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Renewable Energy Programs Binghamton
Federal Building the first federal facility to buy 100 percent wind power.
The Federal contract for wind energy covers the facility's electricity usage for
34 months, beginning in July 2002. The 30-megawatt wind farm in Fenner, New York,
will produce the power, which should total about 500,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
The government is purchasing the wind power from Community Energy, Inc. through
an agreement with Select Energy, Inc. BJ's
Wholesale Club in south Jersey installed a 52-kilowatt solar electric
system in May 2002. The New Jersey Clean Energy Fund provided financial support
for the facility. Cathedral
of Our Lady of the Angels, the newest landmark in Los Angeles, features
a 66-kilowatt solar power system on the roof of its conference center. The Los
Angeles Department of Power and Water (LADWP) Solar Incentive Program helped reduce
the cost of the system, which was manufactured by PowerLight Corporation using
Shell Solar photovoltaic panels. Dairyland
Power Cooperative announced in April 2004 that a new 3-megawatt landfill-gas-to-energy
project is online in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Dairyland is buying the waste gas
from the Seven Mile Creek Landfill and converting it into electricity in a facility
designed and built by Ameresco. Dairyland is also working to install anaerobic
digesters at several dairy farms in its service territory. The digesters convert
manure into a biogas that is used to produce electricity, and are expected to
begin producing power later in 2004. Dow
Chemical began drawing on a 75-kilowatt fuel cell to help power its Texas
Operations site in Freeport, Texas, in February 2004. The fuel cell marks the
first concrete step in a Dow-GM fuel cell collaboration. Dow produces the hydrogen
fuel for the fuel cell as a byproduct of its chemical manufacturing process; currently,
Dow either burns the hydrogen in its boilers or sells it to industrial gas companies.
Dow and GM plan to eventually install 35 megawatts of fuel cells. The Durst
Organization—owner of seven high-rise office buildings in Manhattan—became
New York State's largest commercial buyer of wind power last week, when the company
agreed to buy 10.5 million kilowatt-hours of wind power per year. Community Energy,
Inc. (CEI) will generate the wind power at its 30-megawatt Fenner Wind Power Project,
located east of Syracuse. Environmental
Services Operations Station in San Diego, California, is home to a new
65-kilowatt photovoltaic system that is expected to generate enough electricity
annually to meet the building's electricity needs. The Franchise
Tax Board Building in Sacramento, California, received a 470-kilowatt
solar power system. The 50,000-square-foot photovoltaic system--the largest system
owned by the state--will provide about half of the power needs for the building,
generating enough electricity to power more than 400 homes. The
Geysers, located in northern California, is the world's largest geothermal
facility. The Geysers is a rare type of geothermal field in which the energy is
carried by dry steam. The Grand
Canyon Trust, a group working to clean up the air around Grand Canyon
and across the Colorado Plateau, has installed a 1.44-kilowatt solar system on
its headquarters building in Flagstaff, Arizona. The system, which will generate
some of the electricity needed by the building, includes a tracking component
that tracks the sun throughout the day, improving the system's efficiency by some
25 percent. The Trust plans to eventually expand the system to 5 kilowatts. Grand
View Estates, in Clear Lake, California, is a new (2004) 90-home community
that features energy-efficient, solar homes, each with a 2.5-kilowatt solar power
system. The modular homes are highly insulated and include low-emissivity windows
and Energy Star appliances. The homes are also "affordable" by California
standards: only $230,000 each, with the added advantage of low utility bills.
Typical utility bills in the area are $150 to $400 per month, but the unique combination
of solar and energy efficiency are expected to reduce utility bills by as much
as 75 percent. Harvard
University installed its first solar system in November 2003. The 36.5
kW system is comprised of 192 solar panels, and is installed on Harvard Business
School's (HBS) Shad Hall on its Boston campus. Long
Island Power Authority Fuel Cell Demonstration got underway in February
2003, with an installation at a McDonald's restaurant. Twenty additional systems
will be installed in single- or multiple-family residences. The Los
Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) began operating the largest
fuel cell system in North America as of March 2003. FuelCell Energy Inc. built
the 250-kilowatt power plant and installed it at LADWP's downtown headquarters
building. LADWP has also broken ground on a second 250-kilowatt fuel cell power
plant, to be located at Terminal Island in San Pedro. The Terminal Island facility
will be fueled with digester gas from a nearby wastewater treatment plant. Lowe's
Companies, Inc., completed installation of a 370-kilowatt solar power
system on the roof of its West Hills store in Los Angeles, California, in fall
2003. The system, said to be the largest retail solar system in the U.S., cover
37,500 square feet of the store's roof and will produce enough electricity during
the daytime to power more than 370 homes. Massachusetts
Climate Protection Plan commits the state to reducing its greenhouse gas
emissions through measures such as energy efficiency and renewable energy. The
state has pledged to cut its energy use enough to cut greenhouse gas emissions
at state facilities by 25 percent by 2012, and will purchase only fuel-efficient
vehicles and energy-efficient office equipment for its facilities. In addition,
Massachusetts will improve its efficiency standards, encourage the construction
of "green" buildings, encourage the development of renewable energy,
and implement California's Low Emission Vehicle program to reduce emissions from
vehicles in the state. Midwest
Wind Energy Program is a joint effort between Waverly Power & Light
and the University of Northern Iowa to install and operate an 80-kW wind turbine
in Waverly, Iowa. The program has reduced carbon dioxide output by some 119 tons
and generated more than 325,000 kWh of electricity. Minnesota
Poultry Litter Biomass Plant is the first power plant is the U.S. to be
fueled primarily with poultry litter is now under construction in Benson, Minnesota.
Fibrowatt LLC completed financing of the 55-megawatt plant in mid-December 2004
and immediately began construction. The plant will consume about 700,000 tons
per year of biomass, of which about 90 percent will be poultry litter and 10 percent
will be other agricultural biomass. SNC-Lavalin Power Inc. is building the Minnesota
plant under a $142-million contract, and expects the plant to start operating
in early 2007. New
York City Fuel Cell Project involves the installation of eight 200-kilowatt
fuel cells at four of the city's wastewater treatment plants. The fuel cells are
fueled with the biogas produced in anaerobic digesters at the treatment plants.
That biogas--a combination of methane and carbon dioxide--is not only a greenhouse
gas, but is also a source of noxious odors. DOE provided partial funding for the
fuel cell installations. Nicolet
College, in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, recently installed a 10-kilowatt wind
tower that joins two solar arrays. The renewable energy installation forms the
cornerstone of the college's new EcoVillage, designed to teach people about sustainable
energy production and conservation-oriented building design. North
Carolina Solar Center was established in 1988 in Raleigh, North Carolina,
as a state clearinghouse for solar energy information, education and technical
assistance. The center since has developed into one of the most comprehensive
solar energy institutions in the country. It offers a variety of programs and
services related to solar energy. North
Point High School Fuel Cell project in North Port, Florida, is the nation's
first joint hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen curriculum project. The April 2004
dedication marks the culmination of a cooperative effort between DOE and the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The 5-kilowatt fuel cell—installed
through a partnership between the Florida DEP, Florida Power and Light, and Sarasota
County—gives students the opportunity to see this new technology in operation.
The accompanying hydrogen energy curriculum, designed by DOE, provides a hands-on
educational experience for students interested in energy science. North Port High
School is one of ten pilot schools implementing the hydrogen energy curriculum.
Office
Max Wind-Made Paper
OfficeMax Inc. is offering its North American business
customers a 100-percent post-consumer recycled paper manufactured with wind power
and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The paper is also made
without the use of chlorine and chlorine compounds. Mohawk Color Copy Recycled
Paper is manufactured by Mohawk Paper Mills, the only U.S. mill using wind energy
in its paper-making process. In August 2003, Mohawk Paper Mills entered into a
contract with Community Energy, Inc. to purchase four million kWh of wind power
annually for its manufacturing facilities. The paper product will be available
through contract orders. Pfalzsolar
GmbH, one of the world's largest solar power plants, went online in Neustadt,
Germany, in early 2004. The plant will generate a total of 2 megawatts of electricity,
enough to continuously power 700 households. Pierce
College Solar System
Pierce College has a new solar electric parking
system and microturbines on its campus in Woodland Hills, California. Installed
in late 2003, the system is said to be the largest solar energy system installed
on a U.S. community college. The system is expected to provide as much as half
the school's energy needs. Portland
Sewage Plant Powered with Biogas
A sewage treatment facility is supplying
its own power from methane generated during the sewage treatment process. The
plant recently installed four microturbines to burn biogas from a previously installed
fuel cell that converts biogas into energy. The micro-turbines burn the gas to
provide electricity and heat used in plant operations. The project is part of
the Portland Office of Sustainable Development's City Energy Challenge (CEC),
which claims to have reduced Portland's energy costs by more than $2 million per
year. Renewable Energy
Mitigation Program is an innovative program of the city of Aspen and Pitkin
County, Colorado, that taxes energy consumption. Launched in 2000, the program
requires homeowners who wish to exceed the city's strict energy "budget"
for new buildings either to install a renewable energy system or to pay a renewable
energy mitigation fee.The funds--more than $2 million--are used for for local
energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Rosebud
Sioux Tribe Wind Farm has installed the first Native American-owned utility-scale
turbine on its tribal lands in South Dakota. The wind farm initially consists
of one 750-kilowatt NEG Micon turbine, which will produce enough electricity over
the course of one year to power 300 to 350 homes. Solar
Grade Silicon, LLC is a Moses Lake, Washington facility that opened in
November 2002. The plant plans to turn out 2,000 metric tons of solar-grade crystalline
silicon every year. This annual production will be enough to support fabrication
of approximately 130 peak megawatts of PV cells, equivalent to about one-third
of global production in 2001. A new
solar model home in Wrentham, Massachusetts, earned the Energy Star Label
for its energy efficiency and features solar power systems as well. The model
home, part of a 25-home development, includes a 1.3-kilowatt system manufactured
by Evergreen Solar, and a 2.6-kilowatt system is also available. With a combination
of state tax incentives and funding from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative,
homeowners should pay only one-quarter to one-half the cost of the solar power
system. Terminal
Island Treatment Plant
The City of Los Angeles dedicated a new 250-kilowatt
fuel cell power plant in September 2003. The Terminal Island Treatment Plant in
San Pedro is currently fueled with natural gas, but city officials plan to switch
the fuel source to biogas by next summer. The methane-rich biogas is produced
during the wastewater treatment process, but the city needs to install a gas-
processing system in order to feed the gas into the fuel cell system. Union
Pacific Solar-Powered Lights Project
Union Pacific Railroad is using
350 of blue-signal rail yard lanterns. The lights combine energy-saving light-emitting
diode (LED) lights with rechargeable batteries and small solar cells. Because
of the low energy usage of the LED lights, the lanterns run reliably using solar
cells encased in the lanterns themselves. The reliability of the blue-signal lanterns
is critical, as they are used by railways to indicate that a train is being worked
on and must remain stationary. Union Pacific will use the lantern at its North
Platt, Nebraska, rail yard, which is the largest in North America. The University
of Nevada will use geothermal energy to supply all the energy needs for its new
Redfield Campus
in Reno. Advanced Thermal Systems, Inc. (ATS) will build and operate an 11-megawatt
geothermal power plant adjacent to the campus. Under a 30-year agreement with
the university, the power plant will provide electricity and hot and chilled water
to the university, using an absorption cooling system to produce chilled water
from the geothermal heat. ATS expects to sell excess electricity to Sierra Pacific,
the local electric utility. The new campus is expected to open in 2004. University
of Missouri-Rolla won the American Solar Challenge in July 2003. The 2,300-mile
solar car race from Chicago to Los Angeles. Missouri-Rolla averaged nearly 43.3
miles per hour overall and beating the record time from the 2001 race by more
than four hours. The University of Minnesota came in second, nearly five hours
behind Missouri-Rolla, while the University of Waterloo took third place. The
race is sponsored by DOE, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, BP Solar,
and EDS. Utah
Power Battery Storage System
The first vanadium-based battery energy
storage system in the United States began operating in March 2004 in Castle Valley,
Utah. Vanadium is a commercially available metal commonly used as an additive
to steel. The pilot project consists of tanks that hold solutions of vanadium
ions in two forms, one more positive and one more negative than the other. The
two solutions are brought together in a fuel cell stack, where they react to produce
electricity. The system is capable of generating 250 kilowatts of power for eight
hours and will be used to improve reliability for Castle Valley customers, who
are located at the end of the utility's longest electrical distribution line.
U.S.
Marine Corps Solar Installation
One of the largest solar power systems
in the country is now online at a U.S. Marine Corps base in Twentynine Palms,
California. The Marine Corp base installed a 1.1-megawatt photovoltaic system,
which will provide about 10 percent of the base's electrical needs. The project
earned a $4.5 million incentive award from the state's Self Generation Incentive
Program, the largest rebate ever given through the project. White
Bluffs Solar Station is the largest solar energy facility in the Northwest/
The the solar station is owned and operated by Energy Northwest. DOE's Bonneville
Power Administration (BPA) will integrate the power from the system into its electrical
grid, while the Bonneville Environmental Foundation will sell green tags from
the project. DOE contributed $30,000 toward the project through its "Brightfields"
program. Windland Inc.
announced in July 2002 plans to build a 200-megawatt wind plant on Cotterel
Mountain, southeast of Burley in south-central Idaho. The site covers about 4600
acres on federal lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Windland
is still conducting technical and environmental evaluations of the site, but intends
to begin construction in 2004. The project would be the first utility-scale wind
installation in the state. The world's
largest wind turbine is now operating in northern Germany. Although designed
for offshore wind plants, REpower Systems AS installed the 5-megawatt prototype
on land for ease of testing. The hub of the massive turbine stands 120 meters
off the ground, and the 120-ton rotor, featuring wind blades from LM Glasfiber
A/S, has a diameter of 126 meters. REpower began building the "5M" wind
turbine in April 2004, completed it in October, and expects to connect it to the
electrical grid before year's end.
Community
Buildings Efficiency Programs
2005 Energy Value House Awards
24
home builders were recognized at the January 2005 International Builder's Show
for their efforts to make homes more energy-efficient. The Energy Value Housing
Awards went to builders in ten states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida,
Idaho, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas. 2004
Presidential Energy and Environmental Awards
Six federal teams were
honored for their renewable energy and energy efficiency efforts include DOE's
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Environmental Protection Agency's Green
Power Purchase Program, the Air Force Renewable Energy Team, and energy management
teams from the Marine Corps, the New England Region of the General Services Administration,
and the Department of Health and Human Services. Together, the six teams helped
save 1.8 trillion Btu per year. 2003
Presidential Awards for Leadership in Federal Energy Management
Given
to five energy-saving teams at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration, and the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force in October 2003. The
teams implemented measures that will save the federal government about 1.3 trillion
Btu (British thermal units) of energy each year -- more energy than is used by
13,000 typical U.S. homes. 2002
Presidential Awards for Leadership in Federal Energy Management
Given
to five agencies--the Department of Commerce, the General Services Administration,
and the Department of Defense's Pentagon Renovation Office, Navy Shipboard Energy
Conservation Team, and Fort Detrick U.S. Army Base--which collectively saved more
than $100 million. The 20/20
Energy Conservation Program in California has been renewed for 2002. The
program provides a financial incentive for residential customers in California
to reduce electricity consumption during critical summer and fall months. The
Acme
Building in Billings, Montana, is a historic building that, after being
vacant and closed for two decades, will reopen in 2004 as an apartment building.
The renovation of the building was directed by homeWORD, a local nonprofit who
purchased the building several years ago and financed the renovation through loans
and city help, as well as tax credits. The building houses 19 new apartments for
lower income tenants, is partially built with recycled materials, incorporates
energy efficiency techniques, and is powered by the largest solar array in the
state. Block-by-Block Weatherization Program
is administered by the city of Portland, Oregon's Energy Office and provides free
basic weatherization and energy-use education to needy, low-income households
in the city’s neighborhoods. Businesses
for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow is a program developed by
Portland, Oregon's Energy Office. It encourages businesses to adopt a comprehensive
energy-efficiency program by detailing the benefits available to them through
participation. California
Energy-Efficient Building Standards have been adopted by the California
Energy Commission. Emergency standards for energy efficiency in new buildings
will cut the state's energy use by 200 megawatts annually--enough electricity
to power 200,000 average-sized Californian homes. City
Energy Challenge is a Portland, Oregon program nicknamed "One Percent
for Energy." The program imposes a fee of one percent on all city government
energy bills to finance an energy management program for city facilities.
The energy efficiency projects completed under the program will save more than
$700,000 each year. City
of Toledo Municipal Energy Management Program was designed by the city
of Toledo, Ohio to reduce the energy consumption of city buildings while ensuring
a safe, comfortable environment for occupants. CO2
Reduction Project discusses the city of Chula Vista, California’s approach
to energy conservation and CO2 reduction as part of a worldwide
EPA and United Nations sponsored program called the "Urban Carbon Dioxide Reduction"
project. Denver’s Environmental Program
represents a comprehensive effort to protect the health and welfare of Denver,
Colorado, citizens and the region's economy through protection and enhancement
of the environment. Energy efficiency is part of the program and includes participation
in EPA's "Green Lights" program, a mortgage program benefiting the purchasers
of energy-efficient homes and implementation of energy-reduction measures in city
facilities. Des
Moines Area Community College in Iowa earned special recognition in early
2004 for the technical innovations in its heating and cooling system. The system
distributes heated and cooled air through a 12-inch space underneath the building's
raised floor, an innovation that earned a first-place technology award from the
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
The system draws its energy from a four-acre pond on the campus, using a geothermal
water-source heat pump. In areas with concrete floors, water-to-water heat pumps
supply an in-floor radiant heating system. East
San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupation Program/Technical Center was
awarded the Alliance to Save Energy's Golden Apple Award in 2000-2001. This outstanding
energy efficiency program culminated with students building an energy-efficient
house in their region. Energy
Conservation Project profiles the projects and benefits resulting from
a partnership between the City of St. Paul, Minnesota and Northern States Power
Company to upgrade city buildings and conserve energy. Energy
Conservation Savings Reinvestment Plan is an energy-management program
in Phoenix, Arizona that will save the city some $42 million in energy costs.
Half of all documented energy savings are placed in a fund that finances the coming
year’s energy projects. Energy
Efficiency Partnership profiles a public- and private-sector partnership
in Kansas City, Missouri designed to reduce energy consumption in metropolitan-area
government and nonprofit buildings by 25 percent. Energy
Resource Center serves the community of Downey, California by displaying
the latest in energy-efficient appliances, designs and materials. The building
that houses it incorporates state-of-the-art efficiency measures into its construction
and operation. Habitat
for Humanity Energy-Efficient Duplexes -- Yonkers, New York
Three
new Habitat for Humanity duplexes offer an important benefit to their residents:
low energy bills. Features include insulated concrete forms, structural insulating
panels, energy-efficient windows, high-effiicency heating systems, and a photovoltaic
system to generate electricity from the sun. Harrison
County (Mississippi) School District
Twenty schools will save an estimated
$390,000 in energy costs each year, thanks to energy efficiency improvements completed
by Chevron Energy Solutions. The improvements included lighting retrofits throughout
the Harrison County School District, as well as water conservation retrofits,
the installation of digital thermostats in classrooms and a centralized energy
management system, and the use of a Web-based information system for remote energy
monitoring at each of the 20 schools. The improvements also included new heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning systems at two schools, plus the installation
of two new boilers. The Harrison County School District will pay only $2.4 million
of the total project cost of $6.4 million, with future energy savings paying the
remainder through a financing structure known as an energy savings performance
contract (ESPC). HP
Smart Cooling is a cooling modeling system developed by Hewlett
Packard to design data centers, which the company claims could dramatically reduce
energy and save millions of dollars per year. Created in HP labs, the system uses
computational fluid dynamics--like that used to improve airplane design--to create
a 3-D model of temperature distribution throughout a data center. It then recommends
strategic placement of computing resources and air conditioning equipment to optimize
energy use for cooling. HP Services is offering customers an analysis of their
data centers to determine whether the smart cooling solution could benefit them.
HP suggests energy savings could offset the cost of this new service. Interfaith
Coalition on Energy is a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
that is helping some 4,200 churches and religious institutions in Pennsylvania
cut their collective energy bills by more than $1 million. Jordan
Commons is a new 200-home model community being developed in Metro-Dade
County, Florida for residents left homeless by Hurricane Andrew. Features of the
project include energy efficiency, water efficiency, recycling, composting and
appropriate landscaping, as well as educational programs that will emphasize to
the community’s residents the importance of conservation. Outdoor
Lighting Standards were adopted by the community of Chittenden County,
Vermont as a result of concern over the visual effects of outdoor lighting on
the night landscape. The program also includes the development of outdoor-lighting
standards for three case-study communities. The program’s benefits will include
reduced energy consumption and preservation of the night-time views, as well as
education about lighting solutions. Schools
Utility Report Card -- Orange County, Florida
The public schools in
Florida's Orange County are the first in the nation to try a new on-line energy
monitoring system that tracks, evaluates, and charts energy use in the schools.
The Utility Report Card system helps school districts to monitor energy used by
individual schools during everyday activities, allowing districts to implement
operation and maintenance changes to reduce consumption. Teachers and students
can also examine on-line data to learn more about smart energy use and efficiency
as a complement to DOE's EnergySmart Schools education program. The
Solaire is a new residential high-rise building in Battery Park City,
New York. The building is the first new residential construction completed in
downtown Manhattan since the events of 9/11, and the first to earn the state's
green building tax credit. Compared to a building constructed to meet the minimum
requirements of the building code, the 27-story building uses 35 percent less
energy and has a 67 percent lower electrical demand during peak hours. Features
include solar energy systems, a rooftop garden, energy-efficient heating and cooling
equipment and appliances, and more. U.S.
Postal U.S. Postal Service Energy Efficiency Project. USPS's San Francisco
Processing and Distribution Center and the Embarcadero Postal Center underwent
major energy efficiency upgrades and installation of a fuel cell and two solar
power systems. The improvements at both facilities will cut power purchases by
about 10 million kilowatt-hours—a 46 percent reduction. In addition, the
energy efficiency upgrades will reduce the heating needs by 69 percent at the
San Francisco Processing and Distribution Center and by 28 percent at the Embarcadero
Postal Center. The Vail Environmental
Strategic Plan was adopted to maintain and improve the environmental quality
in Vail, Colorado and to ensure the prolonged economic health of the region. The
plan outlines actions designed to achieve four goals, including improving energy
efficiency in businesses, homes and government. Wisconsin
Energy Initiative is a partnership between the private sector and state
government in Madison, Wisconsin developed as a result of a gubernatorial directive
that energy consumption in state buildings be reduced by 15 percent. Three years
after the project's inception, Wisconsin's state buildings consume 21 percent
less energy than they did in 1973, even though state facilities' square footage
has increased by 27 percent.
Designing
Community Energy Programs
Easy Ways
Your Community Can Save Energy is a brochure developed by the National
Renewable Energy Lab that identifies ways your community can easily achieve energy
savings, as well as ways through which a number of communities have succeeded.
Ohio Energy
Smart Community Challenge is a project that seeks commitment from communities
to engage in multiple local initiatives, which serve to educate consumers, business,
industry and government. The
Portland Community Energy-Efficiency Plan (PDF), newly revised in February
2001, is a suite of energy-conservation programs designed to meet Portland, Oregon's
needs. The plan includes a number of residential, commercial, industrial and institutional
programs. The Sustainable City Project
develops urban planning processes that identify, rank and implement energy policies
and program options for promoting urban sustainability. Through participation
in this project, San Jose, California, designed and implemented an energy-management
program that aimed to reduce energy use by 10 percent across all sectors by 2000.
Municipal Energy Office in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was formed within the city’s Office of Management
and Productivity and boasts an impressive success record in energy savings.
Demand
Side Management Programs
Peak
Load Reduction Program was implemented in 2000 in response to California's
energy shortages. This program saved 161 megawatts of peak electricity load by
June 1, 2000. Roughly half of the load reductions will come from energy efficiency
projects, ranging from efficiency improvements in wastewater treatment and agriculture
to improved lighting, heating and air conditioning systems in state buildings
and public universities. An Energy
Efficiency Program is offered by Wahoo Utilities of Wahoo, Nebraska that
provides incentives to all its electric customers to make energy-efficiency improvements
in their homes and businesses. The program also provides free energy audits and
financial analyses of energy-efficiency options. Environmental
and Conservation Programs were implemented by Seattle, Washington's City
Light conservation program. They provide conservation information to customers
and offer financial incentives to encourage customers to install energy-efficiency
measures in their homes and businesses. ISO
New England Inc., the operator of the region's electrical grid, took an
unusual step in April 2004 by contracting for energy efficiency services in order
to improve the reliability of its power grid in southwest Connecticut. Under the
new contract, Conservation Services Group (CSG) will help reduce energy demand
in southwest Connecticut by four megawatts over the next four years, primarily
by retrofitting buildings in the area with energy-efficient lighting. The contract
is a small part of an effort to secure emergency energy resources for southwest
Connecticut, including 125 megawatts of new generating capacity and up to 255
megawatts of demand-response resources such as emergency generators and voluntary
load reductions. Midwest
Wind Energy Program is a joint effort between Waverly Power & Light
and the University of Northern Iowa to install and operate an 80-kW wind
turbine. The program has reduced carbon dioxide output by some 119 tons and generated
more than 325,000 kWh of electricity. Osage
Municipal Utilities is a utility program in Osage, Iowa that began in
1974 and uses giveaway programs, rebates and energy audits to promote energy efficiency
among its customers. The voluntary program has achieved nearly universal participation
from customers in a variety of its initiatives. Climate
Challenge Participation Accord profiles the Sacramento, California Municipal
Utility District’s (SMUD) commitment to DOE’s Climate Challenge, including its
DSM efforts, goals and programs. Espanola
Power Savers Community-Based Conservation Project is a full-scale effort
by Ontario Hydro to reduce electricity consumption in Ontario, Canada to as great
an extent as possible through DSM programs. An impressive 87 percent of residential
and commercial customers are participating in the program. Profiles
in Renewable Energy: Case Studies of Successful Utility-Sector Projects
describe successful renewable energy projects utilizing six renewable resources—biomass,
geothermal, hydropower, photovoltaics, solar thermal and wind—undertaken by U.S.
utility companies. Discussed are key factors to the success of each project, development
issues, project cost, performance and environmental impacts and benefits.
Community
Industry Efficiency Programs
Anheuser-Busch
Brewery, Baldwinsville, New York
Describes a project to install new
heat recovery equipment that should save the company more than $550,000 each year
in energy costs, thanks to state incentives. The New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is providing a $250,000 cash incentive to
the brewery in support of its $1 million project. The project will use an innovative
configuration and underutilized heat recovery technology to recover 25 percent
more waste energy from the brewery's four boilers than is currently recovered.
The new equipment should be installed by fall 2003. Cascade
Wood Products, located in Oregon, installed new systems for dust collection,
air compression, and lighting, saving nearly 2 million kilowatt-hours per year.
The company received financial incentives from the Energy Trust of Oregon and
expects to receive Business Energy Tax Credits and other rebates from the State
of Oregon. Elk River Energy City
profiles an industry-focused partnership project between the Minnesota Environmental
Initiative and Elk City, Minnesota, with demonstrations and projects intended
to show the potential economic and environmental benefits of becoming an "energy
city." Roseburg
Forest Products, located in Oregon, stalled a new "rolling screen"
system to sort wood pieces for manufacturing particleboard, replacing steam-driven
refiners and saving about 22 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. The
company received financial incentives from the Energy Trust of Oregon and expects
to receive Business Energy Tax Credits and other rebates from the State of Oregon. DOE’s
Motor Best Practices site offers showcase
demonstration case studies that target electric motor-driven system efficiency
and productivity opportunities in specific industrial applications. Weyerhouser
Company saved about 1.3 million kilowatt-hours per year at its sawmill
in Coburg, Oregon, by upgrading the facility's compressed air system.
Collections
of Community Energy Success Stories
R&D
100 Awards
DOE-funded research won 35 R&D Magazine's 100 awards
in 2003, and DOE national laboratories contributed to many of the innovations.
Among all the awards, 12 relate to energy efficiency and renewable energy. 4th
National Green Power Leadership Awards
On October 4, 2004, EPA honored
19 organizations that are significantly advancing development of the green power
market. 2003
EPA Green Power Leadership Awards
EPA honored a number of companies
and groups for their leadership in green power in this third annual awards program.
2002 Alliance
to Save Energy Winners
The Alliance to Save Energy honored a number
of "Stars of Energy" as top achievers in the energy efficiency field.
The awards were presented on October 9, 2002, as a prelude to the ASE Summit on
Energy Efficiency. 2004
ENERGY STAR Awards Winners
DOE and EPA recognized 57 businesses and
organizations in March 2004 as winners of the Energy Star Partner of the Year
Awards. The award winners are businesses and organizations that have achieved
energy efficiency in new homes and consumer products, as well as firms that have
achieved excellence in energy management and in energy efficiency and environmental
education. 2003
ENERGY STAR Awards Winners
DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency honored 39 businesses and organizations with Energy Star Partner Awards
in April 2003. In addition, Eastman Kodak Companay earned the "Corporate
Commitment Award." 2002
Landfill Methane Outreach Program Winners
Profiles the six winners
of EPA's landfill-to-gas energy projects, announced in May 2003. Champion
of Energy Efficiency Awards profiles five winners of the American Council
for Energy Efficiency's (ACEEE) Champions of Energy Efficiency Awards for 2002.
Steps to Successful
Municipal Energy Management profiles 10 communities that have successfully
implemented community energy programs. The link also includes a document that
discusses financing strategies for municipalities. Communities
Using Renewable Energy is an information brief prepared by DOE's Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (EREC) that briefly profiles a number
of communities that have successfully implemented renewable energy projects. Energy
Star Small Business Success Stories provides information about small businesses
that have successfully saved energy and money by participating in EPA’s Energy
Star Small Business Program. The
Results Center was created to document and promote successful energy efficiency
efforts by researching the best programs. The Center’s profiles enable utilities,
regulators, government agencies, energy service companies, consultants, municipalities
and others to benefit from the experiences of leading programs. Case studies are
organized by sector and by type. Megalinks
to success stories on other sites provide links to success stories
on a wide variety of sustainable development topics, including Community Energy
Planning. Windustry
provides examples of community wind enegy projects, a wind energy curriculum,
information on wind energy, and more. Last updated: March
3, 2005 Back to Top
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