First BEF "Green Tag" Sale Goes to EPA
The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) announced today that it has signed a Letter of Intent for its first "green tag" sale in support of new renewable energy in the Pacific Northwest.  The sale will be to the Environmental Protection Agency for its Manchester Laboratory in Port Orchard, Washington.  The transaction, involving annual payments from EPA to the Foundation, will support the installation and operation of at least one new wind turbine in the region.  The turbine will be rated at about 700 kilowatts capacity, and is expected to generate about 2.1 million kilowatt hours annually, equal to the laboratory's consumption.  The output from such a turbine will displace an equivalent amount of fossil fuel (coal; gas) generation, or about 1500 Tons of CO2 emissions annually.  Additional amounts of other air pollutants would be avoided as well. "This sale will help us bring the cost of new regional wind still lower, "said Angus Duncan, President of the Foundation.  "Within the year, we believe we may be able to nearly double the amount of green power the EPA payment will support, and the environmental benefits it delivers." With the Foundation's "green tag" energy product, the customer's annual payment to the Foundation goes to pay just that share of the costs of new wind energy that exceed the average price of conventional power.   The actual output is then sold as conventional power at market prices, while the customer – EPA -- can take credit for the environmental benefits of avoiding fossil fuel generation. BEF expects to obtain the wind energy from the Bonneville Power Administration, probably from a new Northwest windfarm that will be developed by the end of 2001, BEF is an independent non-profit foundation that generates revenues from sales of environmentally-preferable – or "green" – power to utilities and end use customer throughout the four Northwest states.  Working with BPA and other suppliers, and with supporting environmental groups, BEF has completed transactions involving the sale of some 23 average Megawatts (23,000 kilowatts) of green power since its organization in 1998.  BEF uses the net revenues from these sales to fund new renewable energy resources, and watershed restoration projects in the four-state area.  In its first 18 months, BEF has generated more than $2.5 million in net revenues available for such projects. For more information contact Angus Duncan, BEF, phone 503-329-9412, angusduncan@BonEnvFdn.org   or see Web site at  http://www.bonEnvFdn.org  .  Source: BEF News Release 5/11/2000.

BPA Green Power Purchase Initiative Gets Green Light
Both the BPA Headquarters Building and a number of its regional facilities will soon begin purchasing green power products from their servicing utilities.  We have indicated to PacifiCorp that we would like to purchase 460 "shares" of their Blue Sky product.  Each share represents 100 kWh per month.  Under PacifiCorp's green power promotional program, the purchase will qualify BPA to receive PacifiCorp's "Visionary" award--the highest level award offered in conjunction with the program.  The purchase amount represents 5 percent of the power consumed at the Headquarters Building and approximately 3.8 percent of the total amount of  power BPA purchases from PacifiCorp.  In addition, Fred Johnson, BPA's Vice President for Transmission Field Services, has requested that his regional managers proceed with making arrangements with other utilities offering a green power product (Eugene Water and Electric Board, Portland General Electric, Orcas Power and Light, Central Electric Coop, Douglas Electric Coop, and Flathead Electric Coop) which serve their loads to purchase at least 5 percent of their energy from the suppliers' green power resources.   The managers were also asked to use this guideline if approached  in the future by other utilities serving our facilities about the purchase of a green power product.  Source: BPA Weekly Report for Public Interest Groups 5/31/2000.
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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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Turbine Could Make Wind Energy More Affordable
Bellevue, WA-based Wind Turbine Company (WTC) recently announced it has developed a new 250-kilowatt (kW) "Smart Turbine"
which is undergoing field tests at the Department of Energy's (DOE) National Wind Technology Center.  WTC said this is the first utility-grade turbine exclusively designed in the U.S. in more than 20 years. Foregoing traditional European turbine designs, WTC engineered its turbine so that the wind reaches the two blades after passing the tower and generator, referring to the concept as "down wind orientation," the company said. In addition, the light-weight Smart Turbine is capable of being placed on towers as tall as 100 meters in order to take advantage of stronger winds. "The debut of our 'proof of concept' turbine is a significant step toward enabling wind energy to compete head-to-head with electricity from natural gas generation," said WTC co-founder and president Larry Miles. He noted that WTC's Smart Turbine could cut energy costs by as much as 30 percent "over our nearest competitor" and predicted that the goal of three cents per kW of wind energy is within reach. WTC has received $15 million in investments from DOE as well as the state of California, which awarded $950,000 towards the project in 1998. Contact: Larry Miles, WTC, phone 425-637-1470, e-mail  mileslw@msn.com  .  Source:  WTC Release 4/242000 via EIS Renewable Energy Today 4/28/2000.
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For more information on Renewable Resources go to:  http://www.eren.doe.gov/repis/
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BP Amoco / BP Solarex Sponsor a Solar Education Program
BP Amoco / BP Solarex have sponsored a solar education program in partnership with the UK Association of Science Education.
The "Global Solar Exchange Unit" is designed for students aged 12 - 16+.  The Unit enables students to research aspects of solar energy in their own communities and then to exchange information and ideas with other students world-wide. The Unit is ideal for teachers and students who prefer to work on a short, focussed project (typically 3-6 hours).   The Solar Exchange Unit includes teachers' notes, student work pages, an exchange form and up-to-date support data. You can browse or download the
Unit from the Web.  See  http://www.solarpartners.org  .  Source:  EPRI Green Power News 4/25/2000.
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For more information on Educational Resources go to: http://www.thegateway.org
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Administration Likely to Veto Hydropower Bill
The Department of Interior (DOI) is ready to recommend that the President veto a bill that would change federal hydropower
relicensing rules. The bill (S. 740), sponsored Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) would help to speed up the relicensing process, which will
affect over 30,000 megawatts (MW) of power over the next 15 years.  Craig's legislation, which is similar to a bill recently passed by a U.S. House of Representatives committee earlier this month, would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) power to hold other federal and state agencies to relicensing deadlines. It also calls for a more consolidated environmental review process, and requires that economic benefit be taken into account during this review process. Deputy interior secretary David Hayes outlined the administration's position on the bill to a Senate panel last week.  "...I strongly believe that the administrative reforms committed to by [DOI], FERC and other federal resource agencies will achieve many of the same goals sought in this bill in a much more plausible, efficient and collaborative manner," said Hayes.  Craig and other supporters of the bill say it will help hydropower become a more important component of the nation's energy mix. Opponents say the House version of the bill would harm conservation and environmental efforts. Source:  The Energy Report 5/29/2000 via EIS Renewable Energy Today 5/31/2000.
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For more information on legislative activities go to: http://www.kannerandassoc.com/fedenergybills.html
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Energy Center of Wisconsin Finds Ways to Use Energy More Efficiently By Providing Research
The Energy Center of Wisconsin finds ways to use energy more efficiently. By providing research, education, and energy  information, we work to improve Wisconsin's economy while protecting the environment.  The Center works closely with government organizations, businesses, research & development organizations, advocacy groups, and Wisconsin's electric and  gas utilities to promote energy efficiency and demonstrate ideas that benefit both energy producers and energy consumers. Whether you need up-to-date information about a high-efficiency technology, are wondering how your business can save money through improved efficiency, or are simply interested in learning what's going on in the energy field, the Energy Center is ready to help.  See their Web site at:   http://www.ecw.org/projects/emr.html
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For more information on marketing and market research go to: http://www.researchinfo.com/  or  http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/emaa/index.html
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For more information on funding solicitations go to: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html
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