Montana Green Power E-news — October 2005

The Montana Green Power E-newsletter is a monthly feature of the
Montana Green Power website: http://www.montanagreenpower.com.

"I think the environment should be put in the category of our
national security. Defense of our resources is just as important
as defense abroad.
Otherwise what is there to defend?" – Robert Redford

NEWS & NOTES

Solar Providing Power for Hurricane Katrina Victims
AERO and NorthWestern Energy Sponsoring Energy Tours
California’s Million Solar Roofs Bill Dead
Large Wind Plant Underway in Canada
Hybrid Grass Shows Promise as Fuel Source
Ford to Offer Hybrid Versions of Half its Lineup by 2010
Turkey Litter to Fuel Small Town
Manure-powered Ethanol Plant Planned in Kansas
Standard Runs Feature on Hybrid Vehicles
EERE Launches Financial Opportunities Website
DOE Launches Energy Conservation Campaign
Heating Costs Expected to Rise Dramatically This Winter

Solar Providing Power for Hurricane Katrina Victims
Solar electric systems provided by the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) and Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC)
are providing much-needed power in Kiln, Mississippi, following
Hurricane Katrina. The solar systems, which convert the sun’s
energy into electricity, are mobile units mounted on a trailer
that can then be towed by a pickup truck. The systems are
important in recovery efforts, providing electricity for a
host of important functions, such as mobile phones, laptop
computers, hand-held radios, and other communication devices.
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=aK59Iv0L_6Q8?id=37058.com

AERO and NorthWestern Energy Sponsoring Energy Tours
A series of four conservation and renewable energy tours,
sponsored by NorthWestern Energy (NWE) and organized by AERO,
Montana¹s Alternative Energy Resources Organization,
are planned for October and November. The tours are free
to the public and will feature experts knowledgeable about
the energy systems highlighted in the tours. Tour locations
will Manhattan, Missoula, Martinsdale, and Billings.
http://http://www.montanagreenpower.com/news_RE_tours.htm

California’s Million Solar Roofs Bill Dead
Said to be the largest solar power policy in the nation,
California’s Million Solar Roofs bill (SB 1) was defeated despite
its many benefits. Supported by Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger,
the bill would have resulted in more than 3,000 MW of solar
energy installations on homes and businesses over the next ten
years. Amendments for prevailing wages and licensing reportedly
divided support for the bill.
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=36386

Large Wind Plant Underway in Canada
Construction of the new Melancthon Grey Wind Project is underway
in Southern Ontario, as part of Canadian Hydro’s renewable energy
initiatives. The 67.5-megawatt plant is expected to be complete
in 2006 and will supply enough power for some 20,000 homes
each year.
http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story;jsessionid=a_9F7SWCc5Z4?id=36499
http://www.mgwindpower.info/

Hybrid Grass Shows Promise as Fuel Source
Scientists studying a hybrid grass at the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign say it might be used as an efficient solid
fuel, reports a UPI article posted on Science Daily. Leafless
stems of the 13-foot tall Giant Miscanthus, or elephant grass,
offer a comparatively clean and renewable solid fuel source,
researchers reported at the British Association for the
Advancement of Science festival. As a fuel, the grass offers
an energy ratio of input to output less than 0.2, compared
with ratios that exceed 0.8 for ethanol and biodiesel from
canola.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20050928-18353800-bc-us-grassfuel.xml

Ford to Offer Hybrid Versions of Half its Lineup by 2010
Ford Motor Company recently announced plans to increase hybrid
production to encompass more than half the vehicle models by
2010. The company plans to increase production of its Ford
Escape Hybrid to 250,000 in just five years. Ford recently
unveiled its second hybrid, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid,
which goes on sale this fall, and the company plans to
introduce hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan,
and Mazda Tribute by 2008.
http://www.media.ford.com/newsroom/feature_display.cfm?release=21600

Ford also noted plans to increase its flexible-fuel vehicles.
The 2006 models of the Ford F-150, Ford Crown Victoria,
Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car will accept E85,
an ethanol and gasoline mixture containing 85 percent ethanol.
Ford said it could produce as many as 280,000 flexible-fuel
vehicles in 2006.
http://www.media.ford.com/newsroom/feature_display.cfm?release=21636

Turkey Litter to Fuel Small Town
According to an AP article in the Pioneer Press, energy
developers are building a new plant that will burn tons of
turkey litter from farms across western Minnesota. Situated in
the small town of Benson, the plant is expected to begin
production in 2007 and provide enough power to supply the town
of 3,300 and the farms around it. The project comes a decade
after the Minnesota Legislature ordered the state’s largest
power supplier – now Xcel Energy Inc. – to invest in biomass
as a power source.
http://www.realcities.com/mld/twincities/news/12668590.htm

Manure-powered Ethanol Plant Planned in Kansas
Panda Energy has announced that a new 100 million gallon ethanol
plant it plans to construct in Haskell County, Kansas, will be
powered by gasified cattle manure, reports Kansas Ag Connection.
The company also plans ethanol plants in Texas and Colorado,
and together the three facilities will use three billion pounds
of cattle manure a year in the creation of bio-gas to run the
plants. The company says the biofuel will save 1,000 barrels
of oil per day.
http://www.kansasagconnection.com/story-state.cfm?Id=531&yr=2005

Standard Runs Feature on Hybrid Vehicles
An article in the September 18 issue of The Montana Standard
focused on hybrid vehicles and their growing popularity in
Montana. According to the article, "Rising gasoline prices,
federal tax incentives and threats of global warming are
increasing sales of hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles
nationwide, and Montana is no exception."
http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2005/09/18/newsbutte/hjjejaichgegfg.txt

DOE Initiates Energy Conservation Campaign
Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman has unveiled a
comprehensive national campaign to highlight how American
families, businesses and the federal government can save
energy in response to rising winter energy costs.
The "Easy Ways to Save Energy" campaign includes the
"Energy $avers Guide," which will be distributed to
consumers across the country, as well as radio and print ads
that promote more efficient energy use, as well as public
service announcements that will offer more tips to save.
http://www.money.cnn.com/2005/10/03/news/economy/energy_saving/index.htm

Heating Costs Expected to Rise Dramatically This Winter
CNN reports that homes heated with natural gas and heating oil
will likely experience soaring prices this winter. Prices are
reported to be near record levels, partly due to Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. The National Energy Assistance Directors’
Association estimates it will cost $1,568 to heat a typical
home with natural gas in colder climates. That’s an increase
of about 64 percent, says the association. Homes heated with
heating oil could see a nearly 35 percent increase,
or about $1,666.
http://www.money.cnn.com/2005/09/29/news/economy/heating_costs/index.htm

EERE Launches Financial Opportunities Website
DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
has launched a new website that lists opportunities for financial
assistance. The EERE Financial Opportunities website lists
current and past solicitations from EERE and provides specific
funding information for business, industry, and universities,
as well as consumers, federal energy managers, inventors, states,
and tribes. In fiscal year 2004 alone, EERE awarded approximately
$506 million in financial assistance.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/financing/

—

You have received this e-mail because you visited the Montana
Green Power website or expressed an interest in receiving
information about renewable energy in Montana.

If you have renewable energy News or an Energy Tip for posting
on the website, please send it to [email protected].
Please forward the newsletter to others who may be interested
in renewable energy in Montana.

If you want to remove yourself from this mailing list, please
send an e-mail to with the following
command in the body of your email message:

unsubscribe montanagreenpower

If you ever need to contact the owner of the list, if you
have trouble unsubscribing or if you have questions
about the list itself, send email to:

[email protected]

http://www.montanagreenpower.com