News

Montana Green Power Monthly Newsletter December 2006

"Energy conservation is the cornerstone of a clean and
affordable energy future. …Energy conservation protects our
air and water while keeping our homes and businesses
comfortable at a lower cost than natural gas or coal-powered
generation." – Ralph Cavanagh, Natural Resources Defense Council

NEWS & NOTES
Montana Co-op Will Use Grant Funds for New Wind Farm Projects
GM Taking Advantage of Solar Under Creative No-Cost Arrangement
IRS Issues Bonds for Renewable Energy Projects
New Pub Identifies Renewable Energy Opportunities for the Farm
Wal-Mart Has Goal to Power Stores Entirely with Renewable Energy
New Low-Speed Wind Turbine Blade Developed
Study: Global Warming Causing Species Extinction
Geothermal Can Create Jobs, Investments, & Other Benefits
337 Fuel Cell Projects Identified in New Database
Reports Analyze 25x’25 Renewable Energy Vision
Geothermal Enjoying Considerable Growth During 2006

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Energy for Sustainability Grants

NEWS & NOTES

Montana Co-op Will Use Grant Funds for New Wind Farm Projects
The Green Electricity Buying Cooperative has received funding
from the federal Clean Renewable Energy bonds, established by
the 2005 U.S. Energy Policy Act. The co-op has announced that
it intends to use the funds to construct two wind farm projects
in McCone and Yellowstone Counties, which together will produce
about 20 megawatts of clean power.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/11562.html

GM Taking Advantage of Solar Under Creative No-Cost Arrangement
A creative arrangement between General Motors (GM) and
Developing Energy Efficient Roof Systems (Deers) has allowed
GM to benefit from a photovoltaic installation at no cost.
In the agreement, solar developer Deers paid for the cost to
install a PV system on GM’s roof. In return, GM signed a
long-term contract to purchase electricity from the system from
Deers. Because the electricity purchased from Deers is less
expensive than electricity provided by the local utility, the
arrangement is expected to reduce GM’s energy costs by about
10 percent each year.

IRS Issues Bonds for Renewable Energy Projects
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has allocated $800
million in "tax-credit" bonds for a total of 610 renewable
energy projects to be located throughout the United States.
Unlike normal bonds that pay interest, tax-credit bonds pay
the bondholders by providing a credit against their federal
income tax. In effect, the new tax-credit bonds, called
"Clean Renewable Energy Bonds," will provide interest-free
financing for certain renewable energy projects. The new bond
allocations range from $23,000 to $31 million and are set
aside for 434 solar energy facilities, 112 wind power
installations, 36 landfill gas facilities, 14 hydropower
plants, 13 biomass power plants, and one refined coal
production facility. The IRS selected the projects from
among 709 applications for 786 projects.
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=164423,00.html

New Pub Identifies Renewable Energy Opportunities for the Farm
A new publication from the National Sustainable Agriculture
Information Service/ATTRA introduces three renewable energy
resources that can be attractive and economically feasible for
the farm: solar, wind, and renewable fuels. The publication
is not a technical guide for designing or installing renewable
energy systems but, instead, services as an overview of wind,
solar, and renewable fuel technologies, and includes
information on cost and savings, site planning, and
financial incentives.
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/energyopp.html

New Low-Speed Wind Turbine Blade Developed
The first in a series of wind turbine blades that, according
to its developer Knight & Carver, "ranks among the industry’s
most innovative advances in wind energy production" has been
produced as part of a DOE project. Called the "STAR," for
"Sweep Twist Adaptive Rotor," the 90-foot blade is curved to
relieve pressure on both the blade and the turbine and
features a gently curving tip to capture low-speed winds.
Developed with the help of DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories
as part of a DOE research project, the STAR blade is designed
to take maximum advantage of all wind speeds. The new blade
was manufactured at Knight & Carver’s blade division in
San Diego, California, in early November, and will undergo
static testing in December.
http://www.knightandcarver.com/AboutUs/?c=Press_Release_ID_111

Wal-Mart Has Goal to Power Stores Entirely with Renewable Energy
According to a new press release from Wal-Mart, the country’s
largest retailer has a goal to eventually provide power to its
stores entirely from renewable energy. Wind turbines installed
on two experimental stores in Colorado and Texas, however, have
suffered from mechanical problems. As a result, the company is
not completely sold on wind technology. Nonetheless, Walmart
continues its sustainability efforts. "When we conceptualized
these two experimental stores, we thought about our environmental
opportunities which led our thoughts to our current goals: to be
supplied by 100 percent renewable energy, to create zero waste,
and to sell products that sustain our resources and environment,"
said Charles Zimmerman, vice president of prototype and new
format development. Meantime, Wal-Mart will upgrade lighting
in its stores to more energy-efficient LED lighting beginning
next year.
http://www.walmartfacts.com/articles/4601.aspx

Study: Global Warming Causing Species Extinction
Global warming is causing extinction of plant and animal species
sooner than scientists had predicted, according to a new study
by Texas biologist Camille Parmesan. According to Parmesan, some
70 species of frogs have become extinct due to increased heat.
She also concludes that 100 to 200 other species that are
dependent on cold weather-such as penguins and polar bears-could
be in serious jeopardy. "We are finally seeing species going
extinct," said Parmesan. "Now we’ve got the evidence. It’s here.
It’s real. This is not just biologists’ intuition.
It’s what’s happening."
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/11/21/climate.species.ap/index.html

Geothermal Can Create Jobs, Investments, & Other Benefits
At a time when the U.S. geothermal industry is seeing a
resurgence of new investment, the Geothermal Energy
Association (GEA) has released a new publication on the
socioeconomics of geothermal energy. A Handbook on the
Externalities, Employment, and Economics of Geothermal
Energy provides critical information about the costs, benefits,
and other effects of geothermal development on people and
communities around the country.

"Representing over a year of work and having undergone extensive
reviews, this report solidly documents the many benefits of
expanding geothermal energy use," stated Karl Gawell,
Executive Director of GEA. "We hope the Administration and OMB
read this report," he added, referring to recent proposals by
the Administration to close down federal geothermal research
efforts. The document can be downloaded from the GEA website at:
http://www.geo-energy.org/publications/reports.asp

337 Fuel Cell Projects Identified in New Database
A new database created by Fuel Cells 2000 and DOE’s Hydrogen
Program identifies some 337 stationary fuel cell projects
that have been built in the United States. The database
includes both both active and retired projects in 43 states.
California leads with 59 projects, followed by New York with 53.
The largest projects are a now-defunct 2-megawatt molten
carbonate fuel cell built in Santa Clara, California, in the
1990s; a 1.2-megawatt phosphoric acid fuel cell system built
in Middletown, Connecticut, in 2001; a 2-megawatt molten
carbonate fuel cell built in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 2003;
and a 1.4-megawatt phosphoric acid fuel cell system built in
Garden City, New York, in 2005. While the majority of the fuel
cells are fueled with natural gas, the database also includes
fuel cells powered by anaerobic digester gas, coalmine methane,
diesel fuel, ethanol, hydrogen, landfill gas, liquefied
petroleum gas, methanol, and propane.
http://www.fuelcells.org/dbs/

Reports Analyze 25x’25 Renewable Energy Vision
The 25x’25 Initiative has released two reports that analyze its
renewable energy vision for America. The reports, one by the
RAND Corporation and one by the University of Tennessee,
studied the ability of renewable energy from America’s farms,
forests and ranches to provide 25 percent of U.S. total energy
needs in 2025 while continuing to provide safe, abundant and
affordable food, feed and fiber, as well as the economic and
other effects of achieving this goal. The reports conclude
that the 25x’25 vision is achievable and that rapidly
increasing the use of renewable energy will have an immediate
payoff for the U.S. economy. The reports also conclude that
25x’25 will improve our energy security and could provide
significant environmental and other benefits at virtually no
additional cost to the economy.
http://www.25×25.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=73

Geothermal Enjoying Considerable Growth During 2006
Fifty-eight new geothermal energy projects are currently
under development in the United States, compared to only 46
in March 2006, according to a new survey from the Geothermal
Energy Association (GEA). The survey identifies power
projects under development in Alaska, Arizona, California,
Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah.
http://www.geo-energy.org/publications/pressReleases/US Country Update
Release November.pdf

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Energy for Sustainability Grants
The National Science Foundation requests proposals for the Energy
for Sustainability Program, for fundamental research and
education in energy production, conversion, and storage which
is focused on energy sources that are environmentally friendly
and renewable. This program seeks to reduce world dependence
on fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases, and promote
sustainable energy. Proposals are due March 31 and
September 15, 2007. To see the full solicitation,
visit: http://www.grants.gov/search/basic.do,
and search for solicitation PD-07-7644.

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