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GREEN POWER HEADLINES
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WIND POWER
NEWS
High
Resolution Wind Map Posted
Zeal for Wind Energy High, Hurdles
Remain
Big Timber Rancher
Hopes to Lasso Wind
NCAT Begins Anemometer Loan Program
Wind Grant System Installation Complete
Wind Workshop Presentations
Now On Line
Sage
Mountain Releases USB Progress Report
Map
Shows Renewable Energy Sources
Helena Couple Achieve Solar Independence
Pair Uses Renewable Energy to Live Lightly
Survey
Finds People Making Homes More Efficient
OTHER
NEWS...
Diesel Never Smelled
Like This
Landowners Need to Know
Value of Wind Resource
Download free Acrobat Reader software to view PDF files.
High
Resolution Montana Wind Map Posted
The much anticipated high-resolution map of Montana's wind resources showing
tremendous potential is now posted at www.windpowermaps.org.
In addition, updated versions of the Washington map images are posted
showing all tribal lands, and we are now taking orders for color prints and
posters.
According to Heather
Rhoads-Weaver of Northwest SEED (Sustainable Energy for Economic
Development), web GIS developers are busy working on the interactive zoom-in
tools and other navigational features that will be beta tested next
week and released publicly at the Harvesting Clean Energy conference
Feb. 26 in Pasco, WA. Other upcoming release dates are:
A more detailed project
schedule along with updated information on becoming a
sponsor can be found at www.nwseed.org/maps.htm
Project Background
Under contract with the NW Cooperative Development Center, TrueWind
Solutions and NW Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (SEED) are
working produce new wind maps and an interactive website that will allow
landowners to "zoom in" and view wind resource details down to a
40-acre grid scale. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and five
independent meteorologists are verifying the model's wind speed predictions
using data collected at dozens of sties throughout the region. Wind maps for
Washington, Montana, Oregon and northern California will be completed over
the next month, and the National
Center for Appropriate Technology will be assisting with the formal
website launch. The wind map for Wyoming plus additional
"Stats Pages" with time series graphs and data tables, along with
a simple payback calculator, will be available by early March.
NWSEED is working with the
Land & Water Fund of the Rockies to develop a larger Renewable Energy
Atlas of the West covering wind, solar, biomass and geothermal resources (www.energyatlas.org).
For more information,
contact:
Heather Rhoads-Weaver
Northwest SEED
(Sustainable Energy for Economic Development)
2724 S. Elmwood Place
Seattle, WA 98144
206-328-2441 / eFax: 925-889-3911
[email protected]
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Whitehall
Newspaper Offers
Perspective on Wind Project
By Glenn Marx, Whitehall
Ledger Publisher
Nearly four decades ago Bob Dylan told us the answer was blowing in the
wind. Right now, in Montana, answers might indeed be blowing in the wind
... answers to concerns about environmentally friendly power, affordable
power, additional power supply and the possibility of some minor local
economic development. More...
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Sage
Mountain Center Releases
2001 USBC Progress Report
Sage Mountain Center of Whitehall has submitted its progress
report on projects it accomplished in 2001 under Montana Power
Company's Universal System Benefits fund.
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Shields Valley Site Studied for Wind Farm
Billings Gazette
LIVINGSTON (AP) - Officials of Montana Wind Harness are looking at the Bonhomme Ranch in
the Shields Valley as a possible site for building a wind farm. "It's a pretty decent
site," Jim Carkulis, company president, said Friday. "The wind resource in that
area was sufficient and the transmission lines through the property were a plus."
More...
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Montana
Power Announces Agreement
with Montana Wind Harness LLC
BUTTE (December 4, 2001) – Montana Power has signed a contract with Montana Wind Harness to
purchase 150 total megawatts of wind power for default supply customers. The agreement
also calls for the construction of a wind turbine assembly plant and operations and
maintenance facility that will initially create as many as 65 new jobs in Montana.
•
News Release (7KB
PDF)
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Zeal for Wind Energy High, Hurdles
Remain
October 4, 2001
By Tom Lutey
Bozeman
Chronicle
BIG SKY – The "gold rush" is on among Western states scrambling to
develop wind energy, and although Montana is rich in bluster, it lacks the power lines to
cash in, according to energy experts. More...
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Walking the walk:
Sage
Mountain Uses Renewable Energy
to Live Lightly, Helps Others Do Same
By Roberta Forsell Stauffer
The Montana Standard
Their dream car is an SUV that could run on
either gas or electricity. The sport utility vehicle would start in 40-below zero weather
and be equipped with four-wheel drive to navigate the rough roads along the Continental
Divide. One deep charge of batteries would be power enough for the 40-plus-mile round trip
to Butte.
For Chris Borton and Linda Welsh of Sage
Mountain Center, that dream car represents a major "missing link'' in their quest to
live with little impact on the planet and help others do the same. More...
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Big Timber Rancher
Hopes to Lasso
Area's High Winds for Power
BIG TIMBER – North of Big Timber, where
the only thing more persistent than the strong winds are the high power bills, rancher Tom
Agnew is harnessing the former to tame the latter. More...
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DEQ
Sustainability Fair Survey Finds
People Making Homes More Efficient
HELENA – A survey by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality at the 2001
Sustainability Fair in Livingston, August 25, found the majority of the people interviewed
believe their energy bills will be increasing. An estimated 2,500 people attended the
fair. More...
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NCAT
Begins Anemometer Loan Program
The National Center for Appropriate Technology, in cooperation with the Denver office of
the Department of Energy and Montana Department of Environmental Quality, is providing
anemometer systems to rural landowners in Montana. Landowners will be responsible for a
small fee and damage deposit.
The systems consist of a 20-meter tower, anemometer, and wind vane. NCAT personnel will
install the systems, and the equipment will stay in place for one year. Data collected
will be made available to the public through NCAT's website. Contact John Walden at 1
(406) 494-8641 or [email protected].
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Montana AgSolar Project Report
Now Available Online
With its strong agricultural sector set in one of the least-populated areas in the
country, Montana intuitively represents an ideal candidate to embrace solar-electric
technology. Indeed, more and more farm and ranch producers are turning to solar electric
for a variety of uses, including water pumping, fencing, and powering remote outbuildings,
among others. Current users recognize that today’s solar-electric technology has
advanced significantly over the last 10 to 15 years and is now cost-effective in many more
applications, especially as an alternative to power-line extensions.
Solar users also value the technology’s improved performance and reliability, as well
as its portability. These results are encouraging, but in fact only a small proportion of
the agricultural producers operating in Montana today have experienced the benefits of
solar-electric technology. Believing in the technology’s potential, Montana Power
Company agreed to use a portion of its Universal System
Benefits Charge monies to support the National Center for Appropriate
Technology’s Montana AgSolar Project. Download the 86-page (807KB) report on the project.
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Consumer's
Guide Answers Questions
about Small Wind Electric Systems
Can you use wind energy to power your home? Spir
- Is there enough wind where you live?
- Do they allow tall towers in your
neighborhood or rural area?
- Do you have enough space?
- How much electricity do you need or want to
produce?
- Do you want to connect to the utility grid
or be grid independent?
- Can you afford a wind energy system?
- What does it take to install and maintain a
system?
These are just a few of the questions you
need to answer before you can determine if a wind energy system will work for you.
Download Small Wind Electric Systems
– A U. S. Consumer’s Guide (774KB). The guide provides basic information you
need to answer those questions and to address the many factors you need to consider to
successfully install a small wind energy system and get maximum production.
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Consumer
Energy Information
Just what do we mean by "energy efficiency" and "renewable energy"?
Energy-efficient products take less energy to operate and save energy — and money
— by reducing heating, cooling and lighting requirements in buildings. Renewable
energy comes from resources that are easily replenished such as the sun, wind, and water.
Get energy information
for your home, business or workplace, school or transportation.
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DEQ
Sustainability Fair Survey Finds
People Making Homes More Efficient
HELENA – A survey by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ) at the second Annual 2001 Sustainability Fair in Livingston, MT,
August 25, found the majority of the people interviewed believe their
energy bills will be increasing. An estimated 2500 people attended the
fair.
The Sustainability Fair is a project of the Corporation for the
Northern Rockies, a non profit organization based in Livingston, promoting
sustainable land management, fostering sustainable economies, and
preserving local traditions. The survey also found about two-thirds of
people had done something at their home to save energy. Installing compact
fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs was the most popular action taken, with 33%
of the persons installing an average of four bulbs per home. The CFL bulbs
have been improved in the last few years, now fitting almost all fixtures.
They are about four times more energy efficient than standard incandescent
bulbs, and last about 10 times longer. An average Montana home that
replaces a 60 watt incandescent light with a 15 watt CFL will save about
$4.50 a year on a light that is on for 4 hours a day.
Insulating attics, wrapping water heaters, adjusting water heater to
120 degrees, making the home more air tight and replacing windows were the
other popular actions taken in the homes. Paul Tschida of the DEQ said
these measures were good considering that a recent Department of Energy
study found only 20% of homes built before 1980 were well insulated. He
was surprised more people had not done things that would significantly
reduce their energy cost such as insulating crawlspaces, basement walls,
exterior walls, sealing and insulating heating duct work and installing
new furnaces, boilers and set back thermostats.
Other responses from the survey included:
- 10% of the people responded they had used the $150 Montana tax
credit for investments in energy conservation installations.
- 33% expected to perform some energy conservation work within the
next two years and almost all expected to use the new $500 Montana
energy conservation tax credit available January 1, 2002.
- 50% responded they recently purchased or will be purchasing a new
appliance, a refrigerator being most commonly mentioned.
- 58% will use the Energy Guide label, a yellow and black label on all
major appliances showing the average annual energy consumption for
that model compared to others in that class.
- 75 % said they would pay extra for energy saving features that would
pay for themselves within 5 years.
- 55% would pay extra for energy saving features that would pay for
themselves within 10 years.
- 82% stated they were recycling at home, with newspaper, aluminum
cans and glass being the most common items recycled.
As an incentive to participate in the survey, DEQ and U.S. Department
of Energy staff offered Fair attendees their choice of a radon test kit,
wood stove thermometer or coffee mug. Twenty-nine persons responded to the
survey.
For more information: Paul
Tschida (406/ 444-6864)
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Renewable
Energy Makes Economic Sense,
Says Sage Mountain Founder
Chris Borton and partner Linda
Welsh have owned and operated Sage
Mountain Center, located in the Toll Mountain area west of Whitehall, since 1991. Sage
Mountain Center offers training in personal inner growth, physical health and sustainable
living. The sustainable living portion of the Sage Mountain experience offers a wide
variety of advice and courses on a range of topics, including solar home design,
alternative building materials, solar electricity and more. Borton, a Georgia native, is
the fourth generation of his family to work in construction. Read Borton's views on energy
conservation and renewable energy in a two-part interview with the Whitehall Ledger weekly newspaper.
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Montana
Law Requires Green Pricing
Montana Governor Judy Martz has signed into law an omnibus energy bill (HB
474), which includes a requirement that regulated electric utilities
offer their customers an opportunity to purchase "a separately
marketed product composed of power from renewable resources," defined
as biomass, wind, solar, or geothermal resources. The product may be
priced differently from the standard electricity product. The law also
extends the state's universal system benefits program funding through
2005.
From Green
Power Network
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Preaching
the Green-Power Gospel
Evangelists for
renewable energy sources
coming out of the wilderness
MSNBC
SEATTLE, July 24 — Mike
Nelson broke free of the power grid 22 years ago, and he didn’t have to
become a Luddite survivalist to do it. His solar/wind/gas-powered
houseboat boasts all the consumer conveniences, including a microwave
oven, a VCR and even a Web server. What sets him apart from his neighbors
is that he’s operating on homemade electricity. Nelson’s not kidding
himself about the difficulties most Americans face in following his lead.
But like other green-power prophets, he believes that time and economics
are on his side. More...
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Solar Electric Program Lets
Homeowners Generate Green
Power
Homeowners
connected to Montana Power Company’s electric
distribution service may be eligible to participate in an exciting
solar electric demonstration projects that will save money and
protect the environment by generating "clean" energy
from a free resource—the sun.
The National Center
for Appropriate Technology, through Montana Power Company’s
universal system benefits fund, will provide $4,500 incentive
payments to selected homeowners who install a solar electric
system. The systems must be at least 1 kilowatt in capacity. The
owner will choose a solar dealer who will supply and install the
system. NCAT will approve the system design and inspect the
installation.
The grid-connected
solar electric (often called photovoltaic, or PV, systems) will be
installed on as many as 15 homes this year. Twenty-four homeowners
installed solar electric systems through a similar incentive
program in 2000.
The solar electric
systems will be utility-intertied, which means the electricity
they produce can be fed into the utility grid, in effect running
the meter backward.
Solar electric
systems are easy on the environment. They help reduce the use of
fossil fuels and resulting greenhouse gas emissions.
A 1-kW solar
electric system, for example, will eliminate the emission of more
than 1,750 pounds of carbon dioxide and nearly a half-pound of
nitrogen oxides annually. And solar electric systems save money by
generating their own "clean" electricity from a
renewable energy resource.
A solar electric
system produces direct current electricity, which is converted by
an inverter into alternating current (AC) electricity at the
utility's voltage and frequency. The AC electricity is fed into
the building’s main electric breaker panel.
AC electricity
produced by the solar electric system is consumed in the building
and any excess electricity produced by the system goes back into
the utility grid. MPC will install electric meters that turn
backward whenever excess power generated by the solar electric
system is fed into the utility grid. The homeowner must sign a net
metering agreement with MPC for this project.
Qualifying
homeowner applicants must meet basic requirements such as having
an acceptable solar installation site. A qualified dealer must
install the system. NCAT will inspect each system before the
homeowner will be reimbursed. Participants will be randomly
selected from the pool of qualifying applications.
Funds for the
project come from the universal system benefits charge, or USBC
paid by all Montana Power Co. customers.
Complete
applications must be submitted to NCAT by May 31, 2001. To request
a homeowner application packet, contact John Walden at
(406) 494-8641 ([email protected])
or Ray Schott at (406) 494-8668 ([email protected]).
Download an application packet in
PDF format.
Download free Acrobat
Reader software to view PDF files.
NCAT, a national
non-profit organization headquartered in Butte, promotes
sustainable technologies and community-based approaches that
protect natural resources and assist people in becoming more
self-reliant.
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Solar Electric
Program Enables Schools to Generate Electricity
Schools connected
to Montana Power Company’s electric distribution service
may be eligible to participate in an exciting solar electric
demonstration project that will save money and protect the
environment by generating "clean" energy from the sun.
The National Center
for Appropriate Technology will install grid-connected solar
electric (often called photovoltaic, or PV, systems) at no cost on
five schools in MPC’s electric distribution area. Each system
will be two kilowatts in size and have a value of about $18,000.
The solar electric systems will be utility-intertied, which means
the electricity they produce can be fed into the utility grid, in
effect running the meter backward.
A solar energy
curriculum developed for participating schools is available online
at www.montanagreenpower.com. A copy of the curriculum will be
provided to each participating school and to other schools that
request it. Each school PV
system will generate about 3,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity
annually. All middle and high schools that are MPC electric
distribution customers are eligible to apply.
Solar electric
systems are easy on the environment. They help reduce the use of
fossil fuels and resulting greenhouse gas emissions. A 2-kW solar
electric system, for example, will eliminate the emission of more
than 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide and nearly a half-pound of
nitrogen oxides annually. And solar electric systems save money by
generating their own non-polluting electricity from a renewable
energy resource. A solar electric
system produces direct current electricity, which is converted by
an inverter into alternating current (AC) electricity at the
utility's voltage and frequency. The AC electricity is fed into
the building’s main electric breaker panel.
AC electricity
produced by the solar electric system is consumed in the building
and any excess electricity produced by the system goes back into
the utility grid. MPC will install electric meters that turn
backward whenever excess power generated by the solar electric
system is fed into the utility grid. Participating schools must
sign a net metering agreement with MPC for this project. Funds for the
project come from the Universal System Benefits Charge, or USBC,
paid by Montana Power Co. customers.
Complete
applications must be submitted to NCAT by May 31, 2001. To request
an application packet, contact Cathlene Svejkovsky at (406)
494-8667; [email protected]. NCAT, a national
non-profit organization headquartered in Butte, promotes
sustainable technologies and community-based approaches that
protect natural resources and assist people in becoming more
self-reliant.
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Wind Program
Encourages Small-Scale Power Generation
Montana Power
Company electric customers may be eligible to participate in a
wind energy demonstration project that will save money and protect
the environment by generating "clean" energy. The National Center
for Appropriate Technology, headquartered in Butte, will
administer the program funded by the Montana Power Company
universal systems benefits charge. The systems must be installed
in the Montana Power Company electric service area. Only wind
machines 10 kilowatts and smaller will be eligible. The goal of
the project is to install 80 kilowatts of wind electrical
generation.
An incentive of
$1.25 per watt of the manufacturer’s capacity rating will be
paid to the owner. If an owner installs a 10-kilowatt system, for
example, the incentive will be $12,500, which will cover about a
third of the total installed cost of the system. All of the wind
systems must be utility-intertied, which means the electricity
they produce can be fed into the utility grid – in effect
running the meter backward. The owner may also choose to install
batteries and controllers to provide an uninterrupted power
supply.
Wind generating
systems are easy on the environment. They help reduce the use of
fossil
fuels and resulting greenhouse gas emissions. And wind systems
save money by generating their own "clean" electricity
from a renewable energy resource. A wind electric
system produces direct current electricity, which is converted by
an inverter into alternating current (AC) electricity at the
utility's voltage and frequency. The AC electricity is fed into a
main electric breaker panel.
AC electricity
produced by the system is consumed by a building or other
electrical load, and any excess electricity generated by the
system flows back into the utility grid. MPC will install electric
meters that turn backward whenever excess power generated by the
wind system is fed into the utility grid. The homeowner must sign
a net metering agreement with the utility. Additionally, the
program will monitor wind energy potential at a potential site to
qualify a particular project.
To be eligible, a
homeowner must install a system that meets NCAT’s minimum
specifications, allow NCAT to inspect the installed system, and
sign a net meter agreement with MPC. Funds for the
project come from the Universal System Benefits Charge, or USBC
– paid by all Montana Power Co. customers.
Complete
applications must be submitted to NCAT by May 31, 2001. To request
an application packet, contact John Walden at (406)
494-8641; [email protected]. Or click
here to download an application packet in PDF format.
Download
free Acrobat
Reader software to view PDF files.
NCAT, a national
non-profit organization headquartered in Butte, promotes
sustainable technologies and community-based approaches that
protect natural resources and assist people in becoming more
self-reliant.
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Energy
Efficiency Today Far Cry
from Conservation Images of Past,
Says Alliance to Save Energy
–
It's
not your mother's energy conservation –
Washington DC,
April 19 – Does energy conservation bring to mind graphic
memories of the OPEC oil embargo, energy shortages, gas lines in
the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter sitting in a cardigan asking
Americans to turn down their thermostats, and other images of
sacrifice, deprivation, and discomfort? Welcome instead to today's
world of energy efficiency mixed with basic energy consciousness.
Energy efficiency, notes the Alliance to Save Energy, is a far cry
from the energy conservation images and practices of old – of
doing with less or doing without, of being uncomfortable or less
comfortable. Not unlike the tremendous technological strides on
the computer, electronics, and other fronts, energy efficiency
takes advantage of advances in technology to provide significantly
better, smarter services with less energy.
As energy
prices skyrocket and electricity reliability issues take center
stage, the Alliance urges consumers and businesses to take charge
of their energy costs and energy futures by employing
energy-efficiency technologies and products so that the nation
gets the most productivity from every unit of energy.
"We're
not saying forget the conservation voice of your
mother/grandmother – 'What do you think we own shares in the
power company!?'" – says the Alliance. "It's smart,
basic energy consciousness (conservation) to use natural resources
wisely and to turn off anything that you're not using that uses
energy – lights, TV/VCR, heating, air conditioning, appliances,
computer. And, it's even smarter to use compact fluorescent
lights, programmable thermostats, and ENERGY STAR labeled (symbol
for energy efficiency) TVs, VCRs, appliances, air conditioners,
and computers to help you reduce energy use and energy
bills."
•
Full
Story...
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Sun4Schools
Project Installs PV Systems in 11 Montana Towns
The Sun4Schools
project, funded by the Universal
System Benefits Charge, resulted in the installation of 2-kW photovoltaic
(PV) systems at 12 schools within the Montana Power Company
service territory. The main objective of the project was to
demonstrate the benefits of solar energy while providing a
unique educational opportunity for students and their
communities. (Click here for
a photo album of the schools.) More...
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Montana Homeowners Produce Green Energy
from the Sun
Two dozen
homeowners tied to Montana Power Company's electric grid are
generating their own electricity from the sun and returning to the
utility any extra power they don't consume. (Click
here for a photo album of the PV homes.) The homeowners have
each received a 1-kilowatt (1000 watt) solar electric system that
converts solar energy into electricity they can use to power their
televisions, refrigerators and light bulbs. The National Center
for Appropriate Technology in Butte sold the $10,000 solar
electric, also known as photovoltaic, systems to the homeowners
for only $3,000, or less than a third of the retail cost. Funds
for the "buy down" project come from the Universal
System Benefits Charge paid by all Montana Power Co.
customers. Only homes served by MPC’s electric distribution
system were eligible.
Independent Power
Systems of Bozeman installed the systems in 10 Montana cities
between August and November. Six systems were installed in
Bozeman, four in Anaconda, three each in Billings and Helena, two
each in Butte and Livingston, and one each in Clancy, Dillon, Great Falls, and Townsend.
More...
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