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Choice of Green
For years, Portland General Electric, Oregon's largest electric utility, has offered its customers a renewable energy option: For a surcharge of a few dollars a month, customers can draw power from wind and geothermal sources. But it remained a small, low-profile program with only a few thousand customers enrolled. This year, however, the so-called green option took off, more than tripling to almost 17,000 customers, about 2.5 percent of PGE's market. Thor Hinckley, renewable energy program manager, estimates that another 10,000 will sign up by 2004. What happened? Hydropower, long the largest source of electricity in the Pacific Northwest, has lost its aura of ecological friendliness. The dams on the Columbia River and its tributaries can disrupt salmon migration. So when the Oregon state legislature updated the laws regulating electrical utilities in 1999, it mandated that the state's two largest utilities-PGE and Pacific Power-begin to offer customers renewable electricity packages. "There was a legislative mandate to re-educate every customer on the restructuring," Hinckley said, and the mailings spurred many customers to enroll in new or existing renewable options. (Pacific Power also saw a jump in signups, to roughly 12,000 customers.) Smaller Oregon utilities, while not under state mandate, also have found success selling wind power subscriptions. Even without a large marketing push, around 3 percent of customers of the municipally owned Eugene Water and Electricity Board have chosen to support a wind farm at Foote Creek Rim, Wyo., through a small surcharge on their monthly bill. "The money is directed to the debt service and maintenance of the particular power plant," said Mat Northway, EWEB's energy management services manager. "What the people who participate get is some control over the extra money they spend and the money that we match." Hinckley of Portland General Electric said the success of "green marketing" has been an important incentive to developers of renewable energy. But to a certain extent, all Oregon electricity users are taking the green option: The amount of wind and geothermal electricity sent into the Western power grid exceeds the demand set by green option customers. As EWEB's Northway said, "It's now just part of the mix." J.W. Source: American Society of Mechanical Engineers Dec 2002
For more information: http://www.eren.doe.gov/greenpower/ or http://www.nwlink.com/~van/greenlnk.html
Wind Turbine Plan Up In The Air Palmdale Against Energy
Project
City officials are seeking a court order to stop the Palmdale Water District from moving ahead with a controversial wind turbine, arguing that environmental impacts are greater than water officials contend. The city's legal challenge, which includes a request for a preliminary injunction, charges that the district understated environmental impacts, including visual blight, the impact on birds, and the potential for earthquake damage. A city spokesman claimed that water officials "downplayed, discounted and hid potential adverse impacts." The legal challenge was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against a document called a mitigated negative declaration, in which water district officials conclude that the turbine could potentially harm the environment but that it would be built in such a way that the effects would be insignificant. The water district is proposing to build the wind turbine at Lake Palmdale as a way to cut energy costs. Water District General Manager Dennis LaMoreaux said Monday that he could not comment on the city's challenge. The Palmdale Water District board is scheduled to discuss the litigation in a closed session during a meeting Friday evening. A major concern of the city is the aesthetic impact a large structure would have, particularly on the views from homes in the area and for motorists traveling on the Antelope Valley Freeway north out of Soledad Pass. "The project will, however, directly, immediately and substantially impact and impede residential views of the San Gabriel Mountains south and west of the project site," the filing said. "Likewise, the project will directly, immediately and substantially impact views of the city and the Antelope Valley from Highway 14 (along the very first viewing stretch on Highway 14 encountered by motorists traveling north from Los Angeles, the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys)."
The filing also challenges the project in regard to the impact it would have on bird life, calling the wind turbine a "178-foot aerial buzz saw." The filing states there are 156 different bird species in the area that will be harmed by the project. "The district's 'mitigation measure' for that problem is to perform regular 'body counts' of the birds the windmill kills," the filing said. "Counting the dead and eviscerated carcasses does nothing to reduce the impact." The filing challenges the water district's contention that there are less than significant impacts from seismic activity. The city says the project straddles the San Andreas Fault. The Palmdale Water District is proposing to build the wind turbine to help power the district's Lake Palmdale water-treatment plant and booster-pump facility. In its response to comments on the negative declaration, the district said the visual impact of the project would be minimal because it is being built on the same site where a 300-foot radio tower once stood. The turbine site is also about a half-mile away from the nearest homes and those homes do not have a view of the lake. The district also states that because the turbine would have a slim tower, it would not obstruct views for motorists entering the Antelope Valley. The turbine is proposed to sit along the northern edge of Lake Palmdale, south of Avenue S and west of Sierra Highway. District officials are looking at two possible sizes for the turbine, one with a tower of approximately 230 feet with turbine blades moving in a diameter of 178 feet and another with a tower of 132 feet and blades turning in a 155-foot diameter. If the district goes with the larger turbine, it is expected to be capable of generating as much as 1,000 kilowatts. The smaller turbine would be able to generate 660 kilowatts. The windmill idea is one of several moves the water district has taken since California's 2001 energy crisis. Others included reactivating a small hydroelectric generator at the reservoir and moving to install photovoltaic cells to help power its maintenance shop with solar energy. The district is looking at paying for about half of the $1.2 million cost with renewable-energy incentives offered by state government through Southern California Edison Co. Lower electricity bills should pay for the turbine in about six years, they said. If the district can get the project through the permitting process by the end of the year and get it built before September 2003, excess power from the turbine could go back into the state power grid and the district would get full credit for the rate Southern California Edison is charging for electricity. Source: Energy Central via Los Angeles Times 12/25/2002.
Tennessee Valley Authority's Historic Water Flume Still Produces Electricity
It is a blue-cold, rainy December day. Larry Cavett walks haltingly across the slippery boards on top of the Tennessee Valley Authority's historic water flume. The sound of rushing water beneath his feet represents something big, powerful and constant. The TVA flume, the only one of its kind in the nation, was built in the early part of the 20th century and is still in use today. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is linked to a historic past in hydroelectric annals, but it also splices into ancient times when flumes were in use by the King of Assyria and the Romans. In 1791, Secretary of State Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist of America's revolutionary generation, even submitted to Congress his plans to use the nation's vast water resources to aid the development of manufacturing. TVA's flume captures the Toccoa River running out of Georgia into Tennessee where it becomes the Ocoee River. It's the same river with the same characteristics, but its name changes when it crosses the state border. When it reaches Rogers Branch Recreation Area in Tennessee, the river is blocked by a diversion dam and then harnessed by the wooden flume, where a series of events take place that feeds electricity to the region. Cavett, 55, who was born near the enchanting streams and the deeply greened forests of Polk County, looks down between his rain-soaked shoes. The river has been funneled into a three-sided box that is 14 feet deep and 12 feet wide. The box is held together with concrete-coated nails, but the swelling of the timber is the main thing that prevents the river from spilling through the boards. That river in a box, flowing at a volume of 1,000 cubic feet per second, rides almost five miles downstream to Ocoee No. 2 Powerhouse. Roughly 27 million gallons of water hurry through the flume each hour when the electricity-producing turbines at No. 2 are on full power. Water weighs just over 8 pounds per gallon. Although the huge block of water is moving downstream and does not stop long enough to hit a set of weight scales, a little experimental math indicates that more than 203.5 million pounds of water are being supported by the flume from one end to the other. But along the way, something very extraordinary happens. The water that has been captured moves along as much as 250 feet above the riverbed at some points.
The flume, constructed of tongue-and-groove California longleaf pine, is practically level for its five-mile downstream journey. At five points along the way, the flume is supported by trestles that span gorges adjoining the riverbed. The trestles vary in height from 70 to 150 feet. A set of narrow-gauge rail tracks, capable of sustaining a rail work crew motorcar, provides access for maintenance along the entire length of the flume. At Mundix Bluff on U.S. Highway 64, the Old Copper Road that snakes along the river, the flume and water appear to be running uphill. It is an optical illusion. "It is actually going downhill," says Cavett. The flume itself is a marvel of engineering and construction, and Cavett knows its history well. He served as operations manager at the TVA Ocoee Dam No. 2, but his last job with TVA was as a production supervisor. Although he retired in 2000, after 30 years, he now does contract work, writing safety and operational procedures. The boxed river would make Hamilton smile. It has been supplying electric power to the region since 1913. There are three TVA dams and three powerhouses on the Ocoee. In 1912 the East Tennessee Power Co. began construction of two modest-sized dams on the Ocoee River. Powerhouse No. 1 was the very first hydroelectric dam in Tennessee. Powerhouse No. 2. was built in 1913. TVA purchased the two privately owned powerhouses in the late 1930s and then built Powerhouse No. 3 during World War II. Today the two generators at Ocoee No. 2 still use the long-throated flume to produce up to 28 megawatts of electricity. Over time, TVA has modified the generating plant by adding new components and safety systems, but parts of the plant still date to the early 20th century. The "old flume," as it is known, shut down in 1976 because of structural problems. Now that it has been rehabilitated, it has another job. TVA guarantees at least 116 days each year for whitewater recreation below No. 2 Dam. There is a love-hate relation between the outdoor rafting firms, TVA, and householders who use electricity. Some of the people in the area who are on fixed income, says Cavett, prefer the flume to run full time, generating electricity in hopes of keeping rates stable. But rafters argue they should get more float time during which the water is diverted back to the original riverbed, providing a prime source of pleasure and adventure. Periodically rocks, trees and other debris fall across the tracks just inches above the water. Cavett says some of the rocks are so large that small backhoes have to be brought in to break them into pieces so they can be removed.
The flume has one other engineering feature that contributes to its uniqueness. It is a common siphon that consumes an entire section of the river as it flows downstream like a liquid rectangle. Cavett says the siphon section was never tested when it was first built. It was simply put into operation immediately. The siphon system is to ensure that the water level never gets too high in the flume. If it does, in the event of some heavy rainfall, then the extra water would cause the siphon intake to send water down a rocky spillway, which also ensures that the ground around the flume is not saturated. Over time, Cavett says, some workers have been injured or even killed while working on the flume. There is at least one story of a fellow who supposedly floated the flume and survived, but that has not been documented. Cavett points out the large beams that cross the box at intervals. The water comes within inches of the bottom of the crossbeams and the top lip of the box. It would be a close fit for a floater, he says. Doable, but then at the end of the trip, there is going to be some sort of real confrontation and a decision on the part of the floater. The flume, Cavett says, lives in the hearts and minds of the people around the Ocoee River. It is a piece of history, he says, even though those who built the original are long gone. "The flume has always had good stories," he says. "Like the time when they were first building it. The work crews were over budget, so the powers that be said the next week they would have to work at half pay. "So, that next week when the workers showed up, they had cut their shovels in half." Source: The Knoxville News-Sentinel 12/31/2002.
Nevada Utilities Sign Contracts for Solar Power
Sierra Pacific Resources (NYSE: SRP) announced today that its two Nevada-based utility subsidiaries have signed long-term contracts with Duke Solar Energy LLC to supply 50 megawatts* of electricity generated by solar power from a plant to be located in Eldorado Valley, near Boulder City, Nev. Nevada Power contracted for approximately two-thirds of the power and Sierra Pacific Power Company contracted for approximately one-third. The companies will now make filings with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN), which will review the contracts and apply the pertinent law and regulations before determining whether they should be approved. "With the addition of this solar contract and the geothermal and wind contracts we recently signed, we expect to be able to satisfy the renewable portfolio requirements for both utilities for the year 2005 and exceed the requirement for the year 2006," said Walt Higgins, chairman, president and CEO of Sierra Pacific Resources. "Nevada has a tremendous amount of native renewable energy resources and these contracts will help us unlock some of those resources while helping the state to meet its growing needs for energy." Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn said, "The 50 megawatt solar contract submitted for PUCN review today represents a large investment in our economy and will make Nevada the second largest producer of solar energy in the country. Southern Nevada has among the best solar resources in the country and this facility will pave the way for additional solar energy in the future." The contracts are part of the two utilities' actions to comply with legislation that requires the use of a certain percentage of renewable energy sources - solar, wind, geothermal and biomass - to generate electricity for customers within the state. The legislation contains an escalation provision that requires providers of electric service to increase the use of renewable energy by two percent every third year, until the provider's energy portfolio accounts for 15 percent of its total energy sales. The requirement for solar-generated power must be 5 percent of the total renewable energy portfolio. Earlier, Sierra Pacific Resources announced that Nevada Power had signed six contracts with renewable energy suppliers that could furnish up to 227 megawatts* of electricity to its utility subsidiaries. More than half of those contracts consisted of wind generation, with the remaining amount from electricity generated by geothermal resources. Source: Nevada Power Release via Earl Hodge E-mail 12/20/2002.
Jefferson County, Mont., Wind Power Plan in Limbo
The Montana Public Service Commission approved a contract Wednesday for a major wind project in Jefferson County, but set the price for the electricity so low the wind-power developer said it isn't realistic to build the $65 million project at that rate. On a 3-2 vote, the PSC approved an order in the application of Whitehall Wind LLC, an affiliate of Navitas Energy Inc. of Minneapolis, to be an independent power producer for NorthWestern Energy. Under the designation, NorthWestern Energy would be required to buy electricity from Whitehall Wind, but at a short-term rate of $10 per megawatt hour, which is about one-third of what Navitas Energy had sought. Navitas Energy had suggested three price rates to the PSC emdash$32.75, $31.65 and $28 a megawatt hour, all lower than the rate NorthWestern customers in Montana now pay -- but the PSC instead chose the $10 rate. The PSC staff said the $10 per megawatt hour is the appropriate short-term rate under the law from NorthWestern's power purchase schedule. "We're not happy," said Chris Moore, Navitas Energy's director of development. "We think that the PSC is going against ratepayer interests. We believe they are going against their own rules, state rules, federal rules." The company is figuring out what its next steps are and where to appeal the ruling, Moore said. Whitehall Wind has proposed building a 50-megawatt wind farm near the Golden Sunlight Mine, northeast of Whitehall. Navitas also is considering building a plant in Montana to manufacture wind turbines in Montana. "If we can do the kind of business that we think we can do in Montana, it would make sense to do something like that," Moore said, but not at $10 per megawatt hour. Navitas Energy unsuccessfully sought to be part of the default supply portfolio that NorthWestern Energy, which bought Montana Power Co.'s utility business earlier this year, was assembling to supply its 290,000 electricity customers. Rebuffed on that front, the company tried an alternate route and sought PSC designation as a qualifying facility or independent power producer.
Under the controversial 1978 federal law aimed at encouraging alternative energy plants, utilities are forced to buy power from qualifying facilities whether they want or need the power at a rate set by the PSC. PSC lawyer Martin Jacobson told the commission that federal and state laws require NorthWestern, as the default suppler, to take the power offered by the independent power producer, Whitehall Wind. "It is essential that our legislative preferences not get in the way of our judicial preferences," Jacobson said. Voting for the order were Commissioners Bob Rowe, D-Missoula; Bob Anderson, D-Helena, and Gary Feland, R-Shelby. Opponents were Commissioners Matt Brainard, RFlorence, and Jay Stovall, R-Billings. "If the power is delivered at that short-term rate, that is virtually assured of being good for customers," Rowe said, but added that it's not the rate Whitehall Wind wants and may not allow the project to proceed. Stovall, a strong supporter of developing coal-fired power plants in his eastern Montana district, said he worries the order could set a precedent for NorthWestern having to buy more power from several other wind power projects. He said the price is unrealistic because wind power needs a source of more reliable power to firm it up during times when the wind isn't blowing sufficiently. Brainard said expressed concern that there's no limit on how many independent power producers could file for con tracts with NorthWestern. PSC economist Will Rosquist said the order doesn't establish contracts with any independent power supplier but says to the extent Whitehall Wind wants to sell to NorthWestern Energy, it can do so for $10 per megawatt hour. "Whitehall Wind has to decide if it's capable of building the project at the short-term rate and selling it to NorthWestern," Rosquist said. "If it can't, it won't. If it can, it will. The rate is not bad for consumers." Anderson said the order should be approved in conformity with the law. "If you don't like the law, tough," he said. "It is the law. No wind development will result as of this order. No one can make a go of it at $10....If it did, it would be a hell of a deal for consumers." Rowe agreed, saying there is no power as cheap as the $10 per megawatt hour rate. He predicted the order "will equally disappoint all sides" and may be appealed by all sides, but said the PSC has done a good job of protecting consumers' interests. Said Jacobson: "We are not doing what Whitehall Wind asked us to do. We are doing what are rules say we must do." Source: The Montana Standard Butte 12/19/2002.
Solar Power Will Give a Boost to Fairgrounds
By the time the San Diego County Fair rolls around, the Del Mar Fairgrounds probably will be generating about one-sixth of the electricity it consumes. The fairgrounds in February will start installing about 7,000 solar panels on the roofs of 10 barns. The panels, which were delivered last week and this week, will generate a little more than two months' worth of fairgrounds electricity each year when they're up and running. Officials hope to complete the installation by June. Larry Baumann, fairgrounds operations manager, said benefits of purchasing the system will go beyond saving money and energy. The purchase also will help increase the use of such photovoltaic systems, he said. "Photovoltaics will never take off and go until the prices of panels get into a reasonable range and they won't get into a reasonable range until production is high enough to make it worthwhile," he said. Photovoltaic systems often are the least-costly way to provide electricity, according to the Solar Electric Power Association, and are almost always the simplest and cleanest to operate. Given the cost of electricity, officials expect the solar-panel system to cut the fairgrounds' annual energy costs by about $230,000. The fairgrounds spent $1.5 million on electricity in 2001. If energy prices climb as expected, the fairgrounds would save more. The fairgrounds consumed 9.86 million kilowatt hours in 2001; the system is expected to cut that by about 1.64 million kilowatt per year. Half the $4.8 million cost of the 1 megawatt photovoltaic system will be covered by a $2.4 million grant from the nonprofit San Diego Regional Energy Office. It will take the fairgrounds 10 to 15 years to pay off the rest. Cal Expo, home of the state fair in Sacramento, installed a 400-kilowatt photovoltaic system in February and has seen a 50 percent decrease in its electricity bills. The fairgrounds occasionally brings in diesel-powered generators to help power large events such as the fair and the annual Holiday of Lights display. Source: San Diego Union Tribune 1/2/2003.
Year 2002 Starts Fuel Cell Vehicle Era, Says Fuel Cells
2000
The auto industry quietly passed its most significant milestone in more than a century in the year just ended. Honda and Toyota delivered the first customer-operated fuel cell automobiles to customers in California and Japan. Coupled with these small steps toward commercialization is the developing consensus that fully commercial fuel cell vehicles will be available in the marketplace by 2010, or perhaps even sooner, according to a survey of auto industry statements by Fuel Cells 2000. The analysis, Automakers On Fuel Cells, was released today. The document is available without charge at www.fuelcells.org. The report focuses on statements made by the CEOs and Project Managers of GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Honda, Toyota, Nissan and others. "Based on the industry's own public comments, we anticipate an increasing number of first-generation fuel cell vehicles in the hands of consumers over the next two years. Next generation fuel cell vehicles will enter use around 2006 to 2007, with 2010 the target for full commercial capability, which we define as mass production." said Brian Walsh, Technical Manager, Fuel Cells 2000. "If the industry meets these projections, December 2, 2002, the date of Honda's and Toyota's first deliveries, will have marked the beginning of the end for the 100-year-old internal combustion engine." Fuel Cells 2000 also reports on the progress of all fuel cell vehicles in a series of continuously updated charts of fuel cell passenger cars, specialty vehicles and buses. (These charts are available at www.fuelcells.org/charts.htm). "It's an interesting race with huge stakes. Every major auto company is involved and every company has its own strategy to win," said Walsh. Fuel Cells 2000 is a non-profit, educational and outreach activity that seeks to promote the development, demonstration and commercialization of fuel cells, an advanced electrochemical energy generation technology. Source: Los Angeles Times 1/2/2003.
The good and the Bad of Wind Power
South Africa's first electricity-from-the-wind experiment may be providing pollutionless and renewable power - but bird experts warn that the turbines may kill many birds. Three months ago, Eskom installed a 60m-high wind turbine at Klipheuwel, Western Cape, in a pilot project. The 1,5-megawatt turbine could be the forerunner of several wind plants across the country, although Eskom is also pushing to experiment with using dozens of "mini" nuclear reactors to generate extra power. However, if more wind-power projects get the go-ahead, bird lovers are concerned about the impact this could have on migratory species and birds of prey. At California's wind farms, for example, between 100 and 300 raptors were killed every year in the 1990s, according to Chris van Rooyen of the Endangered Wildlife Trust. Writing in the latest edition of Africa - Birds And Birding magazine, Van Rooyen said that in countries that had wind farms, bird deaths had become an issue in the early 1990s. He says, however, that it is fairly rare for birds to collide with wind turbines. In Spain, researchers found that badly placed or designed turbines were the main problem as only 28 out of 190 turbines were responsible for most of the bird deaths. At the Alatamont Pass wind farm in California, only 13 percent of the turbines were involved in bird deaths. According to Van Rooyen, large birds were most at risk, while birds such as ravens and others of their size are seldom killed. Weather conditions also play an important part as rain, mist and winds can make the turbine blades invisible, he says. Placing turbines at the top of ridges and slopes or in valleys can increase the risk of collision for migratory birds. Also, turbines should not be placed in known flight paths or near wetlands where birds tend to gather in large numbers. "Although avoiding turbines is a natural response for birds, the design of the turbines may influence their behaviour. "Towers that provide perching space near the blades are a particularly high-risk design as birds, particularly raptors, may try to use the structure as a hunting perch and be killed by the blades when landing or taking off." Fortunately, birds can adapt their behaviour. A Danish study found that with time, birds learnt to avoid wind turbines. Van Rooyen believes problems can be reduced by painting the tips of turbine blades, using blades that rotate more slowly and ensuring there is no perching space on towers. Source: Cape Times 1/2/2003.
For more information on Renewable Resources go to: http://www.eren.doe.gov/repis/
CEC Hearing on Renewable Energy Program
Transcripts of the CEC Committee Hearings on Renewable Energy Program, held on December 12 and 13, 2002 are available online at: http://www.energy.ca.gov/renewables/02-REN-1038/documents/index.html Source: E-mail from CEC 12/24/2002.
Energy Systems Integration, Papers, Presentations & Reports
The California Energy Commission has posted the following 4 presentations on its web site:
To obtain these reports, go to: http://www.energy.ca.gov/pier/strat/strat_papers.html. Source: E-mail from CEC 12/31/2002
New Wind Resource Maps for California Published
The California Energy Commission has contracted with TrueWind Solutions, LLC, to generate high-resolution wind maps for California using state-of-the-art numerical modeling techniques along with site data validation. The following maps are now available:
The maps are available for download as a.jpg file at http://www.energy.ca.gov/maps/wind.html. Contact the Commission Cartography Office for details about ordering printed versions of maps, phone (916) 654-3902. Source: AWEA Wind Energy Weekly 12/20/2002.
Many Species Hit by Shifting Climate
Gradual warming over the past century has forced a global movement of animals and plants northward, and it has sped up such perennial spring activities as flowering and egg hatching across the globe -- two signals that the Earth and its denizens are dramatically responding to a minute shift in temperature, according to two studies published today. One study shows that animals have shifted north an average of nearly four miles per decade. Another shows that animals are migrating, hatching eggs and bearing young an average of five days sooner than they did decades ago, when the average global temperature was 1 degree cooler. That 1 degree, according to the studies, has left "climatic fingerprints" -- pushing dozens of butterfly and songbird species into new territories, prompting birds and frogs to lay eggs earlier and causing tree lines to march up mountain slopes. In some cases, the shifts have been dramatic. The common murre, an arctic seabird, breeds 24 days earlier than it did decades ago. And some checker-spot butterflies shifted their range northward by nearly 60 miles in the past century. Although many individual shifts in timing and range have been reported by field biologists, the studies published in today's issue of Nature are the first to establish that a variety of organisms in myriad habitats are responding in similar ways to climatic change. "There is a consistent signal," said Terry Root, a biologist at Stanford University and lead author of one report. "Animals and plants are being strongly affected by the warming of the globe." Root said she was surprised the two Nature studies were able to detect the effect. She said she thought the increased temperature was too small to cause widespread change. Root also said she expected that any damaging effects of climatic change would be unnoticeable amid the enormous habitat destruction in modern times caused by development, pollution and other human activities. Many scientists have debated whether plants and wildlife have been widely affected by climatic change. Some scientists have argued that no widespread response has occurred and that a few examples of animals changing the timing of their migration or reproduction have been used by environmental groups to overstate the dangers of global warming. The new studies attempt to override such criticism by analyzing thousands of reports of biological change in animals and plants and correlating them with climatic change. "People said there wasn't a quantitative analysis and it was just storytelling," said biologist Camille Parmesan of the University of Texas, who led the other Nature study. "This is the first hard-core, quantitative analysis." The changes are not necessarily bad for all species. The earlier hatching of eggs gives some bird species a chance to lay two clutches of eggs per summer instead of one, Root said. Many plants have a longer growing season. But the scientists are concerned that warming will harm some species, particularly those already at risk. The extinction of the golden toad from the cloud forests of Costa Rica has been linked by some scientists to heat stress, Root said. And chicks of the jewel-colored quetzal bird in the same forest are now being preyed upon by toucans that moved to higher elevations in the forest as temperatures warmed, she said. Ecosystems also could be at risk, she added, if insects mature too late to pollinate plants that now flower earlier. The earlier migration of wood warblers is leaving behind spruce trees full of spruce budworm caterpillars, which devastate the trees and leave the timber damaged. "If we've had so much change with just 1 degree, think of how much we will have with 10 degrees," she said, referring to projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on how high temperatures could rise in the next century. "In my opinion, we're sitting at the edge of a mass extinction." Source: Los Angeles Times 1/2/2003.
For more information on Educational Resources go to: http://www.thegateway.org
Co-ops Fighting FERC Interconnection Rules for Distribution Wires
In a blistering attack on FERC's proposal to standardize interconnection agreements and procedures, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association told the agency Friday that it does not have the authority to impose such regulations on distribution lines and should leave the matter for local and state consideration. Source: Energy Daily 12/23/2002.
Nine States Sue Bush Administration on Clean-Air Rules
Nine Northeastern U.S. states sued the Bush administration on Tuesday over its decision to relax clean-air rules to help coal-fired power plants and other industrial facilities avoid costly pollution controls. The consortium of states -- Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont -- filed the lawsuit with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, according to a news release. Existing rules require U.S. utilities and refineries to invest in state-of-the-art pollution controls if a plant undergoes a major expansion or modification. In November, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed rules to change the definition of "routine maintenance," to give utilities more leeway to modify plants without triggering extra pollution-reduction requirements. On Tuesday the EPA published the so-called "new source review" rules in the Federal Register, formalizing some rules and starting a time clock toward finalizing others. But the nine states accused the administration of gutting the Clean Air Act. "I join my colleagues in other states to challenge this assault on the Clean Air Act and continue to fight to achieve the goals that the law intended," New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said at a press conference. The rule change will cause more acid rain, smog and respiratory ailments like asthma, he added. The EPA has defended its new rules as simply giving power plants and oil refineries more flexibility to cut emissions. The agency on Tuesday said it will prevail in the court challenge. "At the end of the day, the actions we have taken will be found to be clearly consistent with the Clean Air Act," said EPA spokesman Joe Martyak. A batch of rules finalized on Tuesday have clear environmental benefits, Martyak said. Other regulations issued as proposed rules -- including the controversial routine maintenance modifications -- will be open for public comment and possible revision, he said. But the rules were roundly criticized in November by Democratic lawmakers and environmentalists. "The administration's rules are clearly not what Congress intended when it passed the Clean Air Act," said Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, a Democrat. The issue is pivotal for aging coal-fired utilities in the Midwest that could face hundreds of millions of dollars in new investments. Emissions from those plants drift over Northeast states because of wind patterns. The Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, a utility lobbying group, called the new rules "a step in the right direction." The National Association of Manufacturers said the new rules will bring cleaner air and boost energy supplies. They will "provide business planners with greater certainty as they work to increase production and limit air pollution in a cost-effective manner," said Jeffrey Marks, NAM's air quality director. Source: Reuters 12/31/2002 via Energy Central 1/2/2003.
For more information on legislative activities go to: http://thomas.loc.gov
The Annual End of Year Market Analysis Issue from Scudder Publishing Group
Scudder Publishing Group has just released its Annual End of Year Market Analysis Report, 55 pages of market analysis, new ideas and visions for 2003 and beyond. The commentaries and stories inside cover issues and topics ranging fromtrading and risk, energy policy, retail strategies, software and systems, corporate governance and the bandwidth markets. To download for free this one-of-a-kind issue from Scudder Publishing, go to: http://www.pmaconference.com/EndofYearIssue02.pdf. Source: Power Marketers.Com 12/31/2002.
New Mexico Regulators Vote on Renewables Portfolio Standard
On December 17, 2002, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission approved the Renewable Energy as a Source of Electricity rule, which will go into effect on July 1, 2003. The regulation requires utilities to obtain 5 percent of the electricity sold in the State from renewable resources by 2006, and 10 percent by 2011. A weighing system will be used to calculate the value of different sources of electricity production in an effort to develop a diverse supply:
Oregon PUC Reports that Residential Customers Would Not Benefit from Competition- The Oregon Public Utilities Commission (PUC) released a report on December 12, 2002, that indicates its residential customers would not benefit from electric competition at this time. The report concluded that the amount of time residential customers spend reviewing their energy options would not outweigh the benefits of choice, as few suppliers are expected to compete in the residential market. In addition, the PUC found that rate decreases experienced in other States after implementing residential choice were mainly the result of temporary caps. Source: E-mail from Peggy Plate via Utilities Bi-Weekly Report 12/23/2002.
Wind Power Has Decent Showing in Off Year
Although 2002 was not expected to rival 2001's record in terms of wind power additions, the industry quietly added approximately 300-410 MW of new capacity to the nation's generating capacity. Large projects have been or are being added in Iowa, California, the Northwest, and West Virginia. A number of small, dispersed projects were added in other states, from Alaska to New York. In the upper Midwest, farmers' cooperatives are starting to emerge as an ownership model. Mainly due to the two-year extension cycle of the wind energy production tax credit (PTC), 2002 was expected to be an "off year." When the PTC last expired in 2001, the U.S. saw the biggest growth year ever. However, in the year 2000, the U.S. only installed a little over 60 MW. The PTC is currently set to expire at the end of 2003. That is expected to drive growth, but, due to financial problems in the larger energy industry, 2003 may not be as good of a year for new wind installations as was previously thought. Although the U.S. market has demonstrated dramatic ups and downs, the average growth rate for the last five years has been 25%. Several states constructed their first commercial-scale wind power projects, including the 66-MW Mountaineer Wind Energy project in West Virginia, and the 10.5-MW Municipal Energy Association of Nebraska project in Nebraska. There are now large-scale wind turbines (50-kW or larger) installed in 27 states. Construction delays have thrown into doubt the start-up date for the Mountaineer project and the approximately 100-MW project under construction in Hancock, Iowa. The Iowa project was starting to check out some of the turbines on December 12, but weather problems caused a delay. Winter storms in W.V. have reduced the expected number of construction days available.
The Eldora-New Providence School in Iowa expects to save $10,000 to $20,000 with their installation of a 750-kW NEG Micon turbine this year. As soon as the turbine is paid off, the school's savings could increase tenfold. Tom Wind, the project engineer for this and a number of other school projects in the Midwest, expects the school to earn an "inflation-proof" return on its investment of 13%. The MinWind I & II projects belong to a pair of limited liability corporations that are structured like a farmers' cooperative. Sixty-six farmers raised 30% of the $3.6 million cost of the four 950-kW NEG Micon turbines. The remaining 70% was raised through local banks. Tom Arends, president of MinWind II, estimated that-with the credits-the farmers could expect a 17% annual return on investment. Basin and Central Power Electric Power Coops in North Dakota installed two Nordex 1.3-MW turbines to source their "Prairie Winds" green power program. Minnkota Power Cooperative also installed one 900-kW turbinein North Dakota. In California, Shell Wind Energy added to their portfolio by purchasing the two large projects completed in the state this year: the 61.5-MW Whitewater Hill, and the 40.92-MW Cabezon projects. Oak Creek added some turbines, but took down others to keep the total project capacitythe same.
The Northwest had another good year in terms of new wind power capacity. The Stateline project, which straddles the Washington-Oregon border, installed the 36-MW of capacity that developer FPL Energy hadoriginally intended to be part of the first phase of the project. At 300 MW of capacity, the Stateline project is now the largest single project in the world. In Washington, Energy Northwest added 48 MW ofnew capacity near the Stateline project. The Condon project in Oregon also added another 42 Mitsubishi 600-kW turbines, for an additional 25 MW of capacity. For more detailed project information, go to http://www.awea.org/projects. Please send any changes or updates to the projects list to Kathy Belyeu, e-mail kathy_Belyeu@awea.org. Source: December Wind Letter.
BPA Announces Conservation, Renewable Budget Cutbacks
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federal power marketing agency that sells electricity from dams in the Pacific Northwest to power suppliers in the region, said it plans to reduce spending on conservation and renewable energy by $21 million through 2006 as part of an overall effort to deal with revenue shortfalls. BPA Administrator Steve Wright included the conservation and renewables cuts in a package of measures aimed at saving $350 million, still well short of healing a projected budget gap of $1.2 billion. Speaking before a regional energy conference November 15, Wright said the agency will continue to foster renewable energy development, but will be doing less direct purchasing of electricity from renewable projects. Source: December Wind Letter.
TVA Revises Plan to Make Power Using Windmills; More Electricity, But no Storage Unit For It
TVA has quietly scrapped plans for a $25 million energy-storage system at the base of Windrock Mountain as part of its proposed huge "wind farm'' on adjoining Buffalo Mountain. At the same time, TVA is expanding the amount of power it wants to generate atop 3,300-footBuffalo Mountain, and that means as many as 18 new windmills may be spinning there by the end of next year. TVA spokesman Gil Francis offered no explanation for the decision not to build the Regensys station that would have stored electricity the wind turbines generated. TVA is building a similar facility in Columbus, Miss., which is the first of its kind in the nation, Francis said, and had looked at four sites around Oliver Springs for the energy-storage station. No final decision on the wind farm has been made, Francis said. Various components of the project, however, are proceeding. Francis said TVA is reviewing proposals from eight companies interested in erecting the wind turbines. One, Invenergy, had filed a request for site-plan approval for the project with the Anderson County Planning Commission. Its application to go before planners Dec. 10 was withdrawn, said Anderson County Engineer Keith Grayson. TVA is considering a wind farm that could generate up to 27 megawatts of power. Greg Fay, general manager of the Clinton Utilities Board, said that's enough to serve between 10,000 and 15,000 homes under normal conditions. Electricity generated by the wind turbines would probably tie into the CUB power grid, Fay said. Francis said the project may require TVA to upgrade some power lines. Estimated cost for the wind farm has been put at $25 million. The new wind turbines, each about 350 feet tall, would dwarf the trio of three windmills TVA already has running on Buffalo Mountain as part of its Green Power Switch program. In that program, power users pay slightly more to support TVA efforts to generate power from sources such as windmills, solar panels and methane gas produced by landfills and wastewater treatment plants. Every kilowatt generated by those renewable sources "is one less kilowatt that would have been generated from traditional methods like coal-fired plants,'' Fay said. Bob Fowler may be reached at 1-865-481-3625 or bfowler@infi.net. Source: News Sentinel 12/20/2002 via Energy Central 12/20/2002.
Revised Call For Wind-Power Projects Wins Praise
NorthWestern Energy's formal solicitation of proposals for wind-power projects Monday won praise from the energy policy director of the Montana Environmental Information Center. "We're very excited to see the company moving forward to incorporate wind into the default supply portfolio," said MEIC's Patrick Judge. "I can't think of a better Christmas present for Montanans." The company issued its 21-page request for wind-power proposals Monday. Responses are due Feb. 14. Judge said there could be hundreds of potential bidders because wind power is an emerging industry. He said the bid solicitation "was prepared very professionally, and it indicates that the company was serious about doing it right." "That sends a strong message to the wind industry that they (NorthWestern officials) will, in fact, move forward to a completed contract," Judge said. NorthWestern didn't seek a specific amount of wind power, but did ask for proposals for 10 years and 20 years, with potential generators able to bid on projects of multiple sizes, with a minimum requirement of 10 megawatts. The company encouraged companies to bid in increments of 25 megawatt blocks, up to the total size of the new project. He said he was most encouraged by NorthWestern's sensitivity to issues raised by the Montana Public Service Commission in its order on the company's proposed default supply portfolio. Judge said the wind-power project solicitation, done for NorthWestern by Lands Energy Consulting Inc. of Seattle, "really conforms well to the spirit and the letter of the PSC order." In June, the PSC refused to approve five proposed power generation projects endorsed by NorthWestern Energy. The commission said the company had used questionable procurement practices and failed to sufficiently document its decision-making process. Among them was Montana Wind Harness, a wind power generator that would have produced a net 60 megawatts of power in winter and 30 megawatts in the summer. Source: The Missoulian State Bureau 12/31/2002.
Power Companies Juice up Their Brands
Why would a business with a government-regulated monopoly bother to advertise or care about its "brand identity"? It's a question worth asking the Tampa Bay area's investor-owned electric utilities, Florida Power Corp. and TECO Energy Inc. The two companies are the exclusive providers of electric power in their respective service territories. Yet both spend significant sums of money to get their names in front of the public through advertising and corporate sponsorships. For Florida Power, the New Year is bringing a campaign to market a new name. Effective today, the St. Petersburg utility and its corporate sibling CarolinaPower & Light are adopting the name of their parent, Progress Energy Inc. of Raleigh, N.C. The switch is starting to show up already on signs and in advertising, although the Florida Power name won't disappear from customer bills until March. The name change is part of an extensive rebranding effort at Progress, which is keen on establishing a unified brand identity and corporate culture following its formation in November 2000 through CP's acquisition of former Florida Power parent Florida Progress Corp. As a Progress spokesman has pointed out, many of the company's customers had long confused Florida Power with the bigger Florida Power & Light Co. of Juno Beach. But does it really matter? Even if customers thought the utility's name was "Joe's Donut Shop," they'd still have to buy their electricity from it. Deregulation, which would allow consumers to choose their electric company, has arrived in some states but not (yet) in Florida. But the motivations behind utility branding and advertising aren't that simple, according to Jim Owen, a spokesman for Edison Electric Institute, an industry trade group in Washington. Building a brand develops goodwill, he says, and that can bring intangible benefits, such as fostering more patience among customers if there's an outage. And while deregulation hasn't affected all electricity markets, "Who knows what could happen five, 10 years down the line?" "Electric utilities are still regarded as a crucial part of the public infrastructure system," Owen says. "So anything that can help solidify that bond between the customer and the company is a good thing at the end of the day." Investor-owned utilities in 2002 spent about $200-million on ads in newspapers, TV and other media, which Owen argues is "a relative drop in the bucket" compared to other industries.
He adds that advertising and marketing expenses that aren't related to energy conservation or some other public benefit aren't passed on to ratepayers. That means shareholders foot the bill for these costs. Representatives of Progress and TECO declined to reveal their total spending on advertising and sponsorships each year, citing competitive concerns. But their promotional activities are extensive. Progress has a major sponsorship deal with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays that includes signs at Tropicana Field, a mini-blimp, a luxury box, naming rights to the team's spring-training facility and the ceramic-tile mosaic walkway leading to the ballpark that is flanked by flags bearing the company's logo. (Progress owns a 5.8-percent stake in the team. And Rays managing general partner Vince Naimoli is a former Florida Progress board member.) The company also sponsors periodic exhibits at St. Petersburg's Salvador Dali Museum and is a corporate partner of Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. TECO, the parent of Tampa Electric Co., is a sponsor and "official energy provider" of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team, the Tampa Bay Storm arena football team and the St. Pete Times Forum, home of the Lightning and the Storm. TECO also has the naming rights to TECO Arena, a sports and entertainment facility off Interstate 75 in Fort Myers. Ads and sponsorships "fall under the category of professional image," says TECO spokeswoman Laura Plumb. "No matter what path competition takes, that's important to have." Plumb notes that TECO undertook a rebranding campaign of its own following its 1997 acquisition of Lykes Energy, the parent of Peoples Gas System. As part of that effort, the utility adopted a common TECO logo for all of its subsidiary companies. "It takes a lot more to foster a common culture (than) a brand, but that's the visual symbol of it," she says. As for Progress Energy, the company hopes use of the shared name by its two regulated utilities and some of its other business units will help "build a stronger identity with employees, customers, investors and communities," spokesman Aaron Perlut says.Because Progress, like TECO, is a publicly traded company, it is important for the company's current and prospective shareholders to be aware of the diversified nature of its operations, Perlut says. Rebranding under a common name, he says, will help in that effort. Then there's Progress' hope of communicating to customers that their electric utility is now part of a new, improved entity. "We want our customers to know that this is a new company that's committed to better service, lower rates and improved reliability and that it has the resources to deliver on that promise," Perlut says. Source: The St. Petersburg Times 12/31/2002.
Batelle's Predictions
Batelle is a private, Columbus, Ohio-based company that specializes in assisting industry and government develop new technologies, manage laboratories and market new inventions. According to corporate materials, Batelle employs 7,500 scientists and engineers, 48 of whom recently got together to predict the top 10 innovations in home comfort and convenience in 2012:
For more information on marketing and research go to: http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/emaa/index.html
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