Photo credit: Timitrius

ral Development Dallas Tonsager made the announcement on behalf of the Secretary while attending the Pennsylvania meeting of the National Rural Electric Association (NRECA).

“The Obama Administration is committed to making America more energy efficient, and in doing so, more competitive by encouraging rural businesses build renewable energy systems,” said Tonsager.

The projects announced today will provide rural small businesses and agricultural producers the opportunity to conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy system installations. Eligible intermediaries, such as universities, will receive funds to conduct energy audits which will lead to energy savings and initiatives that will reduce energy consumption for years to come.

Tonsager said that Pennsylvania State University has been selected to receive a $99,676 grant to conduct a statewide initiative that offers technical assistance and workforce solutions through energy audits. Saint Francis University, also in Pennsylvania, was selected to receive $100,000 to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses reduce energy consumption and cost through technical assistance provided by the university.

In Charleston, W. Va., the West Virginia Division of Energy has been selected to receive a $100,000 grant to complete 130 energy audits for rural small businesses to help them reduce energy usage and operating costs. Boise State University in Idaho was selected to receive a $100,000 grant to offer energy savings- information and energy audits to more than 1,500 manufacturing-related agricultural producers and small business in the state.

Arbre Farms Corporation in Walkerville, Mich., was selected to receive $7,000 to evaluate the feasibility of installing and operating an anaerobic digester that could produce and use biogas as a substitute for propane to power the farm’s boilers. “Last year, these same feasibility study funds provided through REAP assisted in a tremendous year of anaerobic digester development and are an important first step in a successful renewable energy project,” said Tonsager. “Construction is beginning on four USDA funded digester projects here in Pennsylvania and six digester projects next door in Ohio. These systems will provide additional farm income, contribute to better nutrient management, and produce clean, renewable electricity for thousands of homes in the community.”

Today’s announcement is in concert with an agreement signed by Secretary Vilsack in December, 2009. During climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Secretary signed a historic agreement to help U.S. dairy producers cut greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement between USDA and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy calls for the parties to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from dairy farms by 25 percent by 2020.

With today’s announcement, USDA is awarding more than $2.4 million in energy audits grants, Renewable Energy Development Assistance Grants; and more than $1.2 million to support feasibility study projects.

Funding is made available through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) under the 2008 Farm Bill. REAP loan guarantees and grants can be used for renewable energy systems, energy efficiency improvements, feasibility studies, renewable energy development assistance and energy audits. More information on the REAP program can be found at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_ReapGrants.html Funding of each recipient is contingent upon the recipient meeting the conditions for the grant. The following is a complete list of award recipients announced today.

Feasibility Study Recipients by State

Colorado

Northern Colorado WindPower, LLC – $50,000

Hawaii

Frank A. Cipriani dba Biofarms Hawaii, LLC – $14,255

Tawn I. Kenney dba The Honoka’a People’s Theater – $1,041

Pacific Light and Power, Inc. – $35,338

Iowa

Plymouth Energy, LLC – $9,829

Idaho

Don W. Gilbert Hydro Power, LLC – $14,650

Elizabeth Olson – $1,600

Indiana

e-Biofuels, LLC – $3,149

Maine

Corinth Wood Pellets, LLC – $9,000

Maryland

Berrywine Plantations, Inc., dba Linganore Winecellars – $11,625

Michigan

Arbre Farms Corporation – $7,000

Lowell Light and Power – $30,000

Suburban Aviation, Inc. – $10,000

Minnesota

Little Rock Wind, LLC – $50,000

Norfolk Wind Energy, LLC – $50,000

Whirlwind Energy, LLC – $50,000

Nebraska

Growth Design Energy Nebraska, LLC – $10,000

New Jersey

Renu Energy Inc., – $50,000

North Dakota

Carrie Piper Cummer – $10,000

Oregon

Donald G. Averill – $27,500

Puerto Rico

Recast Energy, LLC – $9,575

Rhode Island

Global Imaging Holdings Realty, LLC – $50,000

Plain Lane Acres, LLC – $50,000

South Dakota

Blue Cloud Wind, LLC – $50,000

Dakota Wind Energy, LLC – $50,000

Flandreau Windfarm, LLC – $50,000

Northern Wind, LLC – $50,000

West Pipestone Creek, LLC – $50,000

Texas

Gulf Coast Wind, LLC – $31,296

Hall Brothers Partnership – $25,000

Midwest Renewable Energy, Inc., – $50,000

Mr. E. Green, Inc., – $31,938

Wind Miner, LLC – $29,114

Utah

K.C. Ranches, Inc. – $50,000

Ticaboo Electric Improvement District – $50,000

Vermont

Green Mountain Clean Energy, LLC – $50,000

Lemington Solar Farm, LLC – $15,000

Virginia

Burnshire Hydroelectric, LLC – $10,000

Washington

SKS Management, LLC – $43,750

Western Pacific

Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation – $50,000

Energy Audits and Renewable Energy Development Assistance Recipients by State

Alabama

University of Alabama – $97,500

Colorado

Colorado State University – $37,500

Delta-Montrose Electric Association – $97,325

Georgia

The University of Georgia –$100,000

Hawaii

Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; State Energy Office – $100,000

Idaho

Boise State University – $100,000

Indiana

Purdue University – $96,531

Iowa

Department of Natural Resources – $99,552

Department of Economic Development – $32,875

Kentucky

University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc. – $100,000

Maine

Greater Portland Council of Governments – $100,000

Efficiency Maine Trust – $100,000

Michigan

Michigan State University –$100,000

Minnesota

Regents of the University of Minnesota – $100,000

Nevada

Nevada System of Higher Education Desert Research Institute –$99,935

New Mexico

Regents of New Mexico State University/Institute for Energy and the Environment – $100,000

North Carolina

Land of Sky Regional Council – $99,825

North Carolina State University – $100,000

Oregon

Oregon Institute of Technology – $100,000

Oregon State University – $74,209

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania State University – $99,676

Saint Francis University – $100,000

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Resource Conservation and Development Area Council, Inc. – $50,000

Washington

Washington State Department of Commerce – $100,000

Washington State University – $100,000

West Virginia

West Virginia Division of Energy – $100,000

Wyoming

Office of Research, University of Wyoming –$60,000

Since taking office, the Obama administration has taken historic steps to improve the lives of rural Americans, put people back to work and build thriving economies in rural communities. From proposing the American Jobs Act to establishing the first-ever White House Rural Council – chaired by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack – the President wants the federal government to be the best possible partner for rural businesses and entrepreneurs creating job opportunities and for people who want to live, work, and raise their families in rural communities.

USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure and facility programs through a national network of state and local offices. Rural Development has an active portfolio of more than $155 billion in affordable loans and loan guarantees. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America.

The forecast is also bright for the future as states expect to achieve even higher energy savings for utility customers in years to come. These are the findings of two reports released recently by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

From 2004 to 2010, 24 states followed the lead set by Texas and Vermont by establishing an EERS, a policy that sets long-term energy savings goals for electric and natural gas utilities. Since then, utilities, regulators, and consumers in all corners of the country have embraced this approach to deliver energy efficiency programs that save energy and money in homes and businesses.

The first report, Energy Efficiency Resource Standards: A Progress Report on State Energy Savings Targets, documents the performance of every state with an EERS in place for more than two years. Comparing actual performance with the EERS targets, 13 of the 19 states with EERS policies in place for over two years are achieving 100% or more of their goals, three states are reaching over 90% of their goals, and the three states falling below 80% of their goals are working hard to catch up. In each case, state EERS policies are driving energy efficiency investments and energy cost savings to unprecedented levels.

“These states are demonstrating that energy efficiency programs deliver real savings for utilities and ratepayers, and it is more affordable than any supply-side energy source,” said Michael Sciortino, Policy Analyst and the report’s lead author. By law and rule, the energy efficiency programs implemented in a state with an EERS must cost less than the electricity that would have been produced if not for the programs. Accordingly, utility efficiency programs are saving customers significantly more than they cost.

For example, in 2009 and 2010, Ohio utility customers saved $56 million in energy costs over and above the costs to deliver the programs. Over the lifetime of these programs, they are likely to save customers in excess of three-quarters of a billion dollars—and this is just the beginning. Program goals increase over time.

“As a comprehensive national energy policy remains beyond the reach of Congress, states are taking action to show how bold energy efficiency policies can benefit residential, commercial, and industrial consumers,” said Steven Nadel, ACEEE Executive Director.

The future promises still more savings from state EERS, since most EERS targets increase over the next decade. The second report, Energy Efficiency Resource Standards: State Strategies to Reach Higher Energy Savings, documents how utilities are planning to ramp up their efforts to hit these higher energy savings levels.

The second report includes an analysis of six states with some of the largest and most successful energy efficiency programs in the United States—California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, and Vermont. In these leading states, utilities are employing new strategies to expand existing programs and add new ones, enhance advertising and promotions, and conduct innovative pilot projects.

Six more states—Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—are also examined in detail as they rapidly ramp up to develop the state-of-the-art energy efficiency programs required to meet the increasingly higher targets. Utilities in these states are running fewer, simpler programs that can get the most energy savings as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

“Experts who specialize in these states say the potential for cost-effective energy efficiency is more than sufficient to meet the goals that have been established, and they put the likelihood of states continuing to meet their goals in the 90% range,” summarized Martin Kushler, ACEEE Senior Research Fellow. “The greatest challenge for the future isn’t technical—it’s inspiring the political will necessary to pass these energy- and money-saving standards in every state.”

To read the first report, Energy Efficiency Resource Standards: A Progress Report on State Energy Savings Targets, click here.

To read the second report, Energy Efficiency Resource Standards: State Strategies to Reach Higher Energy Savings, click here.

To read the fact sheet, click here

Join the forum discussion on this post

Dated Post, but worth revisiting: Solar Industry

Despite the higher costs of Solar PV power generation, the net impact to the average Ontario household will be the equivalent of less than 1% of their electricity bills each year – less than the cost of one Tim Horton’s donut per month.

The stated rationale behind Ontario’s Green Energy and Economy Act and the associated Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program was to stimulate job growth and local investment while phasing out the use of coal in energy production. While solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation can help to achieve these goals, it is currently more expensive than other forms of power generation. Given this cost differential, the question is whether investing in solar PV represents good value for Ontario ratepayers and taxpayers.

A recent study by ClearSky Advisors has found that if the OPA continues to award FIT contracts to solar generators at the current rate over the next 5 years, it would translate into more than 70,000 person-years of employment in Ontario. Using data from official sources (i.e., IESO, OPA, Statistics Canada), peer reviewed studies and other recognized sources, the ClearSky Advisors’ report is the first to provide a comprehensive analysis of the expected results from developing solar power in Ontario.

In the study, solar PV generation was found to produce 12 to 15 times the number of jobs created by non-renewable sources such as coal, natural gas, or nuclear. With approval rates trending toward 3,000MW of solar power capacity over the next 5 years, the increased costs from solar PV to the average Ontario household would amount to the equivalent of 0.7% of their electricity bills per year compared to other energy sources.

“When you consider the economic impacts of solar, it is clear that it creates far more jobs than any other energy source while also decreasing health and environmental costs. Solar energy does, however, cost more to ratepayers than the alternatives,” says Tim Wohlgemut, Co-Founder of ClearSky Advisors. “The question to Ontario households is whether the job creation, lessened environmental impact and reduced healthcare expenses are worth the additional costs to their electricity bill.”

Source: ClearSky Advisors

MNswan Technologies, a new alternative energy company, recently announced that it is ready to help homeowners lower their energy costs. The company offers instructional guides on affordable energy saving systems, such as the Simple Solar Water Heating System, which can make a home more energy efficient.

The new company, founded by Michael Swanson, developed a Simple Solar Water Heating System, an affordable, energy efficient water heater. The company provides instructional guides, and will be releasing new items in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.mnswantech.com.

Michael Swanson created the Simple Solar Water Heating System after years of trying to lower his family’s energy bills. Using recycled materials and items purchased mainly from local hardware stores, Swanson, who is not a plumber by trade, built a domestic water heating system that is heated by the sun. The pre-heated water is returned to his hot water heater so the traditional system operates less often, using much less energy, resulting in big savings for the family budget.

The system comes down during the winter and goes back up in the spring. But in warmer climates, this water heating system can be used much longer, or even year-round.

“We’ve been pinching pennies, turning down the thermostat, weather-proofing… the stuff most people do. But I started looking at the cost to heat my hot water, and researched how I could cut my expenses,” said Swanson. “What I learned saves my family a lot of money. And it was simple and inexpensive to install.”

Several other energy saving projects are in the works and the instructional guides will be available in 2011. For more information on the company, please visit http://www.mnswantech.com.

DEP Secretary John Hanger this morning visited Frey Farm Landfill in Conestoga, Lancaster County, to cut the ribbon on a new, 3.2-megawatt wind power project by the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority.

Later in the day, the secretary was on hand as local officials and citizens from Yardley, Bucks County, marked the completion of a broad, energy efficient lighting system upgrade that will save Lower Makefield Township taxpayers ,000 annually. Both projects benefited from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding because each met the bill’s objective of creating jobs and helping consumers and businesses save money by using green energy solutions.

Separately, in East Manchester Township, York County, Deputy Secretary for Energy and Technology Deployment Andrew Place watched today as GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare began installing solar panels on its northeast regional distribution center. Once completed, the 3-megawatt array will represent the largest rooftop system in North America, allowing the company to generate approximately 90 percent of its electricity needs.

“Today is a monumental day in Pennsylvania’s ongoing transformation to a clean, green future, and it’s also a great day for our economy because it represents what we can accomplish in terms of creating jobs and reducing our dependence on foreign oil and other polluting fossil-fuels,” said Hanger. “Pennsylvania has more than 350,000 people working in ‘green’ jobs and hundreds — if not thousands — of companies in this industry today as a result of our investments and policies that are leveling the playing field for renewables. Those investments are paying dividends today and will continue to do so for decades to come.”

Since 2003, Pennsylvania has invested more than billion in renewable energy projects that have made it among the leading states for this industry. Pennsylvania has been recognized as one of the fastest growing states for wind energy and is expected to be among the top five for solar energy by the end of the year.

“The future of our state — and our nation — is in clean energy,” said Hanger. “The projects we visited today are proof of that. More families and businesses are realizing that clean energy is not only better for the environment and our health because these technologies don’t emit harmful pollutants, it’s better for our pocket books and bottom lines. By conserving energy, you reduce your monthly utility bill; by installing a generation source of renewable energy, you’re ensuring that you’ll pay a constant price for the energy that system generates for the next 20-30 years: nothing.”

Hanger said the .7 million Frey Farm landfill project, which will provide 25 percent of the power to the neighboring Turkey Hill Dairy, created 26 construction jobs and will produce enough clean energy to offset the pollution that would have been created by burning 12,000 barrels of oil to generate the same amount of electricity. The commonwealth invested .5 million in the project through the Recovery Act-funded state energy program.

In Lower Makefield Township, the secretary witnessed how a 0,000 Conservation Works! grant — funded by the Recovery Act — helped replace 23 incandescent traffic lights and all of the free-standing parking lot light poles with new high-efficiency light emitting diode models. The changeover to LED is expected to reduce the lighting costs for traffic lights and parking lot lighting by 91 percent and 70 percent, respectively.

Finally, the GlaxoSmithKline project involves 100 workers adding about 11,000 solar panels over an area the size of approximately seven football fields. The solar panels will generate enough electricity to meet the annual energy needs of the nearly 500,000-square-foot building, which is equivalent to the amount of power 400 average-sized homes use in a year. The project benefited from a million solar energy program grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority. The program was made possible by the state’s 0 million Alternative Energy Investment Fund, which Governor Edward G. Rendell signed into law in 2008.

For more information on Pennsylvania’s clean energy development program and work to help consumers and businesses conserve energy, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us.

Here’s a story with a sense of justice (albeit small) from a case of environmental wrongdoing: Shell Oil was sued two years ago for releasing millions of pounds of chemicals, including benzene and other toxins, from its Deer Park refinery in Texas into the air. It was violating the Clean Air Act—and of the million legal settlement that resulted, million is now helping two Texas schools go solar. Beautiful irony….Read the full story on TreeHugger

There are lots of options available to homeowners looking to make their houses healthier and more environmentally friendly. But for many people in the midst of a renovation, the choices can be overwhelming.

Kings County, in Washington state, has developed a useful tool—and fun web series—to help those planning or e…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Read the full story on TreeHugger

Via Renewable Energy News

Low Enough to Keep Competition Away
The Atlantic has a good piece about OPEC, everybody’s least-favorite cartel. It shows pretty clearly why OPEC is probably the most effective enemy of renewable energy. The way they do it is by going against their short-term interests and keeping oil prices relatively low (at least low compared to the kind of prices they could create if they choked off supply more) to assure their long-term market-share and keep alternatives to oil down….Read the full story on TreeHugger