The Governor’s Energy Office announced that Poudre Valley REA is the winner of the 2009 Governor’s Excellence in Renewable Energy Award for utilities. The award honors organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through the promotion, usage, implementation and technology development of renewable energy in Colorado.

The accomplishments cited in making the award to PVREA were:
• 10 new grid-tied residential photovoltaic system installations with matching rebates from the Governor’s Energy Office. Systems were 3.0 to 6.3 kilowatt for a total new connected PV generation output of 43.3 KW.

• Four photovoltaic grid-tied system installations without rebate support. Systems ranged from 1.4 to 6.0 kW for a total of 14.4 kW.

• Six wind system installations ranging from 2.4 to 7.2 kW for a total of 19.2 kW.

• The promotion of wind power through the co-op’s renewable energy “Green Power” program. PVREA had 275 residential and 14 commercial customers sign up for this program that offers 100 kilowatt-hour blocks for 50 cents per block. This program supported about 1.2 million kWh of renewable wind power production per month in 2009.

• The installation of monitoring equipment at its headquarters 2.1 kW PV system, with the help of SolSource Energy Solutions. The output and production data from the system is now displayed in the lobby on wall monitors and is available on line for educational purposes.

• The partnering with StEPP Foundation, Center for Resource Conservation, Namaste Solar and the St. Vrain Valley School District to install a 25 kW PV system at the Lyons High School and to support a renewable energy curriculum.

Poudre Valley REA, headquartered outside of Fort Collins, 36,000 meter electric co-op serving members in Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties.

At its January meeting, the Mountain Parks Electric, Inc., Board of Directors allocated $10,000 in funding and in-kind service to Granby’s Middle Park High School photovoltaic research project. According to MPEI Board President Stan Cazier, MPEI found the educational and research focus of the project – slated to compare economic and environmental impacts of photovoltaic (PV) versus traditional fossil fuel generation – appealing.

“Does a PV project make sense in the mountains of north central Colorado? This project should answer that question while giving 400-plus high school students a real-world, hands-on energy industry experience,” Cazier said.

Spearheaded by MPHS Science Department Chair Sam Crane, the PV array consists of nine 230-watt solar panels complete with tracking and monitoring systems. Guy Larson, a PV installer with Simply Efficient, predicts that the panels will produce 22 percent of their 2-kilowatt nameplate rating, based on an average of 5.4 hours of sunlight a day. According to Larson, the system should generate approximately 4,000 kilowatt-hours a year; that’s $372 worth of electricity at MPEI’s current retail rate.

Groundbreaking was Friday, January 29. MPHS students are now assisting with the construction phase. They will begin monitoring the PV array’s output upon completion – shortly before Easter.

MPEI joins funding partners Freeport-McMoran, a $5,000 grantor, and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., which awarded $10,000 to the project (via Toyota’s Tapestry Grant). During the last funding cycle, MPHS was the only school in the state of Colorado that was awarded the Tapestry Grant. Simply Efficient is also contributing a 5 percent materials discount. MPEI’s donation comes from its Educational Trust Fund, a financing mechanism comprised of unclaimed patronage capital that has been used to fund local driver’s education classes and teacher grants. Mountain Parks Electric is a nearly 20,000 meter co-op serving members in Grand, Jackson, Summit, Routt and Larimer counties.     

Doing an energy audit on household appliances has just gotten as easy as checking out a library book. San Isabel Electric Association has donated 10 electricity usage monitors to the Pueblo West Library for public use.                   

The handheld device is user friendly. You plug it into an electric outlet. To test the desired appliance, simply plug it into to the monitor to learn the electrical usage. The electricity usage monitors can calculate the energy usage of any 110-volt appliance, from a toaster to a refrigerator.

During the demonstration and program kickoff event held at the library in January, the public got to see firsthand how the units work. On display for monitoring were a microwave oven, hair dryer, small space heater, television set  and floor lamp.

Perhaps the biggest surprise to everyone was how much it costs to run the electric space heater. It clocked in a whopping 28 cents a hour. By the end of the hour long demonstration, nearly all of the monitors had been checked out.

According to SIEA Director Debbie Rose the monitors have been calibrated using the basic San Isabel residential rate. But you don’t need to be a member of San Isabel Electric Association to benefit from the service. “Even though energy rates are different depending on your service provider, the general public can still get a good baseline of energy usage with this product regardless of the rate,” said Rose.

SIEA wanted to offer an easy yet effective way for the community to be aware of energy usage in their homes.

“Energy efficiency is so important at this time due to the demands for power, but also because of the challenges we face in this economy,” Rose said. “I think that people will really be surprised at how much energy that old refrigerator in the garage is using. Once people have become educated in just how much energy they are using, they become empowered to make better choices such as purchasing appliances with an Energy Star rating.”

While this type of meter is available for public purchase at retail outlets at a cost between $30 and $50, it is not necessary to have one for the long term in order to perform an effective audit. “Being able to check the monitor out from the library, just as you would a library book, allows the public to conduct appliance audits in their homes without having to invest in the cost of owning one,” said Midori Clark, manager of community relations for the Pueblo City-County Library District. “We are so pleased that San Isabel Electric has brought this pilot program to us and we are able to offer it to the community.”

The Kill-A-Watt monitors are available for checkout only at the Pueblo West Library. According to Clark, because the monitors are available in a limited quantity, the monitors are considered a “special item.” The devices are nonrenewable and accrue the same overdue fees that are currently charged for other items (10 cents a day).

The program at the Pueblo West Library is a pilot program. If the library in your community is interested in participating, contact San Isabel Electric Association at 719-547-2160 for more information.