Cooler Planet

Although the Democrats and Republicans cannot yet find a way to extend credits for renewable energy, both want to make headlines as renewable energy supporters.  Perhaps that’s why both the upcoming Republican and Democratic conventions in Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Denver, respectively, will get part of their power from renewable energy.

Xcel Energy is one of the nation’s leading providers of renewable energy and the country’s largest provider of wind power.  It will use its facilities close to Denver and Minneapolis-Saint Paul to power each convention.  Most of the renewable power will come from wind.  Xcel Energy expects that power through its Windsource program will offset the estimated 3,000 megawatt-hours of energy both conventions will use.

Wind power for the Republican convention will come from an Xcel Energy facility on southwestern Minnesota’s Buffalo Ridge.  The Democratic convention will receive its wind energy from a wind farm near the Colorado-Wyoming border.  Xcel will also tap into the excess energy generated from solar photovoltaic arrays from its commercial customers.  In Denver, Xcel will use energy from the 10-kilowatt solar array on top of the Pepsi Center in Denver where their convention will be held.  In Minneapolis-Saint Paul, solar power will come from a 10-kilowatt installation at the High Bridge Generating Station in Saint Paul.

We’re sure that as the conventions near we’ll hear more from their planners on how much carbon emissions are offset through the alternative energy power sources.  

By the way the Democrats have announced other “green plans” for their convention; they hope to make their convention the greenest-ever.  Plans include recognizing delegates who offset their travel emissions; partnering with Native Energy for carbon emission offsets; and providing a fleet of bicycles for delegates to borrow for quick trips between hotels and the Pepsi Center.  Molson-Coors will donate $40,000 worth of E85, an ethanol-gasoline fuel blend made from waste beer lost during packaging or rejected for quality reasons from the company’s plant in Golden, Colorado.  The fuel will power the flex-fuel vehicles from General Motors used to shuttle delegates and supplies.   Convention planners also want to go paperless, challenging their staff to complete transactions, communications, and bookings electronically.

Not to be overshadowed, Republicans have “green plans” as well.  Republicans, too, hope to have the greenest convention their party has ever hosted.  And General Motors is the Official Vehicle Provider for the Republicans supplying over 300 hybrid fuel vans and cars for delegates and staff.  The Republican Convention will showcase an energy-efficient office, complete with recycled furnishings.  Planners have also directed staff and committees to reduce the amount of paper used in planning, printing, and booking reservations.

A new Wal-Mart superstore breaking ground in Markham, Ontario, Canada later this year is being outfitted with Canada’s largest rooftop solar photovoltaic array.  The superstore will pilot a new type of solar photovoltaic technology, developed by the Canadian firm Menova Energy.  

Markham lies just north of Toronto and is part of the Greater Toronto Metropolitan area.  According to Environment Canada, the Toronto area receives about 5.6 hours of sunshine per day each year.  As we’ve pointed out in other postings regarding Minnesota and New England, that’s plenty of sunlight for an extensive solar array.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that the Province of Ontario aggressively embraces solar.  The Provincial Government’s Ministry of Research and Innovation is giving Menova Energy a $3 million forgivable loan to help finance the pilot project on Wal-Mart’s roof.  In recent years the province has created favorable incentives – offering as much as 42 cents per kilowatt-hour – to encourage residents and businesses to install solar electric and solar hot water systems.

Wal-Mart will match the government’s loan by footing up to $3 million to support the testing and installation of the system.  Wal-Mart has ventured into solar before.  In 2007, the giant retailer committed to installing solar electric panels on the roofs of 22 facilities, primarily in California and Hawaii, to offset its electricity costs.  Wal-Mart now has more than 270 stores throughout Canada; the Markham store is slated to add another 220,000 square-feet to the company’s empire.

The photovoltaic system, called “Power-Spar,” by Menova Energy is a “concentrated” solar photovoltaic system that uses a parabolic trough reflector to capture up to 80 percent of the sun’s energy thereby reducing energy bills by up to 60 percent.    

It’s another ambitious project, illustrating that the time is right for the sun.

Home Power magazine named ten top solar states.  We’ve talked about nine of them.  The final state that won the magazine’s admiration is Oregon (which happens to be the home state of the magazine). 

Oregon rightly deserves the accolade.  The State has long supported solar energy and has offered renewable energy tax credits since President Jimmy Carter famously (or infamously) encouraged energy conservation at a national scale in 1979.

Oregon offers attractive tax credits to residents and businesses for both solar electric and solar hot water systems.  For homeowners, once a qualifying PV system is installed, residents can receive $3.00 per watt for systems that are at least 200 watts or more.  The State caps its credit at $6,000, and only $1,500 can be claimed each year.  Qualifying solar hot water systems can earn property owners $0.60 per kilowatt-hour saved, up to $1,500, or 50 percent of the total system cost, whichever is greater. 

Net metering laws apply as well, allowing residents to recoup credit for any net excess energy they generate.  At the end of the annual period, unused credits are either credited to the customer or can be granted to low-income assistance programs.

Not only does Oregon offer its residents incentives for solar electric and hot water, but also offers tax credits for other types of solar heating systems.  Homeowners who install solar pool hot water systems can obtain $0.15 per kilowatt-hour saved (up to $1,500) and up to 50 percent of the system’s total cost.  Additionally, the State recognizes the value of taking advantage of passive or active solar technologies for space heating and offers similar types of tax credits.

Oregon’s commitment to renewable energy does not stop there.  Similarly generous incentives are available to businesses who install solar systems and to manufacturers to encourage growth of the renewable energy industry.  In February 2008, for example, the Oregon House unanimously approved a measure that would increase its tax credits for manufacturers of renewable energy equipment from the current $10 million to nearly $100 million by 2013.

The Oregon Legislature has consistently passed bills to advance renewable energy.  Like other “super solar states,” in 2007 Oregon passed a law that requires its largest utilities to acquire 25 percent of its energy come from renewable energy sources by 2025; smaller utilities must get 5 – 10 percent of the energy from renewable sources by that year as well.  Another state law mandates that any new state-funded public building must earmark 1.5 percent of the budget and use it to install solar technology in the building.

Oregon law does not stop there.  State property tax law dictates that any added value from a solar or other qualifying renewable energy system cannot be included in the assessment of the property’s value for property tax purposes.  And, like Minnesota, Oregon law allows municipalities to create solar access laws so that solar access to south-facing sides is protected from potential obstructions.

The State’s attractive incentives are working.  Solar World, a manufacturer of solar photovoltaic systems is moving one of its manufacturing facilities from Vancouver, Washington to Hillsboro, Oregon where its expected output will reach 500 megawatts by 2009. 

Large businesses within the state are investing in solar.  A Pepsi-Cola bottling plant in Eugene, Oregon opened its recently remodeled site in Eugene, Oregon earlier this year.  The facility includes a one-plus acre solar PV rooftop array that should generate 10 million kilowatt-hours of electricity over its expected lifetime of 35-years – enough to power approximately 21 Eugene homes during that same time period.  Pepsi-Cola also upgraded its lighting system and installed skylights, the company plans to save roughly 200,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year from its renovations.  

In addition to the State of Oregon incentives, the government sanctioned, non-profit Energy Trust of Oregon provides residents throughout most of the Oregon with additional monetary incentives aimed at solar photovoltaic and solar hot water systems.  For information about the incentives Energy Trust provides, follow this link:  http://www.energytrust.org/solar/residential/provide.html.

Oregon has become a hotbed for green building and solar energy initiatives.  No wonder Home Power magazine recognized the state for its efforts.  Oregon’s plethora of integrated incentives makes it one of the nation’s leading states for advancing viable and effective solar energy policies and strategies today.

Moving away from New England toward the Midwest, Home Power magazine gives accolades to Minnesota, another state on its “Solar Super States” list.  Minnesota is a state known for its progressive “green policies;” no wonder the state has embraced solar energy initiatives as well.  In fact, Minnesota was the first state to adopt net metering rules.  Since 1981, residents who install solar electricity systems receive a check at the end of each month for any excess energy they generate.

Minnesota demonstrates that latitude does not stand as a detriment to harnessing the sun’s energy.  At a statewide average of 4.5 daily peak sun hours, Minnesota’s average is not much different from other Home Power super states like Maryland and Massachusetts.  On Minnesota’s Energy Info Center website, the state boasts that it has potential to receive more annual solar energy than Houston, Texas and nearly as much as Miami, Florida.

Minnesota has several state laws to encourage solar photovoltaic installations.  Its Solar Rebate Program, established in 2002, offers $2.00 per watt for solar electric systems up to 10 kilowatts in size, essentially reducing a system’s cost by 20 percent.  In addition, the state exempts solar equipment from sales tax.

In Minnesota the sun trumps shade.  State law gives local zoning boards the authority to create solar access easements to protect a property owner’s solar array from shading.

In 2006, Minnesota, like other fellow top solar states, set a goal requiring that energy companies must source 25 percent of their power from renewable energy sources by 2025.

Minnesota is the only Midwestern state to make Home Power magazine’s Top Ten Solar States list.  This state has “solar chutzpah” further dispelling the myth that solar energy is only viable in hot and arid regions.