Energy News
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Technology (NIST) was established for the purpose of assisting United States
businesses and institutions of higher education or other organizations, such as national laboratories and nonprofit researchers , to support, promote, accelerate
innovation in the United States through high-risk, high-reward research in areas of critical national need.
TIP seeks to support accelerating high-risk, transformative research targeted to address
key societal challenges. Funding selections will be merit-based and may be provided to industry (small and medium-sized firms), universities, and consortia.
The primary mechanism for this support is cost-shared cooperative agreements awarded on the basis of merit competitions.
reliable Smart Grid approach to electric power distribution, demand, and response
control, grid connectivity, and the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid.
TIP specifically aims to fund research in energy storage systems and the integration of
stored energy into the grid system, advanced sensors and their energy sources to be
deployed along the grid, and communication and control technologies (high voltage
By Gail McMaster
Bucks County - (Dec. 2010) Every electric customer has the option to take part in electric choice in Pennsylvania as of New Year Day! To date, approximately 660,000 PA electric users have already switched electric supply providers.
The PUC in Pennsylvania has been working to educate consumers about electric choice and has launched a new website called PA Power Switch. Electric customers swamping the PA Office Consumer Advocate which helps customers learn how to evaluate the wide range of supplier programs.
Rate Caps of four electric generation suppliers providing electric to 60% of all PA residents will expire on December 31, 2010 are Metropolitan Edison (9.5%), PECO (27.8%), Pennsylvania Electric (10.6%) and West Penn Power (12.7%.)
Philadelphia area residents have been served by PECO Energy and Energy Cooperative Association of Pennsylvania , an exisiting alternative energy provider and will soon have a wide array of electric service providers from which to choose.
"The Price to Compare" is the term that will help you compare an alternate energy service price per kilowatt hour to your electric generation supplier's price (cents/kWh) when shopping for a new Electric Generation Service (EGS.)
The price for electric service is for a range of electric customers (residential, commercial and industrial.) Remember that regardless which supplier you choose, your electric distribution company (EDC) like PECO will continue to manage your billing, customer service and residential service outages. However, if you have a question about your electric generation Service, call your EGS.
When choosing another EGS, you need to check the terms of the agreement in the contract. EGS offer fixed and variable prices for month to month and 1 year terms. Some EGS offer reduced rate plans for senior citizens and military families. Customers must also be aware of contracts containing early termination fees.
If you engaged in a pre-pay plan with your existing utility and would like to choose another supplier, the money you deposited and any interest will be applied to your account no matter who supplies your electricity.
For more information click here for the PUC website
Click Here to go to our Energy and Power Links page
You can view the "Price to Compare" at www.oca.state.pa.us
* The primary source of electric generators in Pennsylvania are coal burning plants.
* The average retail price of electricty in Pennsylvania is 9.32 cents/kWh.
* There are 42 electric utilities in Pennsylvania.
Source: Energy Information Administration
PJM MARCH AUCTIONS:
Valley Forge, Pa. –PJM News Release
PJM Interconnection will held two integration capacity auctions in March 2010 to secure electric capacity for delivery years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 to meet the capacity supply obligations of First Energy’s operating utilities within the footprint of American Transmission Systems Inc. (ATSI).
The auctions were necessary because ATSI was not a member of PJM and the ATSI operating utilities therefore did not participate in the 2008 and 2009 Reliability Pricing Model base residual auctions for capacity for the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 years.
Two separate auctions held simultaneously – one for each delivery year – using a process similar to PJM’s incremental RPM auctions, which are used by member companies to procure the capacity needed to meet PJM requirements. The ATSI operating utilities sought 13,500 megawatts (MW) of resource-specific unforced capacity for 2011-2012 and 13,900 MW for 2012-2013.
The two auctions provided another opportunity for market participants to provide capacity not already secured through the annual RPM auction.
PJM served as the auction manager monitoring Analytics served the same role and authority it does in other RPM auctions. Owners of existing generation resources located within the current PJM footprint offered available capacity to the integration auctions.
The integration auctions enable First Energy’s utilities within ATSI to meet their requirements as described in their integration agreement with PJM and the integration plan filed on August 17, 2009. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission conditionally approved ATSI’s proposal to withdraw from the Midwest Independent System Operator and integrate into PJM. The integration will be effective June 2011.
Additional information on the auctions: click here
You can send an e-mail to: atsi_integration@pjm.com.
Gamesa providing Jobs
Thanks to ARRA Funds
EBENSBURG -- A Cambria County wind turbine manufacturer that had to temporarily lay off 79 employees last November after new orders fell will be able bring back those workers and hire an additional 50 people thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, said Governor Edward G. Rendell.
During a visit to the Gamesa Wind USA plant, Governor Rendell announced $22.8 million in grants through the federal Recovery program that will not only put people to work at Gamesa, but will also create another 257 jobs at three large-scale wind farms.
“A year ago this week, President Obama -- after only 28 days in office -- and Congress took action to move the United States out of its darkest days since the 1930s by passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” said Governor Rendell. “While some naysayers – often, critics who have little personally at stake -- have questioned whether it was the right thing to do, the reality is that the Recovery Act kept our nation from sinking deeper into economic quicksand.”
The Governor noted that 2 million Americans today have good jobs because of the federal stimulus. In Pennsylvania, the act helped avoid massive layoffs, provided relief to families in need, made higher education more affordable for students, and enabled employers to hire and retain workers doing jobs that are vital to the state’s future, such as developing renewable energy resources.
“One of the premier examples in Pennsylvania, if not the nation, of how we can build a 21st century green economy is the Gamesa plant we’re visiting today. With the support of federal Recovery Act funding, this plant will return to full production and start up a second manufacturing line. That means a great deal to the workers who went back on the job this week.”
Eric Sheesley was one of those workers, said the Governor. Sheesley was laid off from his first shift quality inspector job just before Thanksgiving in 2009. He, his wife and two kids live in nearby Nanty Glo, and while his wife was able to pick up extra hours at her receptionist position, the family mostly relied on Eric’s unemployment compensation to get by. Because of the federal Recovery funds, however, he returned to work on Monday, Feb. 15.
“Eric’s experience is only one of the many positive stories made possible thanks to the federal Recovery Act’s support for advanced energy projects,” said Governor Rendell.
Since the Recovery Act was passed, Pennsylvania companies and communities have received more than $800 million for green energy projects. Those funds are in addition to the nearly $1 billion in state funds spent to help grow this sector in the last seven years. As result, according to the Pew Center, Pennsylvania ranks third for the growth of green jobs just behind the powerhouse energy states of Texas and California.
The $22.8 million that Governor Rendell announced today through the Recovery-funded Green Energy Works! Wind grant program will create or retain 387 jobs, leverage more than $200 million in private investments, and reduce harmful carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 450 million pounds annually -- the equivalent of removing 39,000 passenger vehicles from the road. The three projects receiving grant funding include:
• $7.8 million for Gamesa to install 19 two-megawatt wind turbines at the Chestnut Flats Wind Farm in Cambria and Blair counties. The project is expected to create 85 jobs.
• $10 million Iberdrola Renewables’ South Chestnut wind project to install 23 two-megawatt turbines in Fayette County that will create 129 jobs.
• $5 million for the Broad Mountain Wind Energy Center’s installation of eight turbines near Frackville in Schuykill County under a project that will create 43 jobs.
“If not for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, these projects wouldn’t happen now and these Gamesa workers wouldn’t be back on the job making the 50 turbines that each of these projects will use.
“It’s clear that the stimulus is working: it’s providing a lifeline to families, slowing job losses, and helping our economy rebound. In January 2009, America lost 750,000 jobs. One year later, that rate had slowed to only 20,000 jobs and the nation’s GDP grew at its fastest pace in six years during the fourth quarter of 2009.”
For more information on how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is working in Pennsylvania, visit www.recovery.pa.gov.
Customer Lists for Electric Companies
Harrisburg - (Nov. 12, 2010)- The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today provided interim direction on the customer information to be provided by electric distribution companies (EDCs) to electric generation suppliers (EGSs).
The Commission voted 4-1 to approve the guidelines that address information that the EDCs provide to the EGSs about customers, their service provisions and usage. The Commission’s goal is to increase both supplier and customer participation in the marketplace.
Chairman James H. Cawley issued a statement. Commissioner Wayne E. Gardner issued a partially dissenting statement. Vice Chairman Tyrone J. Christy issued a dissenting statement.
The lists are designed to provide EGSs with important information that will allow licensed competitive suppliers to more readily identify potential retail customers and better tailor products and service offerings to meet customers’ needs. The guidelines address:
- Developing a system to enable victims of domestic violence or other customers that are similarly endangered to restrict the release of their data;
- Allowing customers to restrict the release of their historical billing data and telephone number;
- Listing the minimum requirements for the eligible customer lists;
- Complying with the state’s “Do Not Call” list; and
- Including current and future capacity and transmission obligations.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities to ensure safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protect the public interest; educate consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; further economic development; and foster new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.
For recent news releases, audio of select Commission proceedings or more information about the PUC, visit our website at www.puc.state.pa.us.
************************JOBS AT KEYSTONE PARK
Harrisburg –Scheuten Solar USA Inc. -- $3 million for the Keystone Industrial Port Complex 1project that will convert a brownfield into a 5-megawatt solar power plant. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2010 and will create jobs during developmentconstruction and operation. Solar capacity will be 5 MW with Annual megawatt hours generated: 6,678 MW reducing annual CO2 by 3,928 tons.
“This sizable, $9.5 million investment through the federal Recovery Act is helping to make that possible by supporting eight projects that will put 149 people to work,
stimulate another $46 million in private investments and, once completed, will generate enough electricity to power 1,200 homes annually.”
The Governor added that the projects, which total more than 10 megawatts of generation capacity, will produce enough clean electricity to offset more than 8,500
tons in carbon emissions, or the equivalent of removing nearly 1,500 passenger vehicles from the road.
The projects also account for more than double the four megawatts of capacity that
Pennsylvania had just one year ago.
“Counting these 10 megawatts made possible through our Green Energy Works!
“Our nearly six-year-old standards have been surpassed by other states, which puts Pennsylvania at risk of losing out on multi-million-dollar, job-creating clean energy
projects,” the Governor explained. “Additionally, if we fail to aggressively expand our nation’s renewable energy industry, we could fall behind nations like China and
India that are pursuing solar, wind and other renewable energy projects.”
www.recovery.pa.gov and click on "Energy"
For additional information on Green Energy Works! visit
www.depweb.state.pa.us or call 717-783-8411.
Customers To Apply
For Assistance Today
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Philadelphia, PA – Dec. 7, 2009) The Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) is urging customers to visit www.pgworks.com/LIHEAP or one of the company’s customer service centers and apply for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) before the grant money runs out. The company is also increasing its community outreach so customers can learn about the changes to this year’s LIHEAP Cash and Crisis programs.
“LIHEAP is very different this year. Customers need to reach out to PGW so they can
understand how the program has changed and what options are available to them,” said Cristina Coltro, Vice President of PGW’s Office of Customer Affairs. “Unfortunately one of the things that has not changed this year is the fact that funds are limited. Customers need to act now before it is too late.”
This year PGW is directly applying LIHEAP Cash grants to Customer Responsibility Program (CRP) customers. So, in addition to the regular CRP discount, LIHEAP Cash will further reduce the amount CRP customers need to pay.23%. Read about LIHEAP’s new eligibility requirements; click here.
September is National Preparedness Month
September, 2011 ~ As we remember the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, we are reminded that our nation is still a target. Preparation is a key to our nation's resilience. With this anniversary—and September being National Preparedness Month—the electric power industry supports the federal government's campaign, "A Time to Remember. A Time to Prepare."
National Preparedness Month is held every September to encourage people to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, and communities. We invite you to join EEI and the more than 4,000 other national, regional, tribal, state and local businesses and organizations who will be participating in this year’s campaign.
National Preparedness Month is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps. If you would like more information, please visit www.ready.gov and click on the National Preparedness Month banner.
EEI’s Web site also has important information to help you get ready. Explore the site to find out:
- What to do in case of a power outage; and
- How the electric utility industry prepares for, and responds to, natural disasters and other emergencies.
EEI also encourages you to learn more about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) national public awareness campaign "If You See Something, Say Something™". This campaign seeks to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism and violent crime, and to emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper state and local law enforcement authorities.
- Learn more about this campaign by visiting DHS’s Web site.
- Article courtesy of Edison Energy Institue 9/1/2011 Click Here
SEPTA Earns Energy Star Award
EPA Region 3 Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) with an ENERGY STAR label today for its energy-efficient headquarters at 1234 Market Street in Philadelphia. Only the top 25-percent of all energy-efficient buildings nationwide receive this distinctive label. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) with an ENERGY STAR label today for its energy-efficient headquarters at 1234 Market Street in Philadelphia. Only the top 25-percent of all energy-efficient buildings nationwide receive this distinctive label.
“ENERGY STAR partners, like SEPTA, are moving Philadelphia forward through innovation and effective energy management,” said EPA mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “SEPTA’s efforts will save money on energy costs and have a positive effect for all of us since energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower the impact of climate change.”
SEPTA is a regional municipal authority that operates various forms of public transit -- bus, subway, rail and electric trolley bus -- that serves 3.8 million people in and around Philadelphia.
SEPTA earned the recognition for numerous energy efficient retrofits it made to its headquarters building that it purchased in 1993. Improvements included installing energy-efficient chillers, new electronic controls and lighting, water-saving toilets and a new reflective cool roof. Another energy saving action by SEPTA involved switching from nighttime to daytime cleaning, allowing managers to shut down the building by 6 p.m. This decreased the running time of all non-essential building functions by 24-percent and reduced the electric bill.
SEPTA’s headquarters is one of 12 buildings in Philadelphia to receive this prestigious recognition during 2010. In 2009, Philadelphia is one of the top 25 U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest number of buildings having earned the ENERGY STAR label.
For more information on ENERGY STAR efficient buildings, visit: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=business.bus_bldgs
Energy Coordinating Agency
Good Energy News
Philadelphia, January -Liz Robinson, Executive Director of the Energy Coordinating Agency, Philadelphia says that ECA has good news to share: greenhouse gas emissions are predicted to decline by 3% globally, and by 9% in the United States, heading toward 12% by the end of the year!
Robinson also said that it’s true that much of this is a result of economic slowdown, it is also true that in the U.S., clean energy policies which are being implemented in many states, including Pennsylvania, are beginning to work. Please go here for a brief summary of some of the tax credits, rebates and other incentives now available to help you save money and energy in your own home on the back of this letter.
"My wish for this New Year is that a clean energy economy emerges from this recession, and that carbon emissions continue to decline at a very steady rate in 2010 and beyond." said Robinson.
Last year ECA commissioned the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) to assess the energy efficiency and solar energy resources in Pennsylvania. The full report is available here. ACEEE found that fully 30% of all of Pennsylvania’s energy needs can be cost effectively met through energy efficiency and conservation. Implementing higher energy efficiency codes, policies and programs will create 27,000 new full time jobs, and save Pennsylvanians $5 billion dollars a year, every year.
Energy conservation is not only the cleanest and cheapest form of energy, it is also the most labor intensive, and creates the green collar jobs we keep hearing so much about.
ECA is helping to build the skilled green collar workforce we need by developing a state of the art Green Jobs Training Center in our old factory in West Kensington. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry recently designated ECA as one of six certified weatherization training centers in the state. We have raised $1.2 million toward our goal of almost $2 million. The Kresge Foundation has awarded us a challenge grant of $240,000, which we need to match by raising an additional $480,000.
Help ECA meet the Kresge challenge by sending your tax-deductible contribution to ECA today. Together, we can build a sustainable energy future for all Philadelphians and all Pennsylvanians..
P.S. Please go here to make your online donation or mail one today!
Energy Coordinating Agency, 1924 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 | (215) 988-0929
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Philadelphia's Historic City Hall
Improves Energy Efficiency
Patrick Kerkstra
(McClatchy-Tribune by Newstex) -- As a metaphor for government waste and inefficiency, it is difficult to beat the sight and sound of dozens of City Hall window air-conditioning units whirring away in the dead of winter.
Outside, it is freezing. Inside, it is so warm that workers often fling open windows, crank up the A.C., or power up fans. Building managers say there is little they can do to improve the situation, considering the building's quirks and its lack of a modern heating and cooling system.
The absurd situation is a glaring example of just how energy-inefficient many of the city's facilities are.
Philadelphia spent over $48 million on electricity, heating oil, and natural gas in fiscal year 2008-09, one of the largest line items in the city's general budget.
Which explains why reducing municipal energy use -- by 10 percent this year, and by 30 percent within five years -- is one of the top goals on the Nutter administration's sweeping environmental agenda.
The problem is that, in the short run, conservation can be expensive. Retrofitting City Hall with a quality HVAC system would cost $22.8 million, according to a recent estimate, a sum the cash-strapped city government can hardly afford out of pocket. Borrowing money is also out of the question, since the city is near its debt limit.
So the Nutter administration is trying something novel. Last month it contracted with a private firm, Noresco, to do what amounts to no-money-down energy-efficiency renovations of four major city government buildings.
The city will pay the firm back for the improvements over time, using the cash it saves from lowered energy bills. If the projects -- such as a new $3.7 million chilled-water plant for the Criminal Justice Center -- fail to yield enough savings to pay for the capital investment, Noresco will make up the difference.
Pennsylvania lawmakers passed the bill enabling these arrangements, called Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreements, more than a decade ago. Statewide, more than $370 million has been spent on GESA projects, yielding about $435 million in savings. None of the projects has been in Philadelphia.
"We haven't had a great track record of investing in energy efficiency over the last 10 years. Energy prices had been low, the economy had been pretty good," said Philadelphia sustainability director Katherine Gajewski.
"In this budget climate, it's different. And the culture is changing across the country, too. It's not like energy efficiency is a fringe issue any more."
Its not clear just which improvements the Westborough, Mass.-based Noresco and the city will make. The firm will first conduct a thorough audit of the city's "quadplex" facilities, which include City Hall, the Municipal Services Building, the Criminal Justice Center, and One Parkway. Only investments that yield energy savings greater than the construction expense within a 15-year window will be considered.One project that does seem likely to receive funding is a $5.2 million energy-management database system. Predicted to yield $760,000 in annual savings, the system will let city managers log on and see how much energy their departments and buildings are using.
Gajewski considers such a system an essential tool for "changing the behavior" of city employees.
"I think we are going to have a challenge getting 20,000-plus city employees to make the daily behavioral changes we want them to make to conserve energy," Gajewski said.
The city is even planning an internal marketing campaign -- paid for by federal stimulus money -- to get city workers to embrace energy-saving habits such as turning off lights or donning a sweater when cold.
"We're very supportive of the administration focus on improving the city's energy consumption first. It makes a lot of economic sense, and it's just good practice for the city to implement some of these changes before requiring the private sector to do the same," said Janet Milkman, executive director of the nonprofit Delaware Valley Green Building Council.
Mayor Nutter appears to have City Council's support for his energy-saving initiatives. He is slated to appear at a news conference today with Council members James F. Kenney and Blondell Reynolds Brown to sign one piece of conservation legislation and publicly endorse another.
Brown's bill, which has cleared Council, will require the city to meet an environmental and energy efficiency building standard known as LEED silver (for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) anytime it erects structures or does major renovations. More-exacting standards exist, such as gold and platinum LEED ratings, but Brown said the city had to balance its environmental goals with budget realities.
"The gold standard is a long-term goal. We decided to shoot for what's achievable, which is the silver LEED standard," Brown said.
Kenney's legislation, which has not yet been approved, would require contractors to install "cool roofs" when erecting new buildings in Philadelphia. Though slightly more expensive than traditional roofs, cool roofs -- which are constructed of reflective materials that better deflect heat -- reduce energy costs and can help curb the urban heat-island effect.
It is unclear how receptive builders will be to legislation that increases their costs, even slightly, given that Philadelphia is already an expensive construction market. For now, the city is focused on fixing its own drafty roofs, leaking windows, and inefficient heating and cooling systems.
Alas, City Hall's clunker of a climate-control system will almost certainly not get an upgrade. Even with a new $22.8 million system, Noresco estimates annual savings of just $150,000 a year. At that rate, it would take more than 150 years for the city to break even on the investment.
Patrick Kerkstra pkerkstra@phillynews.com.
Newstex ID: KRTB-0160-4131304
