Breaking News

Join Western and Wind Powering America May 18 at 1:00 p.m. MT for the free webinar, Opportunities for Adding New Transmission Lines to Support Renewables.

This is the fifth webinar in Wind Powering America’s 2011 free webinar series.  Speakers will focus on three entities that provide the opportunity to build transmission lines needed to get renewable energy to market – Western Renewable Energy Zones (WREZs), USDA’s Rural Utilities Service, and Western Area Power Administration’s Transmission Infrastructure Program.

WREZs are areas throughout the Western Interconnection that feature the potential for large scale development of renewable resources with low environmental impacts.  National Renewable Energy Laboratory works with stakeholders to identify more specific areas within WREZs that balance the benefits of renewable energy development with the need to protect wildlife and crucial habitat.

USDA’s Rural Utilities Service provides funding to build new transmission and distribution lines under USDA Rural Development’s Electric Loan Program. Recipients must meet the conditions of the loan agreement.

Section 402 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides Western new borrowing authority and a source of funds to build transmission lines that help deliver renewable resources to market.  To implement this authority, Western created the Transmission Infrastructure Program (TIP) to assist the modernization of our nation’s infrastructure and enhance energy independence.

The webinar is free; no registration is required. Login information, along with a brief agenda, can be found at Wind Powering America.

The Department of Energy’s newly established Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (OIEPP) has begun its outreach to Indian tribes and tribal leadership to discuss the various policy and programs issues and opportunities related to energy on tribal lands.

Congress has charged OIEPP to direct, foster, coordinate and implement energy planning, education, management and programs that assist tribes with energy development, capacity building, energy infrastructure, energy costs and electrification of Indian lands and homes. As part of that effort, OIEPP will be hosting roundtable sessions with tribal leaders around the country to engage in discussions about current needs and priorities related to Indian energy policy and programs.

Topics of discussion will include conventional and renewable energy development; transmission and infrastructure; public-private partnerships; energy efficiency and management; education and workforce development; funding and tax incentives; leveraging, coordinating and optimizing Federal resources and programs and feedback and expectations for the Tribal Nation Summit. Participants will examine obstacles, opportunities, needs, priorities and possible solutions regarding these issues and more.

Roundtable discussions in Western’s territory are scheduled for:

April 5 – Phoenix, Arizona
Time:   8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Hyatt Regency

April 6 – Albuquerque, New Mexico
Time:   8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Location: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

The Clean Energy Ambassadors (CEA) Lunchtime Webinar Series continues with Schools: A Top Choice for Energy Savings and Outreach, Tuesday, April 19, at noon Central Time.

This webinar will provide utilities with ideas for reaching out to their local schools and establishing substantive energy-efficiency programs that go beyond promotion.  “The agenda features speakers from some of the great organizations that are working to make schools more energy efficient around the country,” said Jill Cliburn, a public-power utility veteran who leads the Clean Energy Ambassadors program. “Attendees will learn about programs the Green Schools Alliance and Alliance to Save Energy Schools Network used to successfully connect utility companies to local schools.”

Case studies will offer examples of schools and utilities working together to create programs and working relationships that reach their students and communities. Some of the most effective programs have taught students how to perform basic energy audits using simple tools, such as guages for measuring insulation, watt meters, light meters and more. These programs also encourage students to learn more about energy generation and use, and to consider careers in the energy industry. Some of the programs are utility sponsored, while others are student led.

CEA webinars are held from noon to 1 p.m., Central time (11 a.m. – noon Mountain) on the third Tuesday of each month. Because they are focused on needs of consumer-owned utilities primarily in the Midwest and Plains states, the discussion are specific, candid and informal. Clean Energy Ambassadors offers these webinars free of charge, but you must register to participate.

Energy Services Manager Ron Horstman and Wayne Snider, town administrator of Fowler, Colo., will be among the speakers featured in Developing an Energy Plan – Selecting Energy – Working with Utilities, a free webinar, April 7 at 10 a.m. MT.

The webinar is the second in a five-part series on “Creating a Plan for Growing Your Local Economy through Energy Savings and No or Low-cost Sustainable Energy.” The series, hosted by Energy Forefront at Challenge International, Inc., takes participants through a step-by-step process describing how a city, town or county can improve its economy, save energy and integrate sustainable energy technologies all with little or no expense.

Horstman will contribute his expertise in integrated resource planning for cities and in creating relationships with utilities. His co-presenter, Snider, will talk about his experiences taking Fowler from a small conservative town to a national example of how to create a green energy economy at low or no cost.

A second presentation will explore how Grand Rapids, Mich., became the “Most Sustainable Mid-sized City of 2010.”  Haris Alibasic, director of the city’s Office of Energy and Sustainability, will discuss lessons learned on developing an energy-efficiency plan and renewable energy business plan, and provide details on meeting energy goals and other sustainability measures.

Because municipal energy planning is such a rich and complex topic, Part II of the webinar will take place April 28. Grahame E. Maisey, P.E., with Building Services Consultants, will walk attendees through the process of developing a true energy sustainability plan at the facility level. Unlike energy reduction plans, energy sustainability plans aim to turn buildings from energy users to energy generators.

At the end of the webinars, participants will get to ask questions and share their experiences. “Utilities and local and state governments have the chance to move their economies forward by thinking outside the box about energy planning,” said Horstman. “This webinar series is a good place for those responsible for planning to get inspiration.”

An APPA webinar, Fostering the Energy Work Force Pipeline – Best Practices from SMUD’s DEED Project, will discuss one utility’s approach to making sure it has qualified workers in the future. The webinar will take place on March 30, from 2-3:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The electric utility industry in the United States is facing a shortage of qualified workers in engineering disciplines. Baby boomers are retiring. The loss of these experienced workers comes at a time of rapid technological change in the energy industry (advanced metering infrastructure, smart grid, distributed generation, storage, and renewable generation). At the same time, a shortfall is expected in the number of students training for careers in math and science. Read more, and register.

Source: American Public Power Association, 3/22/11

Basin Electric Power Cooperative and Western are teaming up to take your lighting skills to the next level. Lighting the Way to Savings prepares you to become an expert in commercial lighting.

Come to Sioux Valley Energy’s Brandon Service Center in Brandon, S.D., to study the many factors that affect indoor and outdoor commercial lighting; calculate potential energy savings and learn to identify retrofit opportunities.

The instructor is Jim Herritage, Touchstone Energy’s senior national technical advisor, whose courses are always informative and entertaining.

The cost for the course is $350. Classes begin 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 19, and run through noon on Thursday, April 21. To register, please contact Chad Reisenauer at 701-557-5710.

As part of its ongoing First Thursday seminar series, the Federal Energy Management Program presents Utility Energy Service Contracts and Energy Project Incentive Funds, April 7, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Take part in a concise, insightful discussion about how your facility can partner with its local utility to fund energy improvement projects. Two major programs will be featured to help you get underway!

Utility Energy Service Contracts

• Understand the most important UESC purposes and benefits to help meet your agency’s mission-critical energy mandates;
• Learn about the legislative authority and primary contracting methods pertaining to utility energy service contracts;
• Find out about the steps involved in successfully implementing a UESC project; and
• Learn about the wealth of FEMP resources available to help you.

Energy Project Incentive Funds

• Understand different types of funds, what is driving them, and what the trends are;
• Locate which funds are available to you;
• Learn the rules about what incentives can be accepted and retained by Federal agencies.

This live event is free, but registration is required.

FEMP First Thursday Seminars are a series of seven FREE training sessions on the first Thursday of each month from February through August 2011, available via satellite broadcast and streaming web video.