Group: Energy-efficiency incentives can save billions for Arizona:

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012
By Corbin Carson
Cronkite News

The full 270-page report is available here:

http://swenergy.org

PHOENIX – Arizona households and businesses can cut electricity use by 21 percent and save $7.3 billion by 2020 if utilities ramp up energy-efficiency incentives, a public policy group said Tuesday.
A report presented to Arizona energy officials by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) said the state’s utilities already have programs that can be expanded to achieve the forecast savings.
“We’re suggesting by expanding those programs, investing more in energy efficiency and bringing in more participants, the net economic benefits from expanding programs out to 2020, would be over $7 billion,” said Howard Geller, author of the report and SWEEP’s executive director and founder.
The report found that every dollar invested in energy efficiency returns more than $2 in savings on business and household utility bills.
“Let me use the refrigerator as an example,” Geller said. “Utilities would provide a rebate, say $50, and educate customers to buy Energy Star refrigerators when they need a new one, because Energy Star refrigerators are more efficient than a typical refrigerator.”
Geller said the household that does that will see its energy consumption and utility bills go down.
The 270-page report calls for $5.5 billion in investments in efficiency programs by Arizona utilities, money that Geller said the companies would have to spend anyway on things like new power plants to keep up with demand.
James Wontor, manager of demand-side management programs for APS, said the utility sees the value in providing options for customers to save on electric bills.
“We’re proud to say that of these 18 best practice programs (in the report), we offer virtually all of them to our customers right now today,” Wontor said.
Arizona Corporation Commissioner Sandra Kennedy said the state has made great strides when it comes to energy efficiency but that there is always room for improvement.
“I think the utility companies should ramp up their funding beginning next year,” said Kennedy, a Democrat who lost a bid for re-election this month. “And put a little more effort into energy efficiency because the programs actually work.”
Geller’s study said the energy saved would allow Arizona to avoid building or close 10 large power plants, which would result in 4.1 billion gallons of water saved per year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants equivalent to taking 1.9 million passenger vehicles off the road, all by 2020.
“It’s both an economic and an environmental win for Arizona,” he said.

Weather data from nation’s largest wind farms could improve U.S. models, forecasts

Weather data from nation’s largest wind farms could improve U.S. models, forecasts

Private companies share weather data with NOAA

November 14, 2012

Two of the nation’s largest producers of wind-generated electric power will share privately-collected weather data with NOAA, providing agency scientists with additional observations from wind farms across the nation for research and operations.

NOAA now has data sharing agreements with Iberdrola Renewables of Portland, Ore., and NextEra Energy Resources of Juno Beach, Fla.—the country’s two largest generators of wind-generated electric power, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

The companies will provide valuable weather observations from instrumented towers in their wind farms and wind speed data from instruments atop wind turbines. Since 2011, Xcel Energy of Minneapolis, Minn. has provided similar observations to NOAA.

“We appreciate this opportunity to work with industry and are eager to start similar data sharing agreements with other industry partners,” said Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D., assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction and NOAA deputy administrator. “Everyone who uses weather information will benefit from these additional data. These observations are made at altitudes that are not routinely observed. The more information we are able to collect leads to more accurate predictions.”

NOAA will use these weather observations in operational model forecasts produced by NOAA’s National Weather Service. Wind data at these heights are not routinely observed and are of great interest to many industries and researchers involved in renewable energy, aviation, and air quality.

While the observations are business-sensitive and will not be redistributed outside of NOAA, the agency’s scientists will use the data to validate and improve weather models at NOAA’s Earth System Research Laboratory and at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

“NextEra Energy recognizes that a better NOAA weather forecast will ultimately improve our operational decisions and our bottom line,” said Mark Ahlstrom, CEO for WindLogics, a NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary that also contributed data to NOAA. “Sharing data with NOAA makes sense because it helps NOAA deliver better forecasts for use by our company and the general public.”

Jerry Crescenti, Director of Meteorology for Iberdrola Renewables, added, “When it comes to observations, you can never have enough. Hopefully, other wind energy companies will consider securely providing their weather observations to NOAA to improve the foundational forecasts for all in the industry.”

NextEra Energy Resources is a clean energy leader and one of the largest competitive energy suppliers in North America, operating in 22 states and Canada as of year-end 2011. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), NextEra Energy Resources is the largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun in the United States, owning and operating approximately 8,569 megawatts of wind and 158 megawatts of solar power generation at the end of 2011.

Iberdrola Renewables, LLC is the U.S. renewable energy division of parent company IBERDROLA, S.A., an energy pioneer with the largest renewable asset base of any company in the world. Iberdrola Renewables, LLC is headquartered in Portland, Ore., and has over $9 billion of operating assets totaling more than 5,000 megawatts of wind and solar generation.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Visit us atwww.noaa.gov and join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels. 

Energy Department Efficiency Project Earns R&D Magazine Editor's Choice Award

November 20, 2012

The Sandia Cooler—an innovative energy efficiency technology developed at the Sandia National Laboratories—is one of three emerging technologies to receive R&D Magazine's 2012 Editor's Choice Award. The Sandia Cooler, which efficiently cools processor chips in computer systems, was recognized earlier this year with one of the magazine's annual R&D 100 awards. Sandia National Laboratories developed this technology with support from the Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

The Sandia Cooler technology significantly improves the way heat is transferred and cooled in computers and microelectronics by addressing the heat sink boundary layer—a longstanding bottleneck to heat transfer in conventional coolers. Data centers and other large-scale computing environments could benefit from this technology, as it significantly reduces the energy needed to cool the processor chips used in these facilities.

Additionally, the Sandia Cooler can benefit other applications where thermal management and energy efficiency are important, particularly with heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC). The Sandia Cooler also functions in a smaller, quieter package compared to a standard central processing unit (CPU) cooler, and greatly improves resistance to dust in the heat exchanger fins.

Since 1962, R&D Magazine has presented awards for innovative technology developments that offer promising commercial potential. Researchers funded by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy received 12 of the R&D 100 awards in 2012, and the Department of Energy as a whole won a total of 36 R&D 100 awards across all of its research and development programs.

The Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) accelerates development and facilitates deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality. Learn more about EERE's emerging building technologies and Sandia National Laboratories' energy programs.

University Honored for Environmental, Clean Energy Achievements

Home > News > Leading by Example

University Honored for Environmental, Clean Energy Achievements

Representatives from UMass Lowell were on hand to receive the Governor’s Leading by Example award during a State House ceremony on Beacon Hill in October.

11/16/2012

By Edwin L. Aguirre

Citing the University’s outstanding energy and environmental leadership, the state recently presented UMass Lowell with a Leading by Example award.
Established by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2007, the annual award recognizes state agencies, public universities and colleges, municipalities and individuals for their efforts in significantly reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, increasing recycling and the use of renewable energy and other clean-energy and environmental quality initiatives.
The award recognizes the University for making clean energy and energy efficiency improvements over the years. For example, the North Campus Power Plant recently replaced two of its three boilers with more energy-efficient units and converted the third one from fuel oil to cleaner natural gas, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. The University’s zero-sort recycling program, meanwhile, has increased the solid waste recycling rate on campus by more than 376 percent, from 97 tons in 2008 to 462 tons in 2011.
The award also notes that UMass Lowell “is the first New England college or university to achieve Green Guard certification, aimed at protecting human health and improving quality of life by enhancing indoor air quality and reducing exposure to chemicals and other pollutants.”
This year’s other winners include the state’s Department of Correction and Department of Conservation and Recreation, North Shore Community College, the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, the towns of Sutton and Scituate and residents of Norton and Sudbury.
A Campuswide Effort
“Leading by Example is a prestigious award that recognizes our multifaceted energy conservation program,” says Thomas Dreyer, UMass Lowell’s associate vice chancellor for facilities management. “We have three great reasons to conserve: It is a good business decision, it is a great example for our students, who will be the green leaders of tomorrow, and it meets the strategic goals of the governor and our University.”
Adds Paul Piraino, UMass Lowell’s energy and sustainability manager in Facilities Operations & Services: “The award elevates the University’s standing to prospective students that this is a highly technological institution with a very environmentally conscious program that will help keep the Earth a sustainable planet. Ecology, sustainability and energy conservation are highly important topics for new students looking at colleges.”
Accolades belong to people and departments across the campus, says biology Assoc. Prof. Juliette Rooney-Varga, director of UMass Lowell’s Climate Change Initiative.
“One of the most important things to recognize about this award is that it is a campuswide award — in other words, it was given to UMass Lowell in recognition of the work of many, many faculty, administrators, students and staff across the campus,” notes Rooney-Varga. “In fact, there is good reason to believe that the breadth of our work across the University is exactly why we received this award. In a remarkably short amount of time, we have been able to pull together a tremendously diverse group of people around a common cause.”
Other sustainable practices at UMass Lowell include:

• Working toward achieving the goals outlined in the University’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) by implementing projects on campus and incorporating energy and environmental awareness into academic curricula and community outreach. The CAP, signed into action by Chancellor Marty Meehan in January, commits the campus to attaining carbon neutrality by 2050.
• Installing solar photovoltaic arrays on the roofs of Costello Gym, Bourgeois Hall, Dugan Hall and Leitch Hall with a combined output of 250 kilowatts, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 115 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.
• Installing more than 100 real-time, building-level energy meters on campus to track electricity, gas and steam usage and identify opportunities for increasing efficiency, especially during peak hours.
• Incorporating green building principles as the University continues to grow, as demonstrated by the most recent campus addition, the Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC), a LEED Silver building. Other LEED-certified buildings being constructed on campus are the Health and Social Sciences building, University Suites and University Crossing. These buildings are expected to reduce annual emissions by 1,670 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The award ceremony, which was held Oct. 25 at the State House in Boston, was attended by (shown in the photo, from left) Robert Barnett, executive director of Business Administrative Services; Paul Piraino; Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Joanne Yestramski; Donald Lampron, director of maintenance and trades in Facilities Operations & Services; Prof. Robert Gamache of the Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; Richard Lemoine, director of Environmental and Emergency Management; Juliette Rooney-Varga and Thomas Dreyer.
“Governor Patrick has set some of the most ambitious energy efficiency and renewable energy targets in the nation, and our state and local governments are setting the pace when it comes to reaching those targets,” says Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan. “This year’s winners are really walking the walk and taking steps that will continue to yield long-term environmental and economic dividends for years to come.”
For more information about the Leading by Example program, go to the state’s website.

Schools Experience Benefits of Wind Energy Firsthand

Schools Experience Benefits of Wind Energy Firsthand

Date: 11/7/2012

Source: Seanica Reineke, National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.

Audio with Ruth Douglas Miller, Kansas State University Wind Applications Center director and Darin Headrick, Greensburg, Kansas schools superintendent. (MP3 2.8 MB) Download Windows Media Player. Time: 00:03:01.
The Wind Applications Center at Kansas State University oversees school wind projects across Kansas. The school district in Greensburg, Kansas is one of those with a wind turbine. Superintendent Darin Headrick says the district looked at every aspect of the project to see how it might benefit the district.
"For us, it would be a good situation even if all it produced is exactly what its cost was. We still aren't out anything. We still have produced as much power by dollars as what it cost us to put it up. In case of our 50-kilowatt tower we have, we think we're going to do a little bit better than twice our investment. So our $300,000 investment for wind, we should see a revenue of about $700,000 of production of power. So it's really just a matter of having some cash on hand and knowing it's a good business decision, and then putting it in place. In fact, it's such a good decision for us, we're considering adding a second tower because it does provide some savings for us."
Wind Applications Center director Ruth Douglas Miller says there are nearly 25 projects now and those projects are typically funded by various entities, but the school usually covers the cost of the actual turbine and the tower. In recent years, USDA even has provided some grants for school wind projects. Miller says having a school wind turbine is very valuable in many ways. For one thing, she says it helps the entire community understand more about wind energy.
"We really were hoping to inspire students, to say 'This is really cool. We've got this turbine. I know a little bit about it. I would like to pursue a career in the wind industry.' I can't say we've had gobs of students end up going in that direction, but we've had a few, and it's really exciting to talk to a student who when he was in 8th grade helped write the proposal to me to put the turbine up. And then I see him again in the summer and he says 'I really want to go into wind. I want to be an engineer.' He just needed that motivation to push him through some of those tougher classes."
Headrick says wind turbines have become a staple in the community.
"It's something that's always on our landscape. It's something that we see. It's something that I think we sometimes take for granted. But I do know that we understand that it's a way for us to produce power, to produce power efficiently, and more importantly, to produce power that's green and renewable and responsible to our environment. But when you ask about students and the parents and how they see it, I think it's something they appreciate. I also think it's something that we've become accustomed to living here."
Headrick says he believes the school district has become an advocate of recognizing the obligation to be responsible with taxpayer dollars. The initial, additional cost upfront, Headrick says, saves a lot of money in the end and the school is seeing that firsthand. He says the school's investment in sustainable, green, renewable energy is not just responsible because it uses taxpayer dollars more efficiently but also because it's an additional educational aspect for the students.

This information was last updated on November 07, 2012

Liberty Property Trust Cuts Energy 17.9% in Four Years

November 8, 2012

Liberty Property Trust Cuts Energy 17.9% in Four Years

 

Liberty Property Trust has reduced energy use 17.9 percent, saving $4.6 million, since implementing its corporate sustainability project in 2008, goals achieved with help from eSight’s energy management system.
Liberty, a $6.2 billion real estate investment trust, owns 79 million square feet of office and industrial space in more than 20 markets throughout the US and UK. The company wanted to collect and measure the energy-related data across the sites, and bring that information together into a central database.
Liberty selected eSight’s energy management software and Exp US Services’ hardware to provide a system that could measure and verify data as well as identify areas of potential savings and reduce overall energy use across its buildings.
The software was installed at Liberty’s headquarters in Philadelphia. Data is collected via Tridium’s Java Application Control Energy (JACE) and automatically imported to eSight. Liberty is now able to analyze data across all buildings and can drill down into the information further using an easy-to-use energy dashboard, eSight said.
Liberty also is able to receive energy alarms, which might be triggered by sudden changes in consumption, and then distribute reports about the changes automatically.
Liberty Trust announced in September that it had pinpointed $2.3 million in energy savings potential across 110 buildings using an energy assessment tool from software company Retroficiency. The tool was able to remotely identify 25 million kWh savings potential, across lighting, heating, cooling, controls and plug loads, using a year’s worth of electric energy interval data and an address for each building. The Virtual Energy Assessment tool allows energy managers to identify potential savings without ever visiting a building or installing specialized hardware.
Liberty Trust won a 2012 Energy Star Partner of the Year award for its energy management approach and savings accomplished in 2011, including reducing its average weather-normalized source energy intensity by six percent, which equates to an estimated energy savings of $1.3 million, and earning Energy Star certification for 26 buildings, for a cumulative total of 78 certified buildings representing 10.8 million square feet of space. In 2011, the company also invested more than $4.2 million to complete more than 160 energy efficiency projects.

Building Owners ‘Slow Energy Retrofits’

Building Owners ‘Slow Energy Retrofits’

US building owners are scaling back the pace of energy-efficiency upgrades, according to the latest Global Sustainability Perspective report from Jones Lang LaSalle.
Seventy-eight percent of building owners plan to perform sustainability improvements over the next two years, compared to 91 percent that said they spent money on upgrades over the past two years, the financial services firm says.
In Building Energy Retrofit – Owners Need Convincing, Not Just Financing, the firm says the decline in sustainable retrofits isn’t connected to a lack of financing. In most cases, JLL says the biggest obstacle is proving that the investment will increase the bottom line.
The report says more capital is available for energy retrofits and renewable energy installations today than in recent years, but most owners have avoided financing options, focusing on self-financed projects that can demonstrate a direct financial payback.
Owners favor less expensive projects such as lighting retrofits and temperature controls, rather than HVAC upgrades that would save more energy but be less visible to tenants, says Dan Probst, chairman of energy and sustainability services at Jones Lang LaSalle.
Owners do not expect energy improvements to result in higher rent, but they do expect to attract more tenants, thus improving return on investment and building value.
While owners have focused primarily on moderate-cost improvements, those that analyze the cost and financial payback of a whole-building energy retrofit — and can take advantage of tax incentives — may find more extensive retrofits make financial sense as well, JLL says.
And there is increasing evidence that sustainability and energy-efficiency programs are good for business, according to the firm.
As certification systems such as LEED or BREEAM have defined what sustainable features are most effective, they’ve also redefined what constitutes a Grade A in the larger real estate investment markets, writes Franz Jenowein, director of energy and sustainability services, in the report’s lead editorial.
Benchmarking tools at enterprise levels have emerged as sustainable building investments rise, it says. These tools help track property companies’ sustainability initiatives and progress in achieving “green” goals.
A Jones Lang LaSalle study published last month said cities that invest in smart-grid technology and infrastructure, called “connected cities,” experience an annual GDP growth rate that is 0.7 percent higher, an unemployment rate that is a full percentage point lower, and office occupancy rates 2.5 percent higher than less advanced cities, Energy Manager Today reports.