Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative Earns Western Administrator's Award Flexibility, innovation, and dedication to customer satisfaction mark the service of Montana-based Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative. The co-op's pursuit of diverse resources and creative solutions to energy problems recently earned Western's Administrator's Award for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Western Corporate Communications Manager Bob Fullerton presented the award to Yellowstone Valley Manager Terry Holzer in March at the cooperative's annual meeting. The program's promotion of new technologies illustrates this approach. For example, the flexible plastic pipe of ground-source heat pumps now heats more than 300 member-customers' homes in the winter and cools them in the summer. In the winter, the pipes tap the geothermal warmth beneath customer's yards. In the summer, they return indoor heat to the earth. The Lakeside Meadows subdivision on Billings's western edge is the most visible example of this program. Yellowstone Valley currently is working with two developers and a construction company to provide the subdivision with amenities and the most efficient energy systems possible in the moderately priced real estate market. The 340-acre Lakeside Meadows development will be the largest subdivision in Montana using ground-source heat pumps as the sole source of heating, cooling, and domestic hot water. "This subdivision is going to set the pace," said Jim Keeling, member services representative for Yellowstone Valley. "We are supplying them with a heat source in their own backyard." Yellowstone Valley also promotes use of photovoltaic resources for remote pumping, eliminating the need for expensive lines that serve single loads. In finding ways to meet customer needs, the co-op also compares several options to find the best way to get results while keeping energy costs low. For example, weatherization of buildings, lighting retrofits, and new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems help lower energy use in homes, schools, and commercial facilities. Yellowstone Valley also encourages member-customers to keep costs low and meet pollution codes (noise and air) by using electric mowers, grills, tools, and appliances. Yellowstone Valley's accomplishments extend beyond its customers and into the community at large. It supports and promotes programs that improve education and quality of life in its service area. (See story below.) Yellowstone Valley is a Western customer through its membership in Central Montana Electric Generation and Transmission, which in turn is a member of Basin Electric. Western's Upper Great Plains Customer Service Region nominated Yellowstone Valley for the Administrator's Award. (For further information, call Holzer or Keeling at (406) 348-3411.) Clearinghouse Accessible via Internet Using Western's 800 number is not the only way-or even the best way-to take advantage of all that the Energy Ideas Clearinghouse has to offer. Since the Clearinghouse is linked to Internet, it's easy to hook up with the information you need. The Clearinghouse has a World Wide Web home page that contains lots of interesting information. You can also access the Clearinghouse directly via Telnet, an Internet software program that allows you to visit electronic bulletin board systems (BBSs) and other sites. The World Wide Web is an easy way for novice "netsurfers" to begin exploration in the sea of Internet information. If you have a Web browser like Netscape or Mosaic that you've never tried, you'll be surprised how easy it is to use. For Web access to the Clearinghouse, set your browser to eicbbs.wseo.wa.gov. That's the URL (Internet access address) for the Clearinghouse home page. It has a list of hypertext links to the following areas:
Hypertext links connect Web pages, so just click on any of the subjects listed and you'll be connected to that information. For example, clicking on publications will give you access to the EPRI Journal, Home Energy Magazine Online, Biofuels Update, and other publications. You may also find the links to other Web sites useful. Since each of them probably contains other links, you can enjoy exploring a wide range of sites and gathering lots of information. The Web page also will let you "Telnet" to the Clearinghouse electronic bulletin board service. Click on the Hypertext link for that option, and you'll arrive at the Clearinghouse screen with which you're familiar. Enter your username and password as you ordinarily would, and you're ready to access Clearinghouse information. You can Telnet directly to the Clearinghouse, without going to the Web page first. The URL is eicbbs@wseo.wa.gov. Just one note: When you use Telnet to access the Clearinghouse, you can't download files. Check out the files offered under the Web page, or use Western's toll-free number (1-800-797-7584) on occasions when you need to download files. New Energy Services Information Available In an effort to provide relevant energy services information to customers, Western has recently released the following publications: Agriculture and Energy: Partners in Production This is a series of three 2-page brochures-General Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock and Poultry-which provide a short summary of their topics and descriptions of relevant publications (reading list), magazines, organizations, and Internet World Wide Web home pages. DSM Evaluation Guidebook The fourth and final part of the DSM Evaluation Guidebook, Part 4: DSM Validation & Evaluation has been recently released. Developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in conjunction with Western Area and Southwestern Power Administrations and the U.S. Department of Energy, it provides information on why DSM evaluation is necessary, how to obtain accurate data, simple statistical comparison methods, multivariate statistical methods, and special topics (including accounting for free riders and computing emissions reductions). It complements the first three parts, also available: Developing a DSM Baseline, Glossary, and Basic Bookshelf. Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating DSM Programs-Public Utility Program Profiles Through various customer technical assistance projects, Western has compiled a series of four program profiles of customers who have planned, implemented, and evaluated DSM programs. Specifically, the programs analyze customer activities and recommendations for 1) City of Longmont, CO, residential compact fluorescent lighting (lease program), 2) Modesto, (CA) Irrigation District residential air conditioning (load control and financial incentives of purchase of high-efficiency products), 3) Navopache (AZ) Electric Cooperative, Inc., time-of-use rates for all customer classes, and 4) Moorhead (MN) Public Service commercial and industrial lighting (rebate and low-interest financing programs). Each profile discusses the process the customer went through to determine the DSM measure, implement the program, and evaluate its success. The profiles are due by mid-May and are available singularly or as a set, and may be requested by number (above) or program type. Resource Planning Guide Manuals Extra sets of RPG manuals are available to customers. The six-volume set includes Getting Started, Fast Track Workbook, Intermediate Workbook, Detailed Workbook, Reference Data, and Sample Load Forecasting Methodologies, and include detailed processes to both use the RPG software and to conduct the analyses by hand, or use of other models. They are excellent reference sources for any integrated re-source planning pursuit. For more information, or to request free copies of any of these publications*, contact Simmons Buntin at 303-275-1739 or buntin@wapa.gov. (* Copies of publications are free only to Western customers and certain other public agencies) Utility a Vital Part of Community Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative wants to be a "friendly" institution. According to Diana Propp, member services director for public information, media relations, and schools and organizations, Yellowstone Valley sponsors many programs and activities to help foster that image. For example, Yellowstone Valley has given satellite dish antenna systems to nine schools, allowing them to receive state and national educational channel programming. The co-op also sponsors academic competitions. It teams with Western to sponsor the Science Bowl on the local, state, and regional levels. Yellowstone Valley has its own Academic Challenge TV program, with high school teams competing in a format similar to the old College Bowl program. An essay contest for high school juniors and seniors offers winners a trip to Washington, D.C., along with winners of the Montana Statewide Electric Cooperatives Association's competition. The cooperative awards college scholarships worth $2,000 or more to the children of member-customers. Yellowstone Valley also helps with extra-curricular activities. The co-op provided equipment and labor to help install lights at school football fields. Younger children enjoy school playgrounds that Yellowstone Valley employees helped design and build. Employees often use co-op-owned machinery to make that kind of work possible. Employees work on area parks, constructing picnic areas and playgrounds, and helping with other community projects. "We provided five or six temporary services and portable generators for a recent Zoo Montana exhibit in Billings," said Yellowstone Valley Manager Terry Holzer. "We look forward to working more with the zoo development." The utility is developing a new program to recycle short pieces of new wire and lengths of old wire. Money raised will be used for grants to Little League teams in the area. (For further information, call Holzer, Propp, or Keeling at (406) 348-3411.) Customers Discuss Mega-NOPR's Impacts on Their Utilities, Western If, as anticipated, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) adopts its massive Notice of Proposed Rulemaking this summer, Western and its customers would be impacted in both positive and negative ways as the new rules change the way utilities do business. At the Rocky Mountain Customer Service Region's annual customer meeting held Feb. 28, in Fort Collins, CO, a panel of four utility managers told their colleagues how they expect their utility to face these changes. According to the panel, the "Mega-NOPR," as the proposed rule is called, provides a way to enforce the energy access conditions of the 1992 Energy Policy Act. Provisions to open access to distant energy sources will affect everyone involved in energy generation, transmission, and distribution, including Federal power marketing administrations like Western. Each panelist gave his perspective on the proposed rule during the discussion entitled, "Impacts of The Mega-NOPR in the Region." Thaine Michie of the Platte River Power Authority, Fort Collins, CO, said his utility views the Mega-NOPR as an opportunity. "We feel it opens many doors," he said. "It will lead to many changes, but both the Energy Act of 1992 and the Mega-NOPR were enacted to foster competition. Competition usually brings out the best in all of us." Michie said the "open doors" include increased access to other energy resources, "if transmission entities do not limit access through ancillary costs," he said. Michie also said that competition is consumer-driven, and Ronald R. Harper of Tri-County Electric Association, Inc., Sundance, WY, agreed. "We are seeing the movement toward competition and customer choice gaining momentum as it is being driven by regulators influenced by industrial customers," he said. Obviously those customers with the higher levels of sophistication, such as large industrial customers, are becoming the strongest advocates for the transition to customer choice. Harper said Tri-County understands large industrial loads, as it currently serves 14 of the 15 low-sulfur coal mines in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. "That fact alone gives you some understanding behind our very high interest in the outcome of the FERC Mega-NOPR discussions," he said. "We do understand the importance of being competitive and are working closely with our power supplier, Basin Electric, to develop strategies to meet our future challenges." James Henderson said his utility, the Arkansas River Power Authority based in Lamar, CO, is transmission-dependent, as are most municipal utilities. It relies to a large extent on transmission of energy from distant generation sites. "In exchange for easier transmission access to remote power supply sources, we and others, like municipalities, are willing to pay our fair share." "The main impact is a change in focus," he said. "In the past, that focus has been on wheeling rates and how they affect costs. In the future, we must not only be concerned about transmission wheeling rates, but any new charges for ancillary services. I have been in this business too long not to understand that a utility can make transmission access conditions so onerous that it would be difficult to take advantage of supposed opportunities. "Retail competition and restructuring would present special problems to municipalities," he said. "The Arkansas River Power Authority feels that FERC's stranded cost Mega-NOPR would impede the formation of new municipal systems. If finalized in its present form, it would require compensation to the former supplier, even where a franchise is about to expire." New suppliers mean more choices for energy supplies, which should help new municipal systems to develop, he said. But, if stranded costs are left in, it may block them. "Again, municipal officials effectively make their concerns regarding restructuring known in both the legislative and regulatory arenas," he said. "Small municipal systems in particular must get their message across--we own and operate a municipal system so the financial benefits of community ownership can be reinvested in our communities--more businesses, increased taxes, more jobs for our children and grandchildren, and competitive energy prices. If we lose load to short-term lower prices, we lose the opportunity to reinvest in our community. The `profits' will be shipped out of our community to the stockholders of the new energy suppliers." He said possible changes may affect economic development programs and utilities need to remain aware. He said three towns served by his power authority have shown how to recognize real opportunities. Lamar, CO, found a use for warm water from its generating plant. Raton, NM, uses waste steam from its plant. La Junta, CO, builds speculative industrial buildings in its industrial park. Peter Ungerman of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc., in Denver said most of the western U.S. already has an active, open, free market for wholesale electricity. Transmission must be considered in any prospective deal, he said. A prospective deal rarely is killed because existing transmission is withheld or denied. Prospective deals frequently are killed due to the simple nonexistence of transmission. In either event, transmission constraints are real and cannot be avoided by any organization chart overhaul. FERC is trying to get testimony which says electric transmission is the same as railways, pipelines, and highways. If eventually FERC gets its way about transmission, Ungerman said, there will be some big-time changes. FERC wants to see independent system operators running the transmission sector. Ungerman concluded that transmission lines built by G&Ts, by municipals, and by Western are truly integrated. There is no Tri-State transmission network, there is no Western network. There is only a regional grid owned by many regional utilities. The panel discussion followed presentations by Western Administrator J. M. Shafer, Joel Bladow of Western's Washington Liaison Office, and Ron Greenhalgh of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. In addition, Rocky Mountain Customer Service Region Manager Steve Fausett reported to customers on the status of Western's Transformation in the region. (For more information, call Tri-County's Harper at (307) 283-3531, Arkansas River Power Authority's Henderson at (719) 336-3496, Platte River Power Authority's Michie at (970) 226-4000, or Tri-State's Ungerman at (303) 452-6111.) Safford, Local Astronomers Continue `Light' Relationship The Arizona town that hitched its electric utility program to the stars in 1986 is still riding high. Nearly a decade ago, Safford, AZ, began a program to replace every mercury vapor and incandescent streetlight with low-pressure sodium fixtures. The project cost more than $164,000 and was expected to pay for itself through energy savings in 4.8 years. It turned out that those expectations were too conservative. The actual payback came six months early, according to City Accounting Supervisor Laura Cloud. In 1989, Safford expected to be home to a world-class astrophysics facility on nearby Mount Graham. That facility was built in Hawaii instead, but the cooperative relationship Safford's city government established with astronomers from Tucson's Kitt Peak Observatory and the University of Arizona led to construction of the Mount Graham International Observatory. The city continues to save energy while working with the scientific community. Its most recent project is helping to light Discovery Park. (See related story on page 7.) A nonprofit organization is developing the 125-acre science and education park. Donated equipment and financial participation from astronomers throughout the area led to completion of the astronomy display area and observatory before any other area of the park. In 1986 Safford worked with the Arizona Energy Office, Western, and other groups to study replacing the existing bulbs with low-pressure sodium fixtures. Scientists involved in the astrophysics project asked Safford to move to low-pressure sodium to reduce light pollution in area skies. Besides improving the skies for stargazers, the lighting changeout cut Safford's streetlighting energy use in half-it's decreased nearly 500,000 megawatthours a year-and the cost by about $33,000 a year. That makes things a whole lot brighter for the utlity's ratepayers. (For more information about the utility, call Don Chastain at (520) 428-2762; about Discovery Park, call John Harkanson or Tom Willmitch at (520) 428-6260; or for Mount Graham, call John Ratje, observatory director, at (520) 428-2739.) Discovery Park Continues Cooperation Between Safford Utility, Astronomers The Safford (AZ) Municipal Utility has worked with community-based, state, Federal, and even international organizations to improve stargazing in the area. Safford now brings that same cooperative attitude to the construction of a new science and education park. Safford Utilities extended its lighting campaign to make better viewing for a new observatory in the park under development in south Safford. (See related story, above.) The project proves that energy efficiency can go hand-in-hand with good customer service. Named for a longtime Safford mayor, the observatory has a 20-inch reflecting optical telescope. Budding astronomers can use it, along with interactive exhibits, to "Discover the Wonders of the Universe." The display takes viewers from primitive, naked-eye observation to the latest technological developments in deep space. According to John Harkanson, a Discovery Park employee, the utility's work not only has helped the park management, but also the people who use it. "The work replacing the very bright mercury vapor lights formerly used for security around the water storage area with the nonpolluting lights was great," he said. "That really improved viewing conditions. "But that wasn't all," he added. "The utility also made it much more convenient for people taking part in events by installing the master switch to turn off lights, and the plug-ins at the poles. Now, if they need power for a booth, it's right there." The first phase of the park was largely funded through donations from the area professional astronomy community. Plans for Discovery Park include at least three more theme-oriented display buildings and areas, and a 65-acre wildlife viewing area. (For more information, call Harkanson or Willmitch at (520) 428-6260.) Utah Utility Likes Being in Hot Water Following a setback, a new source of hot water promises to "perk" up the Utah Municipal Power Agency's geothermal power production. Initially, eight steam wells provided enough resource for the agency to generate 10 mega-watts (MW) of electricity for the agency located in Fort Cove, as well as the City of Provo, according to General Manager Richard Judd. "We should have been using hot water long ago," Judd said. The production potential of the hot water resource is 125 MW. Steam potential is limited to current generation, which has gradually fallen to about 6.5 MW. Judd explained that geothermal re-sources-hot water or steam-are tapped by drilling wells into deep-earth rock fissures. Vapor systems deliver steam with little or no liquid at temperatures of 300-480 degrees Fahrenheit (148-248 degrees Celsius). Liquid systems produce hot water or a mixture of steam and hot water. In 1990, the agency completed the third phase of the Bud L. Bonnett Geothermal Powerplant at Fort Cove, named for the agency's former power director. Phases one and two have been online since 1985. Shortly after phase three came online, however, the steam field resources began declining. To boost generation, the agency drilled a new 1,200-foot (366-meter) hot water well and expanded its generating plant. Hot water from the new well is first flashed (converted to steam) at 320 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius) into the phase-three condensing turbine for direct generation. The somewhat cooler 300-degree Fahrenheit (149-degree Celsius) residual steam is fed to the plant's phase one binary-system turbine. The water enters a heat exchanger and vaporizes the volatile liquid isobutane, which is the working fluid for the turbine. Phases two and three are direct steam-fueled turbine systems. The agency is pumping hot water from the new well at the rate of 1,400 gallons per minute (gpm) (5,299 liters per minute), which should increase to 1,800 gpm (6,813 lpm). This is expected to bring generation back up to about 8 MW, according to Judd. The phase-three 8.5 MW turbine is adapted from a U.S. Navy Cruiser and has proven very reliable, according to Judd. Rated at 2 MW, the phase-two turbine itself was originally built for a U.S. Navy destroyer. The agency also generates electricity with six small hydro plants, a small wind project, and a small diesel-fueled turbine. About 80 percent of the agency's generation comes from renewable resources. There are additional potential steam fields in the agency's area, but Judd said that at present costs development is not justified. (For more information, call Judd at (801) 798-7489.) Energy Management System Continues to Benefit Calaveras Six and a half years after improving energy efficiency in several schools and government buildings, the Calaveras Public Power Agency continues to reap benefits. The August 1989 edition of Western's C&RE Bulletin (now the Energy Services Bulletin) detailed Calaveras's installation of energy management systems and lighting upgrades that were expected to save the facilities about $36,960 annually. Other projects pending in 1989 were expected to save another $9,825. The completed projects in 1989 included energy management at two high schools and two elementary schools. All four schools received automated energy management systems to allow better control of energy use. Other efficiency measures included motion sensors, lighting controls, lighting retrofits, and modifications to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. In the 1994-1995 school year, the tracking system reported savings of 25 percent in overall energy use, and reduced electricity used by 97,200 kilowatthours (kWh). Savings at Fisher Elementary are easy to track because the school has undergone no major changes since 1989. All the other schools have undergone changes, some of them major. For instance, a large demolition and construction project at Calaveras High School increased the square footage, making simple comparisons difficult. As a result, Dickman said the utility no longer uses 1989 figures as the baseline year for the other three schools. But the savings continue. "We are pleased that our efforts will continue and probably grow," he said. "The proven energy management tools have been integrated into other schools of the Calaveras Unified School District. "The person operating the Calaveras High energy management system even has a modem installed on his home computer that allows him to control the school system from his home," Dickman said. The modem allows him to turn on the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system for short periods when activities are planned during the weekend. Projects pending at other county facilities in 1989 have been completed, and all have shown similar savings. A separate package boiler system now serves the 24-hour jail facility that was previously connected to the Government Center's old master boiler system. The lighting system in the Government Center was retrofitted with reflectors, enabling 50-percent delamping. Time clocks now operate the separate package heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units serving the historical courthouse. (For more information, call Dickman at (209) 293-4488.) Customers Benefit from Western's Infrared Camera Loan Program Western's customers highly value the infrared camera as an effective weapon against transmission line and electrical equipment defects. Since the equipment loan program began in 1980, the cameras have been widely used by utilities and municipalities to keep trouble spots from becoming major system problems. For example, several years ago Fort Collins, CO, avoided $50,000 in damage and downtime repairs by spotting a bad connection in a new substation. The cameras locate trouble spots in substations, overhead transmission lines, and physical plant equipment. They also are valuable in residential energy audits, helping to convince homeowners of the need for weatherization. Infrared cameras produce heat thermograms that show defective electrical components. Since these components produce more heat, they can be easily identified on the heat-sensitive thermograms. Typical system defects are loosely bolted power cables, loose bus terminals, overheated power transformers, boiler insulation failures, blockages in piping, defective bearings, overloaded circuits, and steam plant boiler and stack failures. The University of North Dakota at Grand Forks is among the first and most consistent users of Western's infrared scanning in its physical plant, which supports the university's 200 buildings and 12,000 students. Preventive Maintenance Inspector Darrel Iverson said the preventive maintenance scanning program began in 1983, and the university continues to scan between 120 and 125 points annually in the high-voltage electrical distribution system. Equipment hot spots are documented and repaired or further examined for deterioration. Iverson maintains a list of all problems found and corrected, dating to 1983. Missouri Basin Power Agency, Sioux Falls, SD, also uses an infrared camera for preventive maintenance, both on its own equipment and for its members. Ray Wahle, planning and operations manager, can't place a dollar value on the cost savings but said results are measured in improved customer service. "When you find a hot spot such as an elbow on a pad mount transformer, it can be fixed right away," he said. Otherwise, it could cause a lot more trouble and a disruption of service. The agency operates the program out of its Watertown, SD, powerplant. Employees scan in the winter months and sometimes at night when it's easier to get a temperature differential. "We began borrowing Western's camera in 1987 and bought our own camera in 1990," said Fieldsted. Studies show that Moon Lake cut its 1990 maintenance overtime from 5,000 hours to about 2,500 hours. "For every $2 we spend in scanning equipment, we save about $5 in maintenance costs," said Fieldsted. Moon Lake also scans its two small hydro powerplants twice a year and makes the program available to its customers, said Fieldsted. "We've cut our maintenance costs and improved system reliability," he concluded. Cedar Knox Public Power District in Hartington, NE, has been using a camera for about 8 years at substation and regulator sites and for its large commercial customers. The utility serves about 4,500 customers and maintains 1,800 miles (3,047km) of distribution lines. "We've picked up bad and worn connections on regulator bypass equipment and large station transformers that are not circulating oil," said Duane Lammers, line superintendent. The utility's typical scanning report documents weather conditions, current, voltage, and temperature of the equipment checked. Lammers said the camera also has been useful in locating energy losses in Hartington schools and homes, and the utility has cut its maintenance costs dramatically, which in turn improves service to customers. (For more information, contact Iverson at (701) 777-3373, Wahle at (605) 338-4042, Fieldsted at (801) 562-5354, or Lammers at (402) 254-6291.) Energy Services Publications Sheet Western Area Power Administration Energy Services Program 1. Energy Services Customer Sourcebook 2. C&RE Program Summary for Fiscal Years 1985 to 1992 3. Energy Casebook 4. Utility Incentives for Energy-Efficient Measures 5. The Energy Services Approach to Utility Planning: A Guide for Policymakers 6. An Energy Management Approach to Marketing: A Guidebook 7. Technology Transfer Packets
8. Biomass Energy: A Brief Assessment 9. Geothermal Energy: A Brief Assessment 10. Cogeneration Technology: A Brief Assessment 11. Small-Scale Hydroelectric Power: A Brief Assessment 12. Wind Energy: A Brief Assessment 13. Solar Energy: A Brief Assessment 14. Waste-to-Energy: A Primer for Utility Decision-Makers 15. Revised Irrigation Pumping Plant Test Procedure Manual 16. Mobile Home Energy and Repair Guide 17. Commercial Ground Source Heat Pump Design Guide 18. Residential Ground Source Heat Pump Design Guide 19. Energy-Efficient Motor Systems: A Handbook on Technology, Program, and Policy Opportunities 20. Energy Efficient Drivepower: An Overview
21. Energy Conservation Technical Information Guide
22. Electric Utility Guide to Marketing Efficient Lighting 23. DSM Pocket Guidebook>
24. Distribution System Loss Evaluation Manual 25. DSM Evaluation Guidebook
26. DSM as a Resource Option in a Competitive Environment 27. Western Area Power Administration & Electricity (2-page energy education fact sheet for students) 28. A New Option: Solar Electric-Powered Water Pumping (brochure) 29. Agriculture and Energy: Partners in Production (brochures)
30. An Introductory Guide to Using RPG 31. Resource Planning Guide Manuals
32. Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating DSM Programs: Public Utility Program Profiles (available mid-May)
33. Management Updates
For copies of any of these publications, contact Simmons Buntin at (303) 275-1739.
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