also estimates that it will create 36 jobs and $6.2 million in annual economic activity statewide after wind farm operations begin.

Documents on the project can be accessed online at the EFSEC Web site: www.efsec.wa.gov.

By MIKE JOHNSTON, Daily Record – http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2009/10/22/news/doc4ae0996c3482e210057310.txt

Oregon Utility seeks to add turbines despite roadblocks October 20, 2009

Amid the nation’s headlong rush for clean energy, two projects in Lane County show just how hard it can be to develop new sources of eco-friendly hydroelectric power.

Efforts to add electricity generating turbines to two flood-control dams on Willamette River tributaries are bogged down with environmental and financial problems. The turbines would generate enough electricity to power about 2,700 homes.

The Emerald People’s Utility District wants to add turbines to the Dorena dam on Row River and the Fall Creek dam on the Middle Fork of the Willamette. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns the two dams, which were built decades ago to rein in devastating seasonal flooding.

EPUD, which buys 98 percent of its electricity from the Bonneville Power Administration, wants its own hydroelectric sources in order to increase its portfolio of renewable energy and to help keep down customer costs as BPA hikes its rates. The member-owned utility serves about 20,000 customers, mostly residential, in an area that roughly surrounds Eugene-Springfield.

The utility has partnered with Symbiotics Inc., an Idaho-based corporation that specializes in adding hydropower to existing dams. A unit of Symbiotics, Dorena Hydro LLC, received a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission almost a year ago, and EPUD had planned to begin construction on the project last summer.

But the economic downturn has altered that, EPUD officials said.

“The market right now has dropped tremendously for wholesale power,” said EPUD General Manager Frank Lambe. Coupled with construction costs that haven’t dropped, the project has become financially challenging, he said.

On the plus side, in the intervening months the federal government has begun providing stimulus money for a wide range of projects.

Stimulus money for energy projects can only go to private companies, while state funds to encourage clean energy projects come in the form of tax credits, requiring that companies have a tax liability to benefit from them, EPUD officials said.

So, EPUD and Symbiotics need a private company to build the Dorena project and take the tax breaks, then sell the turbine system to them once it is constructed, said EPUD power resources manager Pamela Hewitt.

State and federal financial help could shave as much as 35 percent off construction costs, Hewitt said.

EPUD previously has estimated the cost of construction at between $12 million and $15 million. More recent estimates are higher than that, she said.

But the clock is ticking on Dorena. To take advantage of the stimulus money, construction has to begin by 2010 and be completed by 2014, officials said.

The Fall Creek hydro project also is snagged — but in a different way. Unlike the Dorena hydropower proposal, which already has been licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, EPUD’s proposal to add power to the Fall Creek dam is still going through pre-license regulatory hoops, and one of them may be a deal-breaker for EPUD.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission doesn’t trust the fish screens proposed at the three power-generating turbines to keep imperiled juvenile salmon on their downstream passage from going through the turbines and being harmed or killed in the turbulence.

Federal regulators want EPUD to do a preliminary study on the effectiveness of the screens. The commission estimates the study would cost $500,000, and wants it done before issuing a preliminary license.

Here’s how the federal agency put it in a recent letter to Symbiotics:

“Given the importance of being able to provide safe and effective passage (for the fish), it is imperative that we work through the unknowns before the project is licensed. The alternative of issuing a license with performance standards is unacceptable since we have no basis for the assumption that the proposed protection measure will be effective.”

EPUD estimates the study at closer to $1 million and says the project can’t move forward without some confidence that the investment will pay off and that EPUD will win the license.

“It is not reasonable to expect an applicant to pursue final detailed design work before they are reasonably assured by a FERC license that no other hurdles will prevent development of the proposed project,” EPUD wrote in its appeal of the FERC decision.

If the commission insists on the study, that could jeopardize the project, Hewitt said.

“That’s going to be a decision our board is going to have to weigh in on,” she said.

Currently at Fall Creek, salmon heading upstream are captured by the corps below the dam, trucked above it and released. Salmon heading downstream go through a dangerous chute in the dam that injures many of them.

The utility expects the Dorena project to provide 15.5 million kilowatt hours per year, enough to power about 1,200 homes.

Fall Creek, if built, would provide 18.7 million kilowatt hours per year, or enough for about 1,500 homes.

EPUD’s goal is to obtain 15 percent to 20 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2011.

Susan Palmer, The Register-Guard – http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/20497939-57/story.csp

Economy’s clouds can’t dim Hillsboro’s quest for solar firms October 20, 2009

The City of Hillsboro has not cut back on its quest for an expanded local solar industry presence.

Mayor Jerry Willey and Economic Development Director John Southgate joined other members of Team Oregon in attending the 24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition, which opened in Hamburg, Germany, Sept. 21. Their mission was to nurture contacts begun during prior conferences and initiate new ones.

This was the first solar-focused European trip for the pair, both of whom are part of “a new generation” in Hillsboro administration. Former mayor Tom Hughes, accompanied by Larry Pederson, now retired head of economic development, and Assistant City Manager Rob Dixon had attended the Photovoltaic Technology Show 2008 Europe in Munich, Germany, as part of that Team Oregon delegation.

Willey said it’s hard to grasp the immense size of these European trade shows, which in familiar U.S. terms could only be compared to the COMDEX computer exposition at the height of its popularity in the late 1980s.

“Think of the (Portland) Home and Garden Show at the Convention Center – times seven,” Willey said of the European solar conference. “John and I were assigned one venue with 38 booths.” Each had been previously identified as having some sort of Oregon connection, perhaps as simple as having been contacted in the past by the state’s team, he said. Covering such a vast assignment took a toll: Willey estimated they easily averaged 5 miles a day as they fanned out to cover their assignments. It was “so huge you could be easily overwhelmed by the number of products,” he said.

On Sept. 22, Team Oregon hosted its own dinner for businesses that had expressed an interest in locating in the state. About 50 delegates came. “I was encouraged,” Southgate said. “Oregon has a good reputation.”

He might have added “and little U.S. competition” at the show. New York was the only other U.S. state with a presence there.

The economic downturn is influencing the solar industry’s expansion plans, but a complete freeze is unlikely. According to Southgate, many companies contacted at the conference said they could see coming to America in the next two to five years, but virtually none said they were planning on establishing a presence now.

Before heading to Hamburg for the conference, Willey and Southgate spent a few days in Freiburg, Germany, to visit SolarWorld AG’s operations. “We want SolarWorld to understand we value our relationship extremely,” Southgate said.

The company reciprocated and hosted a dinner in a local castle.

Both Southgate and Willey were impressed with the creativity Freiburg had shown in implementing solar projects. The city had decommissioned a very old landfill, Willey said. Its land was not stable enough to support buildings. “So the city put a huge solar array on it,” he said.

Southgate expects this sort of project to become common, worldwide. “The solar industry is evolving and expanding. It’s going to be much, much bigger than it is now,” he said.

Susan Gordanier, The Hillsboro Argus – http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/1256061037277150.xml&coll=6

Oregon ranks No. 5 for wind energy Production October 20, 2009

Oregon came in No. 5 in a ranking of the top states for wind energy, according to a thid quarter report released Tuesday by the American Wind Energy Association.

Oregon now has the capacity to generate 1,659 megawatts of power from wind turbines, enough to power roughly 480,000 homes.

During the third quarter, the U.S. wind energy industry added a total of 1,649 megawatts of capacity.

Oregon ranked No. 2 in new wind power added in the third quarter. The state added 251 megawatts of capacity.

The state ranks No. 5 in total operating capacity behind Texas (8,797 megawatts), Iowa (3,053 megawatts), California (2,787 megawatts) and Minnesota (1,805).

The state posting the fastest growth in the third quarter was Texas, where wind power installations expanded by 436 megawatts.

Portland Business Journal – http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/10/19/daily22.html

$230M goes to efficiency upgrades at Rainbow Dam in Mont. October 18, 2009

Against a backdrop of the Missouri River and a 99-year-old power house, PPL Montana broke ground Thursday on a $230 million project to expand the Rainbow hydroelectric plant near Great Falls.

“Thanks for coming — and lets break some ground here,” said Dan Walsh Jr. of general contractor Walsh Construction out of Chicago.

Several old turbines are being replaced with a single, more efficient turbine. A new power house will be constructed to house the turbine.

Pete Simonich, vice president and chief operating officer of PPL Montana, said electricity output would increase to 62 megawatts, enough to power 45,000 homes.

“We will increase by 70 percent the amount of clean, renewable power generated here at our Rainbow facility when this project is completed in 2012,” he said.

The project will create between 100 to 200 construction jobs, Simonich said.

A large crowd of local, state and federal officials turned out for the celebration. Excavation work is expected to begin this week, said PPL’s David Hoffman.

Great Falls Tribune - http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20091015/NEWS01/91015003/+230+million+Rainbow+Dam+project+breaks+ground

Montana Sawmills Set to Create Biomass Fuel October 18, 2009

Montana sawmills are working with Montana’s power company to create biomass fuel. Eight sawmills are partnering with NorthWestern Energy and the Montana Community Development Corporation. The goal is to create wood-fueled power across the state. It’s partially funded by a $125,000 grant from the State. The combined effort hopes to help address the pine beetle problem and diversify the State’s electric supply.

KECI (TV) – http://www.keci.com/Montana-Sawmills-Set-to-Create-Biomass-Fuel/5460581

Solar, wind on the rise in Idaho October 18, 2009

Local interest in tapping wind or solar energy to power homes has not waned during the recession, local installers and Idaho Power officials say.

Small wind turbines — those suitable for homes or small businesses —  in particular as a business has picked up significantly the past year as prices for these smaller units have dropped, according to Idaho Power renewable energy specialist Scott Gates. A year ago, five wind turbines were connected to Idaho Power’s grid, but that number has since ballooned to about 30. With federal incentives, the cost of smaller wind or solar systems has dropped to about $10,000 — a magic number for many consumers —  Gates, said.

Overall, the price of a typical residential wind or solar system has been cut in half in the past year, Gates added. He attributes the sharp decline in prices primarily to technological advances and growing competition in the world’s expanding solar manufacturing industry.

Idaho Power currently has about 130 net metered customers tapping solar power in its jurisdiction, which stretches from eastern Idaho across southern Idaho. That is up from just a handful of residential solar systems reported five years ago.

Despite growing interest, Butch Gilliland, owner of Norfleet Developments, a Caldwell company that specializes in green building and energy efficiency, said it is still premature for most people to invest in home solar or wind systems. It can cost as much as $100,000 to install a system that would cover all the power needs for a 1,200-square-foot home, he said.

“Solar is just not ready yet,” Gilliland said. “There  are better ways if people are interested in saving money. The best thing to do right now is to get your house energy efficient.”

Solar installers keep busy

Dave Brueggemann, solar installer and president of Solar Cascade in Boise, said he got more work in the first six weeks of 2009 than he did in all of the previous year after Congress passed a 30 percent rebate incentive for renewable energy systems.

Still, Brueggemann and other local installers say these systems have not gained as much traction as they have in neighboring states that offer aggressive incentives at the state level.

“Our industry has grown a lot here, but nothing like the places that have rebates” like Washington and Oregon, Brueggemann said. “And yes, we have some of the cheapest power in the nation in Idaho, but I think we’re on the tail end of inexpensive power.”

Idaho Power renewable energy specialist Scott Gates also attributes the lack of a state mandate encouraging the utility to diversify its energy sources among consumers as the primary reason Idaho lags behind some of its neighbors.

“I don’t see much opposition within the company, it’s just a matter of how do we do it, how do we get this done,” Gates said. “But I have been surprised by the growth for solar and wind in a state that really has no incentives for it and also has some of the cheapest power in the nation.”

Finding the money to pay for installation has proven a challenge for many people interested in solar or wind, installers like Jeff Burns, owner of Renewable Energy Resources in Boise, said.

“We have been affected in the sense that people virtually cannot get financing and lots of deals go out the door because people can’t get a line of credit,” Burns said. “But the true believers are still out there.”

State officials look beyond hydro

Paul Kjellander, director of Idaho’s Office of Energy Resources, said the state’s overwhelming dependence on  hydroelectric power is nearing the end of the line.

The cost of power in Idaho remains among the lowest in the country today, though Idaho lags behind neighboring states in tapping alternatives like wind and solar.

Nampa Sen. Curt McKenzie, co-chairman of the state’s interim energy commission, said the  commission is considering legislation at the state level to offer  incentives for utilities like Idaho Power to further diversify their energy portfolio. But he does not foresee any direct incentives to be introduced at the state level for consumers.

“I don’t anticipate we’ll have any kind of tax reduction incentives in this session just because of the way the budget it is — it’s not a year when you’re going to see a reduction in the tax base. But there are different ways we can encourage that, especially from the utility side. If utilities can have rate recovery for capital investments and different programs for things like implementing a smart grid, it can have a pretty dramatic effect on residential consumption, and that we can do without cutting the tax base.”

Kjellander said hydro will likely maintain its dominance in powering utilities like Idaho Power for at least the next 10 to 15 years. But with little to no future expansion plans for hydro, Idaho Power’s most recent acquisitions have been in natural gas and wind turbines, he said.

Jesse Nance. Idaho Press Tribune - http://www.idahopress.com/news/?id=26939

Idaho Power to buy wind power from Boise firm October 18, 2009

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has approved three energy sales agreements between the company and a wind developer that will build three wind farms in the Hagerman area.

The sales agreements are with Exergy Development Group of Idaho, which plans to build all three projects under the provisions of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. The act requires electric utilities to offer to buy power produced by qualifying small-power producers or co-generators.

The three projects – Camp Reed (22.5 megawatts), Payne’s Ferry (21 MW) and Yahoo Creek (21 MW) – are scheduled to begin operating Sept. 30, 2010.

For more information about the agreement, visit www.puc.idaho.gov.

Idaho Statesman – http://www.idahostatesman.com/business/story/937902.html

BLM asks for more public comment on China Mountain Wind Farm October 18, 2009

Federal biologists are still researching what effects a 185-turbine wind farm would have on the desert southwest of Rogerson.

But the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is now asking for more public comment on the proposal, this time on a modification to the resource management plan that governs whether the agency can even consider allowing a wind farm in its Jarbidge Field Office.

The China Mountain project would place turbines generating up to 425 megawatts in parts of a largely federal, 30,700-acre area.

The BLM is nearing the end of a two-year environmental study on the project, with draft results expected early next year, and had expected to address the issue with the 20-year-old Jarbidge management plan during a comprehensive revision of it that started in 2006. But the agency needed more time than expected to gather and assess public feedback, said state BLM spokeswoman Heather Feeney, and the revision fell behind schedule.

To keep the China Mountain study on track, officials decided to pursue a smaller amendment. Thursday’s notice launched a 30-day comment period, and the input will help determine what issues the BLM examines in the analysis documents for both the study and the plan amendment.

The change wouldn’t approve the wind farm, but rather give the BLM the ability to consider putting it on federal land, Feeney said. The amendment language restricts any wind power to just the China Mountain site; no other wind farms are currently proposed in the Jarbidge Field Office, she said.

The agency has already completed a separate general analysis for wind projects bureau-wide, Feeney said. But it can’t be used in this case because recent wildfires – notably 2007’s Murphy Complex Fire – have already complicated natural-resource issues in the area.

The analysis completed for the smaller amendment would also be used for the management plan’s broad revisions, keeping both actions consistent.

Magic Valley Times - http://www.magicvalley.com/news/local/article_d7cda27a-a655-5df3-918c-d14c40caf9a4.html

Chinese solar company to build plant in Gresham October 18, 2009

A Chinese solar component manufacturer plans to build its first U.S. plant in Gresham.

Oregon Crystal Technologies is looking at two sites in the Rockwood-West Gresham Urban Renewal District, said Janet Young, Gresham’s director of development services.

The firm has applied for a $100,000 grant, which the City Council — sitting as the urban renewal commission — will consider tonight.

The grant application lists two 10,000-square-foot properties in the urban renewal district: the Rockwood Corporate Center and the Sandy Boulevard Business Park.

The city has been wooing the solar industry, and Mayor Shane Bemis held discussions with company officials during a recent trip to a trade show in Germany.

“It’s good news,” Young said. “Any new company is good news. But when it is a targeted industry, it’s particularly good news.”

The company expects to invest $2 million to $4 million, beginning with 10 jobs and growing to 20 jobs, she said.

The firm, known as China Crystal Technologies in Beijing, aims to become one of the world’s leading companies in gallium arsenide, an alternative technology to silicon in solar panels, according to the company’s Web site.

James Mayer, The Oregonian – http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/10/chinese_solar_company_to_build.html

Deschutes County reconsiders taller wind turbines October 18, 2009

Another issue discussed Wednesday, which has hit a roadblock before, was whether to allow taller wind-energy turbines in the area. Current county restrictions prevent structures over 30 feet in most zoning districts, but that could change as soon as next year.

Planning Director Nick Lelack said many residents are for the idea, but adding wind turbines has its pros and cons.

“Generally we hear that people support them,” he said. “The key issue is when they are proposed on their neighbor’s property, and maybe between the neighbor’s property and view of the mountains, something of that nature.”

Luke said they won’t move forward with an ordinance until they hear from the public about any concerns, starting the public process with the county planning commission.

“That’s the process that I would favor, so the citizens would have the opportunity to comment on it,” he said.

After a proposal is drafted and debated before planning commissioners, commissioners will take up the issue again, to see if the public favors the idea, before moving forward.

The wind-power issues could be part of the ongoing update of the county’s overall land use plan – the first total rewrite in some 30 years – or it could be handled separately, Luke said.

KTVZ (TV) – http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=11277334

Work begins on Juniper Ridge micro-Hydro project October 18, 2009

A thunderous roar from a small explosive charge marked the official start of construction Monday on the $26 million Juniper Ridge Project, an unprecedented project that will return water supplies to the Deschutes River and generate carbon-free energy.

U.S. Congressman Greg Walden, along with state officials, representatives from the Central Oregon Irrigation District, Deschutes County, the Deschutes River Conservancy and Portland General Electric Company attended the groundbreaking ceremony five miles north of Bend along Highway 97.

Immediately following the ceremony, construction crews began replacing 2.5 miles of open irrigation canal, owned and operated by the Central Oregon Irrigation District, with underground steel pipe and an innovative, small hydropower system.

By conserving water supplies previously lost through the porous canal, the Juniper Ridge Project will benefit Deschutes River salmon and reintroduced steelhead.

Walden called the project a step forward for the environment: “The amount of water that will be going into the Deschutes River, for fish, equals 11 Olympic swimming pools per day – 11 per day.”

Unlike the Swalley Irrigation District canal piping, this project has not drawn an uproar from nearby residents, because there aren’t many.

COID will have to shell out $100,000 during construction, to provide eight landowners supplemental water.

Board Chairman Carroll Penhollow said the district will finance a six-day per week water-hauling service to landowners. “They’ll water their cattle then by hauling the water in by truck, so that they have that water available to them through the Winter.”

Approximately 20 cubic-feet per second of water presently diverted from the Deschutes River for irrigation purposes by COID will be permanently returned to the river, increasing instream river flows for fish and wildlife species.

Once the new pipe is in place, a small hydropower unit will be installed in the summer of 2010. This state-of-the-art unit will generate up to 3.37 megawatts of clean, renewable electricity annually, or enough power for roughly 2,000 homes.

Irrigation district patrons will also benefit because the project will modernize district conveyance facilities and improve overall system efficiencies.

“We appreciate the support we’ve received from the State of Oregon, the federal government and many others,” said Carroll Penhollow, chairman of COID’s board of directors. Penhollow added, “Our farmers, ranchers and everyone else who relies on our district should be proud that we’re improving district efficiencies while protecting the environment.”

The State of Oregon, along with several business and conservation groups played an instrumental role in financing the project.

“We are very pleased to help fund this important project through a state tax credit and small energy loan,” said Mark Long, Director of the Oregon Department of Energy. “This project not only benefits fish and wildlife species, it will provide economic benefits to the local community.”

“This project will improve water quality and fish habitat in a very important part of Oregon,” said Dick Pedersen, Director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. “DEQ is pleased to work with a group of people who share our goals of improved water quality. The collaboration between the irrigation district, Oregon Department of Energy and DEQ worked very smoothly.”

“This project is a great example of how we can generate clean renewable local power in Oregon,” said Betsy Kauffman, senior program manager with Energy Trust of Oregon. “We’re happy to be involved with a project that has benefits for the district, the community, and the watershed.”

“The city felt it was important to step forward as a partner in this project,” said Bend City Manager Eric King. “The benefits to the community and the environment are truly significant.”

“Projects like this don’t come along every day. It is gratifying to see so many people come together to make the project happen,” said Julie Keil, Director of Hydro Licensing for PGE. “PGE and the Confederated Tribes are happy to be a part of the effort.”

Total project costs are estimated at $26 million. Oregon’s Department of Energy has provided a $4.2 million Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) to COID, and a $12 million low-interest loan. Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality awarded the District a $2 million grant, along with a $2 million zero-interest loan from federal stimulus funds.

The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board awarded COID a $1 million grant and the Deschutes River Conservancy is providing a $1 million grant for the project from federal Bureau of Reclamation stimulus funds. Energy Trust of Oregon is providing a $1 million grant.

The City of Bend is contributing $278,000 and the Portland General Electric Co. is contributing $250,000. The District is financing $5 million in upfront capital costs and will repay approximately $19 million in loans and debt service.

During the project’s construction in 2009/2010, COID will provide eight landowners with a supplemental water supply to compensate for the shutdown of the irrigation canal.

These eight landowners have large livestock herds and no alternative water supply. The District will finance a six-day per week water hauling service to each landowner; the hauler will provide a 2-day supply. District costs for this service are roughly $100,000.

The project’s construction will be managed locally by the Slayden Construction Group along with Jack Robinson & Sons. Materials for the project are being produced by the Northwest Pipe Company of Portland, and the James Leffel & Company of Central OH. All of the project’s materials are made in the U.S.

The Juniper Ridge Project is scheduled to be complete and producing energy by next summer.

COID Manager Steve Johnson said, “So together with this plant, and the existing plant, we’ll be providing carbon-free energy to 5,000 homes, in the Central Oregon area. That’s roughly 10 percent of the Bend market.”

KTVZ (TV) - http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=11300833

PSE solar project to be completed in Wash. October 18, 2009

The 500 kilowatt solar-power system on Whisky Dick Mountain is scheduled to be completed in two to three weeks.

Contractors began Monday to install the final array of solar power panels near Puget Sound Energy’s Renewable Energy Center at the 3,500-foot level.

The array, when completed, will have the capacity to generate 50 kilowatts of electricity and be close to the center for visitor viewing. It includes 315 panels.

The first phase of the solar-power system, 2,408 photovoltaic panels, was completed in October 2007 near the 3,873-foot summit of Whisky Dick Mountain. That array has the capacity to generate 450 kilowatts.

The solar power component of the Wild Horse facility was earlier estimated to cost more than $4 million.

As for the Renewable Energy Center, now in its second year, it has attracted more than 19,300 visitors since April 1 and more than 235 groups.

The visitor and interpretive center closes Nov. 30.

By MIKE JOHNSTON. Daily Record - http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2009/10/09/news/doc4acf913abba78843555915.txt

New Wild Horse turbines energized in Wash. October 18, 2009

The 22 new turbines at the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility east of Ellensburg are up and running and are expected to begin putting power into the grid in about 45 days.

Officials of Puget Sound Energy, owner and operator of the renewable energy facility east of Ellensburg, indicated the 45-day target was an estimate that could change.

The additional turbines atop towers north of the existing 127-turbine wind farm were “energized” last week, said David Bowen, Puget Sound Energy’s municipal liaison manager for Central Washington.

Currently the new turbines, mostly spread on 1,260 acres north of the existing 8,600-acre wind farm, are in a testing and monitoring mode, Bowen said.

The 1,260 acres includes 960 acres purchased by PSE and the remainder are leased state lands, according to past announcements.

The estimated $100 million project to add the turbines began with road construction in April,  foundations of the towers were completed in May and June and towers, turbines, blades and other equipment began going up in July.

At the peak of work in late summer, it’s estimated more than 100 workers were at the expansion site on the north slopes of Whisky Dick Mountain 17 miles east of Ellensburg.

The added turbines bring the total towers to 149, raising the wind farm’s generating capacity from 229 megawatts to 273 megawatts.

Bowen said ongoing work to expand the onsite substation to handle the extra power load is estimated to be completed in about 45 days.

Work also is under way to rehabilitate areas disturbed by construction, including reseeding and putting in native plantings.

The wind farm project was initially approved by state and Kittitas County government for up to 158 turbines. The wind farm’s initial 127 turbines began full operation in December 2006. That initial project was estimated at $380 million.

By MIKE JOHNSTON, Daily Record – http://www.kvnews.com/articles/2009/10/09/news/doc4acf913abba78843555915.txt

Klickitat County wind project gets $178M in expansion funding October 18, 2009

A wind farm project near Goldendale in Klickitat County received $178 million in funds from Siemens Financial Services Inc. (SFS) to expand.

Windy Point Partners II LLC received the senior secured credit facility to buy more Siemens wind turbines and to recapitalize existing debt. Windy Point Partners is an affiliate of Cannon Power Corp. of San Diego, which is developing the project.

“Providing the funding for this major wind project’s expansion was particularly gratifying in that it allowed SFS to value-add Siemens technology to its financing solution and further underscores our overall commitment to support renewable energy,” said Roland Chalons-Browne, president and CEO of SFS Inc., in a statement.

Puget Sound Business Journal – http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/10/12/daily5.html

INL’s Center for Advanced Energy Studies tests new wind energy system October 18, 2009

Blackhawk helicopters accomplish our nation’s missions every day. Now, Idaho National Laboratory’s Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES) is supporting a new kind of Blackhawk to develop energy solutions.

Researchers from the Blackhawk Project LLC are testing and monitoring a new Blackhawk Tilt Rotor (TR-10) Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) recently installed at CAES. This wind system, developed by Blackhawk, represents what could be a significant evolution in wind energy technology.

“One of the reasons we chose Blackhawk is that it invites involvement from students and faculty,” said Raymond Grosshans, program coordinator at CAES. “And it supports economic development in Idaho.”

Blackhawk’s unique design distinguishes it from traditional wind energy systems. The most obvious distinction is that its helicopter-like wings, known as airfoils, rotate parallel to the ground, unlike most commercial turbines.

The airfoils attach to a patent-pending tilt rotor in the center of the turbine. The slanted rotor allows the turbine to self-start without any external devices. This passive-control system offers power generation without the noise, clutching, electronics, tower heights or heavy blades often associated with common wind machines.

The TR-10 is part of The Blackhawk Project’s prototype series and produces around 1.5 kilowatts of power — enough electricity to supplement a home, power a workshop or drive other small applications.

The power generated from the system will feed directly into CAES, but supplying the building with extra electricity is not why the center agreed to test the Blackhawk.

“CAES’ main focus is to create opportunities for research collaborations between Idaho National Laboratory researchers, the  Idaho research universities and the private sector,” Grosshans said.

Students and researchers at CAES will be monitoring the turbine’s performance, acoustic profile, strength, safety and durability.

A student crew chief will oversee maintenance of the turbine, which, Blackhawk says, is more durable than traditional windmills because it has fewer electronic gadgets and parts. Plus, the long arms of the turbine create such a high degree of torque that the unit is able to produce more power with fewer revolutions per minute (RPMs), which reduces wear and tear. When the turbine does need repairs or maintenance, locking magnets hold the rotor in place and prevent accidental spinning, creating a built-in safety feature.

Students also will be responsible for developing operation and procedure manuals for the turbine and helping write grants for the company.

“Collaboration with our company is a natural fit,” said Dawn Cardwell, Blackhawk’s project manager. “The data-collection capabilities and access to universities and researchers is something we don’t have.”

The project also provides learning opportunities for high school students.

A Web cam streams video to high schools all over the country, and telemetry gives students of all levels easy access to real-time data from CAES’ grid-type system.

“Students, faculty and researchers can use it for instrumentation, developing modeling tools and to support ongoing classroom activities,” said Grosshans.

Developers have found that the VAWT can produce electricity in winds as light as 7 mph. Propeller-type wind mills typically require speeds of 12 to 15 mph.

Pushrods and elastomeric bands, which Grosshans describes as “high-tech rubber bands,” are attached to the airfoils and help protect the turbine from storm damage. These rods adjust to the wind and allow the rotor to tilt without overworking the turbine. These features have allowed the turbine to successfully function in wind speeds as high as 101 mph.

Blackhawk hopes the data tracked at CAES will narrow the commercialization gap for its system, which the company bills as a low-cost, low-maintenance alternative to horizontal-axis residential turbines currently on the market.

The entire turbine fits in the back of a pickup and takes about three hours to install. With a mere 10-foot diameter, the TR-10 is set to enter the small-turbine industry targeting farms, shops and homes in rural and semirural areas.

“We can be the market leader for bang-for-the-buck,” said Bruce Boatner, Blackhawk’s lead engineer.

Ryan Weeks, INL – https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=1269&mode=2&featurestory=DA_521418

Idaho Green Expo Presentations Now Available Online October 5, 2009

The Idaho Green Expo has posted videos of a number of speakers and panel presentations made during the July 18-19 event. This was the second annual Idaho Green Expo, which is organized by GreenWorks Idaho (www.idahogreenexpo.org) and like the first was heavily attended and had a strong emphasis on renewable energy and energy efficiency products and technologies.

Included in the videos of the 2009 Expo Speakers and Panels are: A Mayor’s Panel: Implementing the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in Idaho; David Wann: “Simple Prosperity in the New Economy”; Idaho Energy Forum; Judy Wicks: “Local Living Economies – Green, Fair and Fun”; Scott Schleibe: “The Fate of Polar Bears in a Changing Environment”; and Jim Evanoff: “Greening Our National Parks – Yellowstone: A Success Story!”

To learn more about the Idaho Green Expo and to check out the videos of the presentations, visit www.idahogreenexpo.org

By Ken Miller, Snake River Alliance – http://www.sunvalleyonline.com/news/article.asp?ID_Article=7506

U.S. Geothermal Begins Exploration at Neal Hot Springs October 5, 2009

Boise-based U.S. Geothermal said this week it has begun development drilling at the Neal Hot Springs Geothermal Project in eastern Oregon at a 10-square-mile site about 90 miles northwest of Boise. The company hopes the project will produce about 26MW of power once developed. U.S. Geothermal is already selling more than 10MW of geothermal power from its Raft River site near Malta to Idaho Power, and plans to sell a similar amount from Raft River to Eugene Water and Electric Board in Oregon. Raft River is the first commercial-scale geothermal generation project in the Northwest.

At Neal Hot Springs, U.S. Geothermal said the first well is currently drilled to about 300 feet on the way to a total depth of about 2,800 feet. A total of three large-diameter wells are planned in the current project, the company said.

“Further definition of the Neal Hot Springs geothermal resource is a significant part of our company’s growth plan,” U.S. Geothermal President and CEO Daniel Kunz said in a news release. “These drilling programs are expected to maintain our current project development schedule and help define a geothermal reservoir needed to construct a power plant that will deliver 22 megawatts of electricity.” In Idaho, a megawatt is roughly enough power to supply about 700-800 homes or more, depending on the season.

By Ken Miller, Snake River Alliance, (Sun Valley Online) – http://www.sunvalleyonline.com/news/article.asp?ID_Article=7506

More on Geothermal possibilty at Newberry Volcano October 5, 2009

Last year, Davenport Power drilled two exploratory wells 10,000 feet below the flanks of Newberry Volcano searching for hot rocks and water but found nothing but heat.

Now the company, which hopes to tap into geothermal power in the Deschutes National Forest south of Bend, is making plans to use a suite of other less-intensive methods to further map the underground rocks and temperatures in the area to find other potential drill sites.

When crews bored two wells just to the west of Paulina Lake, outside of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument last year, instruments measured plenty of heat but not enough water or steam to turn turbines and generate power, said Doug Perry, president of Davenport Power.

The company hopes eventually to drill production wells that could fuel a power plant capable of providing electricity to about 100,000 homes.

But first, scientists will try to get a broader picture of the area’s geology, building on geologic mapping that other companies had done in previous years.

“One of the things we want to do is engage in some more exploration activity,” Perry said. “The idea is to still try to get the best picture we can of what it looks like down deep. Hopefully, from that we would end up targeting where we would drill some more exploratory wells.”

One way to get a better picture is with narrow temperature gradient wells that reach about 3,500 feet below the surface — an easier and cheaper procedure than the exploratory wells drilled in 2008. These temperature gradient holes can be drilled from the back of a truck, like a water well, Perry said, as opposed to the 180-foot-tall derricks needed to drill the exploratory wells.

Davenport plans to create a string of up to 12 temperature wells west of the monument to gauge the extent of the area’s hot rocks.

“We think that the area of heat may be larger than just the area where we were drilling those (exploratory) wells,” Perry said. “But we can do exploration and drill these temperature gradient wells a lot less expensively.”

There’s still no guarantee that a site will have water or steam, he said. The company would have to bring back the big drilling rigs later to test for that.

But the company also plans to try out a relatively new technology. Davenport plans to drop listening devices into the temperature gradient holes, Perry said, to see if they can pick up any background sounds that might be a hint of water moving through the ground.

“This is to try to hear if there’s any liquid moving,” Perry said.

Davenport also plans to conduct ground-level surveys, he said, continuing work geophysicists started in 2006. A gravity study could help tell scientists about the different rock layers, while a survey of changes in the magnetic field could help provide clues about the location of hot water.

“We’ve tried to come up with a program to hopefully give us additional and better information about what’s down there,” Perry said.

While Davenport is still hoping to find steam to fuel a power plant, he said the company is also considering using a technology called enhanced geothermal systems, or engineered geothermal systems.

In those systems, crews drill a well and create small fractures in the deep rock, then circulate fluid through the hot rocks. That way, they don’t need to find naturally occurring steam.

The technology created some controversy after a project set off a small earthquake in Europe.

Perry said the geology is different in Central Oregon, and if Davenport receives funding to try the enhanced geothermal technology, the company will do further analysis, reviewed by outside experts, to determine the local risk. The company would also have to get additional OKs from federal land management agencies.

For now, though, Davenport is focusing on the temperature wells and geophysical surveys.

The company still has to get permission from the Bureau of Land Management for the temperature wells. The agency is getting ready to start an environmental assessment of the potential impacts of the series of drill sites, said Linda Christian, environmental coordinator with the BLM’s Prineville District.

Davenport is proposing to do the work without building new roads or cutting down trees, she said, but will instead drill along existing forest roads and in previously clear-cut areas.

“The total area that’s going to be disturbed in this whole environmental assessment (area) is 2.5 acres, in 100-by-100-foot lots,” Christian said.

The work could damage some habitat, but once the company gathers data it will restore the area, she said.

And the information will help provide a better picture of the geology in the area, she said.

“We’re trying to get the science and figure out if this is a viable alternative energy source,” Christian said. “Maybe it won’t be, but they need to look at all avenues.”

Davenport Power’s attempts to find steam to fuel a power plant have yet to succeed. Now the company will use much smaller drills in hopes

of finding the right site.

Kate Ramsayer, Bend Bulletin - http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090928/NEWS0107/909280363/1006/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01

SolarWorld expands into module manufacturing October 5, 2009

SolarWorld unveiled its new 210,000-square-foot Hillsboro manufacturing space Sunday, announcing for the first time that the addition will host 350 megawatts of module manufacturing capacity.

With the news, the German company’s Hillsboro operations become the only monocrystalline solar manufacturing plant in the U.S. that produces every phase of solar panel manufacturing, said spokesman Ben Santarris.

The new building gives SolarWorld a 44 percent increase in building space and is adjacent to the company’s main 480,000-square-foot main manufacturing facility it opened just a year ago.

The Hillsboro facility up until now focused only on turning polysilicon into solar wafers and power-generating cells.

With the new building, the Hillsboro facility now adds the third and final step, in which the photovoltaic cells are strung and soldered together into a glass-covered laminate and placed into a metal frame.

Until now, SolarWorld’s only U.S. module-making facility was in Camarillo, Calif., where it has 150 megawatts of capacity.

SolarWorld is in the process of putting together a management team and work force to staff the new factory. The new building, however, hasn’t increased the company’s previously-stated goal of employing 1,000 workers by 2011.

Portland Business Journal – http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/09/28/daily62.html