Top 10 Utility Green Pricing Programs Identified by NREL
Have you ever wondered which utilities are having the most success with their green pricing programs?  What are the key measures of "success?" NREL has compiled extensive data on utility green pricing programs and produced the following "Top Ten" lists of program characteristics and results: total number of customer participants; customer participation rates; amount of new renewables development fostered by the program; and the premium charged to support new renewables development.  These tables and more will be included in a forthcoming NREL review of utility green pricing programs. See the programs at: http://www.eren.doe.gov/greenpower/topten.shtml

GreenBiz.com
GreenBiz.com is the resource center on business, the environment, and the bottom line and can be found at  http://www.GreenBiz.com  .  The site is produced by the nonprofit Green Business Network and supported by government, corporate, and foundation funds.  It offers a wealth of news, resources, tools, and reports to help companies of all sizes integrate environmental thinking into their operations in a way that creates business value as well as environmental improvement.  All of its resources are free, without restrictions. No passwords. No registration.  GreenBiz.com hopes you'll take the time to peruse the site's rich content.  They welcome your ideas, suggestions, and other feedback about the site. There are Comment forms and Contact links on every page of the site. There goal is to make GreenBiz.com of value to you in your organization and your job.  Feel free to forward this to colleagues and others you think would be interested.  Source: E-mail from Joel Makower, President Green Business Network 7/8/2000.
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For more information on Green Power go to:  http://www.eren.doe.gov/greenpower/   or   http://www.thegreenpowergroup.org/
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Largest PV Manufacturing Facility in the World Now Open
First Solar, LLC, quietly began production at its new 75,000-square-foot photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility in June.  The fully automated facility in Perrysburg, Ohio, is capable of producing 100 megawatts of solar electric modules per year, making it the largest PV manufacturing plant in the world. At present, the company is gradually gearing up to its full production capacity. To achieve its high output, First Solar is using a patented Vapor Transport Deposition process to apply thin films of cadmium telluride, a semiconductor, onto a glass substrate.  A laminate layer is then added to protect the films. The company claims the process can produce 70 meters (roughly 230 feet) of product per minute.  First Solar is currently producing a 50-watt PV module, which in July received the Underwriter's Laboratory recognition for electrical and fire safety. The company claims that it will provide a full-service solution for solar electrical systems by engineering and assembling modules into large arrays, adding ancillary electrical equipment, and installing the systems. See the First Solar Web site at:  http://www.firstsolar.com/  .  For more information on thin-film technology, see the DOE Photovoltaics Web site on EREN at:  http://www.eren.doe.gov/pv/thinfilms.html  .  Source: EREN Network News 8/16/2000

Navajo Tribal Utility Authority Brings Solar Electricity To Homes In Remote Areas
A new solar power initiative of the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) is bringing electricity to the homes of people living in remote areas of the reservation.  Sandia's PV program engineers are providing technical support for the project.  In a program that is the largest of its type in the country, the NTUA is buying 200 photovoltaic systems for $2 million and installing individual units at private
residences to furnish electrical power.  Sandia engineers provide expertise to ensure the units are properly installed and working as intended.  Each system serves a single home.  One hundred systems have already been installed, and another 100 are to be delivered to the NTUA throughout the summer.  Utility officials are identifying new households to receive units.  Jimmie Daniels, NTUA solar program manager, says the utility decided to offer this alternative power source to its customers because the cost of
stringing wire over parts of the reservation's rural terrain is prohibitive.  "The only way for many of these people to have electricity is to provide each household its own photovoltaic unit," he says.  Between 10,000 and 30,000 Navajos are estimated to live without electricity throughout the reservation that covers parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. The systems give some of these people their first opportunity to live in an illuminated world -- having access to electric light so children can do homework at night and to radios, television, and computers to help reduce rural isolation. The current program follows up a solar electric home experiment conducted by Sandia and the NTUA in the early 1990s. DOE provided $300,000 and other support that resulted in installation of 72 individual systems. Sandia helped develop a request-for-proposals for the earlier project and provided technical assistance.   "Based on results of that effort, the new systems are somewhat bigger with about 600 watts of photovoltaic collectors. They will be able to
convert about 3 kilowatt hours per day on average in the winter," says Roger Hill of Sandia's Renewable Energy Department, who coordinates Sandia's work with Native Americans. "That's enough electricity to power a single household for a day -- if the family members are conservative in their use of electricity."  Earlier use of photovoltaics on the Navajo Nation had a problem, which is addressed in this effort -- the systems sometimes failed due to lack of maintenance. Operating under a lease purchase agreement, NTUA performs the maintenance needed to ensure that the systems remain in working condition. After 15 years, ownership and maintenance of the systems will be turned over to the customers.  Sandia's photovoltaic laboratory houses one of the units where
engineers test it for potential problems. Sandia also conducted a two-day course for NTUA technicians, showing them proper installation and maintenance techniques.  "We've spent many years at Sandia working with photovoltaics and sharing this knowledge with others," Hill says.  Sandia engineer Marlene Brown, who travels once a month to Navajo country to provide technical support, says her job is to help troubleshoot units at the houses in the rural areas. She goes to the sites with an NTUA technician who shows customers how to maintain and use the equipment properly.  "The people are so pleased to have the units," she says. "Before, many of them used generators for limited power or had no power at all. Now they have power provided by a clean, quiet source."  For more information contact Sandia PV Projects at (505) 844-3698 (phone), (505) 844-6541 (fax),  pvsac@sandia.gov

Ocean Power Signs MOU with Wind Harvest
Ocean Power Corporation recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Wind Harvest Company. Under a license agreement, Wind Harvest will provide Windstar turbines for use with Ocean Power's H2O kilowatt Seawater Desalination Systems.  The process will begin with the development of a definitive agreement between the two companies within the next 90 days. "The Windstar's low profile, high energy output, susceptibility to high rate manufacturing cost reductions, low overall wind power cost, and relative ease of assembly in remote sites makes this product a fine candidate power source for our renewable energy modular desalination systems," said Ocean Power vice president Robert Campbell.  Contact: Robert Campbell, Ocean Power, phone 916-933-8100.  Source: Ocean Power Release 5/31/2000 via EIN Renewable Energy Today 6/7/2000.
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For more information on Renewable Resources go to:  http://www.eren.doe.gov/repis/
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CREC Conference September 15-17, 2000, Snow Mountain Ranch, Winter Park, Colorado
Colorado Renewable Energy Conference brings together Colorado's renewable energy, energy efficiency, environmental and business communities.  Topical sessions include: renewable energy, home efficiency, new transportation options, emerging architecture, and sustainable communities.  This year's event features: Year 2000 Renewable Energy in Buildings Awards; Friday and Saturday night socials; exhibits from the Colorado sustainability industry; informal "poster-style" presentations of projects from around the state.  For more information and to register online see Web site at:   http://www.cres.gen.co.us

Solar PV Goes to School
Two programs in the USA are discussed, one in Wisconsin and one in Texas.  For more information on solar and schools see: http://www.schoolsgoingsolar.org  ; and CADDET Renewable Energy Newsletter at: http://www.caddet-re.org/html/200art4.htm  .
Source: EIC Newsbriefs 7/17/00-7/21/00.

Florida Tree Ordinance Saves Energy, Money
Biological neural networks were the inspiration for the development of a computer-based method of analysis that a researcher uses to determine the ratio of leaves to ground (a "leaf area index").  The method, with some adjustments for different climates and native tree types, can be used to measure urban tree canopies.  Larger canopies prove to reduce energy use and improve air quality. http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2000/07/07142000/treecanopy_14766.asp?s  .  Source: ENN 7/14/00.

SNL Publishes Book on PV Systems
Sandia National Laboratory's (SNL) Photovoltaic Systems Assistance Center (PVSAC) recently announced the publication of a new 52-page document on photovoltaic (PV) technology. SNL said the booklet, titled "Power Where You Need It: The Promise of Photovoltaic," is one of many documents that PVSAC has produced for both experienced and new users within the PV community.  SNL said the message of the publication is "that photovoltaics is an enabling technology, providing power anywhere without a road, a wire or a pipeline." The booklet features a variety of "lavish" illustrations intended to encourage potential PV users to "think about how solar energy could serve them."  PVSAC noted that the publication includes information and photos on a diverse group of PV applications. In addition, the booklet "captures [the] geographical diversity [of PV applications]."  SNL said the book was made possible through "the cooperation of many members of the PV industry, both large and small companies."  Contact: Connie Brooks, SNL, phone 505-844-3698, e-mail  pvsac@sandia.gov  . Source: SNL Release 7/10/2000.

Renewables and Air Quality
Emissions trading programs might include renewables because they are so much cleaner than the fossil fuels relied upon for the production of electricity.  Cap-and-Trade programs are discussed in an article written by David Wooley in Solar Today, July/August 2000.  See the article at:  http://www.solartoday.org/2000/july-august/feature3.html  .  Source: EIC News Brief 7/3 - 7/7/2000.
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For more information on Educational Resources go to: http://www.thegateway.org
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Grassley, Thomas, Jeffords Collect Congressional Leadership Honors
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Sen. Jim Jeffords (R-Vt.), and Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) have been granted AWEA's Congressional Leadership Award for outstanding contribution to wind energy development.   Grassley and Thomas were honored "for successfully leading the effort to extend the wind Production Tax Credit."  Jeffords won the award "for longstanding support and effective advocacy on behalf of wind and other renewable technologies."  "Sen. Grassley and Rep. Thomas fought for and gained an extension of the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) that is encouraging high-tech investments and the generation of clean electricity in Iowa, California, and throughout the U.S.," said AWEA deputy executive director Tom Gray.  "Wind energy generation spurred by the PTC is also proving to be cheap insurance for farmers against drops in commodity prices, and for all Americans against higher electric bills caused by natural gas and oil price spikes."  A total of 242 MW of wind energy generating capacity was installed in Iowa between January, 1998, and the end of June, 1999--the date the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit was scheduled to expire.  As the wind farms were going up in his state, Grassley worked with allies on the Hill to win approval in Congress of the PTC extension.  The new Iowa wind projects are attracting worldwide attention, have channeled over $200 million in capital investment to Iowa's economy, and provide additional income to farmers who are, year after year, reaping wind as a second "crop" from their land.  In letters to the editor of their local paper, farmers have one after another pointed out that wind energy "is better than corn and beans," and "means money for Iowa farmers," a ringing tribute to the favorable impact of Grassley's wind energy leadership.  While Grassley was the key mover in the Senate, Thomas led the initiative to extend the PTC in the House.  Thomas'  home state of California leads the nation with over 1,600 MW of wind energy generating capacity--wind energy that is helping to clear the air of harmful sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other pollutants which contribute to smog and harm public health.  With looming power shortages in the area, electricity from wind is likely to be appreciated by Californians not only for its environmental
benefits, but also for its role as a buffer against swings in electricity prices and supply. The extension of the PTC will foster continued growth of the industry in the state and nationwide, and allow it to play such a buffer role.  Jeffords is promoting clean power in the current debate on federal electricity restructuring, and is a strong advocate for renewable energy.  "Sen. Jeffords' Clean Energy Act, S.1369, calls for renewable energy to provide 20% of our nation's electricity by 2020 and includes several ommon-sense provisions to promote the use of clean energy nationwide," said Gray. "Such provisions in a national electricity restructuring bill will ensure that renewable energy sources like wind energy come to market and provide their benefits--cleaner air, a healthier environment--to all Americans.  "Sen. Jeffords is providing critical and timely leadership in the nation's electricity restructuring negotiations by calling for the market to include a growing proportion of renewables and for the nation's most polluting plants to meet current clean air standards before they're allowed to compete.  "Thanks to the congressional leadership of Sen. Grassley, Sen. Jeffords and Rep. Thomas, the wind energy industry is becoming a high-tech, competitive engine driving clean growth in our country," said Gray.  Source: AWEA's Wind Energy Weekly 7/14/2000.

Biobased Products and Bioenergy Web Site
The National Biobased Products and Bioenergy Web site is to provide information about multi-agency Federal activities relating to biobased products and bioenergy, including: Biomass Research and Development Board; Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee; and National Biobased Products and Bioenergy Coordination Office.  Participating agencies and departments include: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, Department of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Management and Budget, and National Science Foundation.  For more information see Web site at:  http://www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/
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For more information on legislative activities go to: http://www.kannerandassoc.com/fedenergybills.html
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Fast Internet Search
One of the fastest, most powerful search utility's for finding web pages, files on the internet, e-mail address, phone numbers and other web-based information on the Net is a program called Ferret Power User Pack.  It is a suite of eight well done Internet search utilities.  The program queries popular Web-based search engines, quickly and efficiently finding web pages and specific information the user is looking for on the World Wide Web.  I've used the program for the last two years and highly recommend it for saving  significant time and effort in conducting research on the Internet.  Best of all, it's free.  For downloads see Web site at:  http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/stories/info/0,,0012CC,.html

DOE Report Highlights Barriers To Distributed Energy Projects
U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson released a comprehensive report May 31 that the Department of Energy said "documents, for the first time, the marketplace barriers that prevent electric utility customers, developers and vendors from creating projects that would enable consumers to generate their own electricity."  Added a DOE news release, "According to the . . . report, distributed
power systems that produce electricity onsite can reduce the amount of power utility companies need during peak demand and help prevent power outages."  Utility reliability is increasingly viewed as an important issue as states move forward in an uncoordinated way with restructuring of the utility industry.  "Hundreds of millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of work hours are lost each year due to power supply disruptions that could otherwise be avoided if the barriers to distributed electricity generation were removed," said Secretary Richardson. "When facilities such as hospitals and businesses with computers or other critical electronic technology can get power from either the grid or their own generating equipment, energy reliability and security will be greatly improved."  The report contains a 10-point action plan for reducing the technical, business practice and regulatory barriers that discourage interconnection of distributed generation technologies to the electricity grid in the United States. The report, Making Connections: Case Studies of Barriers to Interconnection of Distributed Power, is the first to document the problems the developers of distributed electricity generation projects encounter while attempting to interconnect to the electric grid.  The authors of the report were Tom Starrs, Brent Alderfer and Monika Eldridge.  Copies available at:  http://www.eren.doe.gov/distributedpower/barriersreport/
For further information, contact John B. Townsend II, U.S. Department of Energy, phone (202) 586-5806. Source: AWEA's Wind Energy Weekly 6/9/2000.
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For more information on marketing and market research go to:  http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/emaa/index.html
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American Public Power Association Offers DEED Program
The Demonstration of Energy-Efficient Developments (DEED) program was established in 1980 by the American Public Power Association. The purpose of this research, development and demonstration program is to sponsor and conduct activities related to energy innovation, improving efficiencies and lowering the cost of providing energy services to the customers of publicly owned electric utilities.  The DEED program offers funding for projects that will develop and demonstrate new technologies and techniques. Funding for DEED-sponsored projects comes in the form of grants to DEED member utilities, scholarships to university students studying in energy-related disciplines, and joint projects with APPA committees.  APPA is the national service organization for community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities.  DEED grants are intended for demonstration or early commercialization projects. DEED grants also may be used for applied research to early-demonstration projects with longer-term potential.  A final report on the project, describing activities, cost, bibliography, achievements, problems, results, and recommendations, and a four-page summary abstract are required at the conclusion of all DEED-sponsored grant projects. Eligibility Requirements for Applicants:
Only members of APPA’s DEED program are eligible to apply. Any other organizations involved in the project would serve as the subcontractor to the host utility, which would have responsibility for oversight.  Applications must be sent from a DEED-member utility or organization and must be dated and signed on the last page by an authorized individual at that utility.  The maximum grant request is 25 percent of available DEED funds. This amount fluctuates, so applicants should contact the DEED administrator for an estimate; this generally limits proposals to $100,000. Amounts over $50,000, however, also must be approved by the APPA board of directors. The DEED board takes into consideration the portion of the total project budget that is being requested from DEED and also the portion being contributed by the sponsor when making funding decisions. For more information contact Elizabeth Sullivan, DEED Assistant, 2301 M Street, NW, Washington, DC  20037; tel:202/467-2942, or e-mail at  esullivan@APPAnet.org  .

APPA DEED Scholarship Application
DEED scholarships are intended to promote the involvement of students studying in energy-related disciplines in the public power industry, and to provide host utilities with technical assistance.  Successful applicants are expected to conduct research on a project approved by the sponsoring utility and submit a final report on the project, describing activities, cost, bibliography, achievements, problems, results, and recommendations. A two-page summary abstract is also required.  Only  students studying in energy-related disciplines from accredited colleges or universities are eligible for scholarships. Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, or citizenship.  Applications must be sent from a DEED member utility and must be dated and signed on the last page by an authorized individual at that utility.  Ten awards are given away each year.  If all 10 are not awarded at the spring meeting, the remainder will be available in the fall.  Each award is $4,000.  Scholarships may be split among students collaborating on a single project. One-third of scholarship funds  will be withheld until satisfactory completion of the project.  Payments are made from APPA to the sponsoring utility for dispersal to the student.  The sponsoring utility will approve and forward the student’s final report and summary abstract to APPA.  For more information contact Elizabeth Sullivan, DEED Assistant, 2301 M Street, NW, Washington, DC  20037; tel:202/467-2942, or e-mail at  esullivan@APPAnet.org  .~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For more information on funding solicitations go to: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html
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