Transcript West Central Clean Energy Resource Team

Renewable Energy Basics
West Central CERT
Our Mission
Giving community members a voice in energy
planning by connecting them with the technical
resources necessary to identify and implement
community-scale energy efficiency and renewable
energy projects
www.CleanEnergyResourceTeams.org
Renewable Energy
• Derived from natural
resources that are
continually replenished
by the earth’s systems
• Most come either
directly or indirectly
from the sun
• Geothermal energy
taps the earth’s
internal heat
Renewables
• Wind
• Solar
– Photovoltaic
(electricity)
– Solar Thermal
(heat)
• Biomass
– Biogas
– Biofuels
• Geothermal
But Remember: Efficiency First!
• Efficiency improvements
MUST be the first step in any
renewable energy project.
• Estimated $1 : $3 savings ratio
• Get an energy audit from your utility’s
Conservation Improvement Program
(CIP)
Why Renewable Energy?
– Benefits local
communities
– Economic
development
opportunities
– Local ownership
– Environmental
benefits
– System reliability
– Fossil fuels are
finite
Minnesota Energy Policy 2007
• Renewable Energy Standard of 25% by 2025
– 7% by 2010; 12% by 2012; 17% by 2016
– 30% by 2020 for Xcel
• Next Generation Energy Act
– Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050
– Aggressive energy savings goal—1.5% of revenues
– Community-Based Energy Development Tariff
– Economy-wide climate change action plan
– Required reductions in CO2 from power sector
Focus on: C-BED
Community-Based Energy Development
• Requires utilities to consider (but not necessarily
commit to) community wind projects
• Provides for a special payment structure (for
electricity sold to the utility) to make financing
for the community developer easier:
•
 Higher payments during the first 10 years of
the project
–  Lower payments in second 10 years
• Provides definitional guidelines for what
constitutes a “community wind” project
Did you know…
…In the United States during 2007, only 1%
of large scale wind projects were locally
owned.
In Minnesota, 27% of large scale wind
projects were locally owned!
Wind Energy
Minnesota has
tremendous wind
potential. For any
project, however,
you will need site
specific monitoring
to determine the
best location.
Focus on: Wind Ownership Models
• Arne Kildegard of UM Morris wrote a
paper comparing and contrasting the costs
and benefits between community owned
wind projects and corporate wind projects.
He found there were 3 times the economic
benefits from local ownership.
Focus on: Wind Ownership Models
• In the summer of 2008, CERTs partnered
with Initiative Foundations and others to
address various issues that land owners
interested in wind development should be
aware of when approached by wind
developers. In general:
• Land leases = lower risks and lower
rewards
• Local ownership = greater risks and
greater rewards
Focus on: REDI
The Southwest Initiative
Foundation’s Rural
Energy Development
Initiative (REDI) aims to
provide assistance to
rural entities seeking to
develop wind energy
projects.
Small Wind
Small wind = <100 kW
Residential, farm or
small business application
• It costs roughly $3,000-$5,000
for every kilowatt hour of
generating capacity
• Roughly 15-year payback
for well-sited systems
• Net metering available for systems <40 kw
Focus on: Kandiyohi County Guide
In 2005 CERTs worked with partners to create
the Model Wind Ordinance
Large Wind (Utility Scale)
• Utility-scale electrical production
• Greater than 100 kW – current generation is
2 MW per turbine
• Average cost $1,000,000
per MegaWatt
USDA Renewable Energy Program
• The USDA Rural Development Renewable
Energy Grants can cover up to 25% of an
eligible project’s costs.
Solar Photovoltaic
• Photovoltaic systems (PV) produce electricity from
sunlight
• Benefits? PV system output (sunny summer days)
correlates with periods of peak electric demand
• Hurdles? Cost (15 cents/kWh after incentives)
• Return on Investment is determined by net metering
prices
Focus on: Prairie Woods ELC
The Environmental
Learning Center
recently installed a two
panel solar PV system
on their property with
funding from the West
Central CERT.
www.prairiewoodselc.org
Solar Thermal & Passive Solar
• Solar thermal – using
the sun’s energy to
heat water or air.
• Passive solar design
integrates a
combinations of
building features to
reduce the need for
heating, cooling, and
daytime lighting.
Solar Manufacturer – Starbuck, MN
• Manufactures solar thermal collectors,
domestic hot water heaters, and space
heating systems.
• Two 4’x8’ collectors can produce 50% to
70% of the annual hot water needed for a
family of four in MN.
• Return on Investment differs for what kind of
water heating system you currently use
Biomass
• Biomass is any organic material not derived
from fossil fuels that can be converted to a
fuel useful for generating electricity.
• Dedicated crops: woody hybrid poplars,
switchgrass, etc.
• Waste products: wood residues, agricultural
residues, animal waste Co-firing biomass
with coal
• Gasification – community digesters
Focus on: Brooten, MN Digester
In Brooten, MN (Stearns County)
a couple has installed a
methane digester on their 160
cow dairy farm to turn manure
into electricity.
The digester will produce 400 to
460 KwH of electricity per day.
95 kwh will be used per day to
operate the system
U of M Morris Biomass Gasifier
• The plant is used to explore the gasification
technology in converting plant-based fuel
stocks into energy in the form of synthetic
gas that is intended to replace the use of
fossil fuels such as natural gas.
• http://renewables.morris.umn.edu/biomass/
Biofuels
• Generally refers to ethanol and biodiesel that
are primarily used in transportation, but can
be burned to produce electricity
• Ethanol is generally derived from corn
– E85 is a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline
• Biodiesel is generally from soybean oil
Biofuel Stations in WC MN
• http://www.cleanairchoice.org/E85InCounty.asp?St
ate=MN
•
Swift:
4
• Grant: 3
• Chippewa: 4
• Douglas: 3
• Lac Qui Parle: 2
• Traverse: 2
• Yellow Medicine: 4
• Big Stone: 2
•
Renville:
9
• Stevens: 5
• McLeod: 3
• Pope: 2
• Sibley: 3
• Stearns: 16
• Nicollet: 3
• Meeker: 4
• Kandiohi: 6
Geothermal
This technology uses
the earth’s constant
temperature below
the surface to heat
or cool a home and
to provide hot water.
•
•
•
•
•
A typical 2400 square foot house will need a five ton system;
Installation cost of the conventional system = $ 6,500 (LP gas furnace)
installation cost of the Geothermal system = $21,000
Reduction of operating cost per year = $1,800
Payback (21,000-6,500)/ 1,800 = 8.1 year or 12% Return on Investment
Focus on: ECONAR Heat Pumps
• Located in Appleton and Elk River, MN
• Manufacture ground-source heat pumps
designed for MN’s cold weather climate.
• ECONAR Geothermal Heat Pumps may
qualify for a Federal Energy Tax Credit of
up to $300.
Renewable Energy Resources
• www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org –
CERTs
• www.commerce.state.mn.us – MN Energy
Office
• www.mnrenewables.org - Minnesota
Renewable Energy Society (MRES)
• www.fresh-energy.org – Fresh Energy
• www.windustry.org – Windustry
Renewable Energy Resources
• www.dsireusa.org – Database of State
Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency
• www.eere.energy.gov – Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy (DOE)
• www.nrel.gov – National Renewable Energy
Laboratory
• www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/tech_re
ports.html
Renewable Energy Resources
• www.focusonenergy.com
• www.awea.org – American Wind Energy
Association
• www.ucsusa.org - Union of Concerned Scientists
• http://analysis.nrel.gov/repis/online_reports.asp REPiS Online
• http://www.state.mn.us/mn/externalDocs/Comme
rce/Can_I_have_a_wind_turbine_10080704264
3_WindFAQ.pdf Department of Commerce: Can
I Have a Wind Turbine
For More Info on WC CERT
Visit our Web site
at
www.CleanEnergy
ResourceTeams.org
www.CleanEnergyResourceTeams.org