Green Power Switch News
Vol. 4, No. 3 — Fall 2004
Home-made electricity
Three more Tennessee homes are producing power and selling it to TVA. They’re part of Green Power Switch Generation Partners, a demonstration project that pays consumers to produce electricity from renewable sources and supply it to TVA.
The new participants are customers of Lenoir City Utilities Board (LCUB). LCUB’s first GPS Generation Partners home was built by Habitat for Humanity under the direction of the Department of Energy’s Rebuild America program. These Zero Energy Buildings return as much energy to the power grid as they consume. They combine advanced energy-efficiency construction techniques and renewable technologies to minimize energy usage. The green power produced from the two-kilowatt solar systems on the houses is purchased by TVA and supplies power for TVA’s Green Power Switch program, which is offered through LCUB.
The first Zero Energy Building shows a 65 percent energy savings after one year compared with a similar-size home in the same neighborhood. The house used over 9,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh), but it generated 2,000 kWh from its solar panels, yielding a net purchase of only 7,000 kWh. This represents a total energy cost of only 82 cents per day, or less than $300 a year.
The use of more advanced technology will ensure that the three new GPS Generation Partners homes are even more energy-efficient than the first. One of the homes has a geothermal heat pump, which uses heat from the earth to warm the indoors. Preliminary data indicate that it resulted in a 15 percent reduction in energy costs. In addition, a newer generation of solar panels produced 10 percent more energy than the panels on the first house during one recent month.
| Upcoming Events |
| Home-made electricity |
| TVA Environmental Report |
| Business in the spotlight: Sir’s Fabrics goes green |
| Generation & Participation Updates |
As a public power provider and steward of the Tennessee Valley’s natural resources, TVA has broad environmental responsibilities. The agency’s environmental report for 2002-2003 outlines TVA’s successes and challenges in improving air and water quality, providing renewable energy sources, and protecting shoreline and wildlife resources. There’s also a Q&A with the TVA Board of Directors. Read it here.