ISSUE 5        MAY 2009

ENERGY USERS’ ASSOCIATION is a 501 c 3 Non Profit Association that is open to everyone. No questions to answer or dues to pay. As an Associate, you are encouraged to contribute suggestions and news items from time to time. 

Many volunteer opportunities are available. Our web site at: www.energyuser.net was developed by a talented volunteer. Other volunteers are helping develop and test training materials. Credit is given to volunteers at the web site.

A strategy of the association is to produce Renewable Energy training materials that will become widely available through school public education programs and elsewhere.  Another strategy is to provide information and financial assistance to schools that wish to incorporate Renewable Energy Training in their curriculum.

Contact EUA at sunuser@comcast.net to ask a question, offer suggestions, volunteer to help or to unsubscribe.

SCHOOL NEWS

Battle Creek Elementary School in St Paul, Minnesota has installed a PV Solar Electric system. The system is rated at 1,000 watts. It is tied to the electric grid in such a way that it can assist the electric utility in supplying electric power to the school when the sun is shining.

When the system provides more power than the school is using, the excess power is supplied to the grid. This causes the power meter to run backward. As a result, the school receives a credit on its utility bill.

NEWS FROM HERE AND THERE

Most Europeans depend on other countries for their natural gas. As a result, many homeowners are accumulating firewood for supplemental heating.  Modern wood stoves operate at very high temperatures and thus remove much of the particulate and unburned gases typical of older stove designs.

Although burning wood produces greenhouse gases, it is the same amount as would be produced if the wood were left to decompose or was burned in a forest fire.  Thus, it is called “carbon neutral”.

One of our EIG technicians is building a Russian wood stove.  These stoves burn wood at 1600F so there is little unburned gas or particulate.  The fire box is encased in bricks to store heat from the fire.  Thus, a fire that burns for 2 hours in the morning stores enough heat to keep the house warm all day.

Have a news story?

Contact EIG at: energyind@comcast.net and share it.

ISSUE 8        JULY 2008

EIG NEWS

EUA announces an affiliation with Energy Independence Group [EIG]. EIG has offices in Minneapolis, MN and Ellsworth, WI. EIG is installing Renew-able Energy Systems in the two states.

EUA is helping EIG find customers and finance new installations. EUA expects that this move will help in financing EUA education efforts.

EUA is building a demonstration trailer which will contain a Solar Hot Air System, Solar Electricity [PV] System, Solar Hot Water components, and a Solar Cooker. It will be available to environmental organizations, schools, and nature centers that want to teach about Renewable Energy.

These newsletters are a major form of education and promotion for EUA. Please forward this letter to your mail list so that we can expand our outreach.

Contact EUA at sunuser@comcast.net to ask a question, offer suggestions, volunteer to help, or unsubscribe from the mailing list.

WISCONSIN’S CASH BACK REWARDS

Wisconsin has a program called Focus on Energy [FOE] that is giving cash back rewards to residents who install certified Renewable Energy [RE] Systems. The reward is based on the number of kilowatt hours of energy saved in a year’s time. The amount of energy saved depends on the size of the system in watts and the amount of sunshine received. The amount of sunshine received depends on the shading, the east/west orientation and the elevation angle of the modules.

A well designed system will be rewarded with 19% of the total cost. Since the Federal Government now rebates 30%, the owner will get a 49% total discount.

Gus Olson, Director of the Wisconsin Division of EIG, is installing a 4,000 watt system at his residence. On Saturday, June 11, friends and family members gathered to help Gus install 20 Solar Electric [PV] modules on the south roof of his work shed.

NEWS FROM HERE AND THERE

The three major items in a PV System are the PV Modules, the Inverter, and the metal rack. The Inverter changes the DC voltage from the module to AC voltage that is matched to the local line voltage and synchronized in time.

For his installation in Wisconsin, Gus Olson found American companies to supply the PV modules and the Inverter at competitive prices. However, the best price for the steel rack material was a steel extruder in Taiwan.

The reason it is possible for Taiwanese steel workers to compete in Wisconsin is not entirely a difference in wages. Our Congress uses our tax to subsidize the fossil fuel companies and keep the price of diesel fuel in the U.S. unreasonably low. Taiwanese shippers simply buy their fuel here and keep the cost of ocean freight artificially low.

Our fossil fuel companies convince our Congress that they should make U.S. taxpayers pay taxes to export American steel workers’ jobs to Taiwan. What a scam!

Did you know?

When silicon is taken from just one ton of sand and used in PV panels, that silicon can produce as much electricity as 500,000 tons of burning coal.

ISSUE 7        JUNE 2009

From 1Sky Minnesota and Clean Water Action—Urgent June 19 action needed!

WAXMAN-MARKEY [ACES] BILL MOVING QUICKLY!

The most critical piece of federal legislation regarding the environment in years is rapidly progressing through the House of Representatives, leaving a narrow window for action.

The Waxman-Markey Bill or ACES—the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009is progressing through the House of Representatives at breakneck speed. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has given committees a deadline of June 19 to complete work. The bill will then move to the House floor next week.

Nationally, 1Sky is joining forces with many organizations in their coalition to organize a day of action Friday, June 19. They are declaring the date to be critical; “it’s our last opportunity to make an impact before ACES moves to the House floor”.

They report that many states will be organizing rallies outside members’ offices; in Minnesota, they are planning a state-wide phone rally into the Minnesota Delegation’s offices. They are asking their volunteers, members and allies to join them in making phone calls throughout the day of June 19. 

A member by member breakdown of which offices to call DC or Minnesota is being provided as the members’ schedules are confirmed.

Analysis of H.R. 2454

www.1sky.org

This week, volunteers are going to district offices in person, either to deliver business sign-on letters that 1Sky and MoveOn.org have been collecting or to deliver lobby packets. Volunteers and members of Move On are leafleting outside offices, generating more calls in from street traffic. 1Sky is working on getting a more comprehensive outline of what’s happening at each district office. They can provide sample calling scripts, numbers and lobby packets.

Congressional ACES Campaign Updates

House of Representatives

·        In meeting with District Director for Rep. Keith Ellison, he expressed the Congressman’s continued support for ACES.

·        In meeting with Chief of Staff for Rep. Tim Walz, intricacies of the bill and provisions needing to be strengthened were discussed. Several amendments for the Congressman to submit during the Ag Committee markup and the floor debate were offered.

·        Project teams have been generating grassroots constituent pressure on the offices of Rep. Erik Paulsen, Rep. Collin Peterson and Rep. Walz.

·        Last week, Clean Water Action distributed a Memorandum for Editorial Boards, adding to the voices calling for state newspapers to call for strengthening and supporting the bill.

Senate

·        June 11, Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA) announced that the Senate will be working under a strict deadline for finishing with ACES. She says they expect to be able to pass the legislation by the August recess, leaving a small window of time to lobby Sen. Klobuchar and the Senator TBD.

If you’d like to participate please reply to:

1Sky@cleanwater.org or visit www.1sky.org

ISSUE 6        JUNE 2009

ENERGY USERS’ ASSOCIATION is a 501 c 3 Non Profit Association that is open to everyone. No questions to answer or dues to pay. As an Associate, you are encouraged to contribute suggestions and news items from time to time. 

Many volunteer opportunities are available. Our web site at: www.energyuser.net was developed by a talented volunteer. Other volunteers are helping develop and test training materials. Credit is given to volunteers at the web site strategy.

A of the association is to produce Renewable Energy training materials that will become widely available through school public education programs and elsewhere.  Another strategy is to provide information and financial assistance to schools that wish to incorporate Renewable Energy Training in their curriculum.

Contact EUA at sunuser@comcast.net to ask a question, offer suggestions, volunteer to help or to unsubscribe.

PRESIDENT TOUTS USAF PV SYSTEM

CNN, May 27, 2009 President Obama marked the 100-day anniversary of the enactment of his economic stimulus package addressing a crowd of military personnel at Nevada’s sprawling Nellis Air Force Base. His remarks followed a tour of the base’s “photovoltaic array” — 72,000 solar panels that generate more than 30 million kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, according to the White House.

The 14 megawatt panels supply roughly 25 percent of the power used at the base, which houses and employs 12,000 people.

The base’s solar power system is an “example the kind of foundation we’re trying to build all across America,” the President said.

Covering 140 acres, it is claimed as North America’s largest solar photo-voltaic power plant.

More information at www.nellis.af.mil

MAKING ELECTRICITY FROM SALT

Recipe:

1.    Concentrate sunlight from thousands of mirrors on a receiver on top of a tall tower

2.    Pump molten salt from a tank to the receiver

3.    Using the concentrated sunlight, heat the salt to over 1000˚F

4.    Pump the heated salt through a steam generator that drives a turbine.

5.    Result: electricity

6.    For efficiency, send the cooled 525˚ salt back to the tank for reuse.

Solar Two near Barstow, California, a complex often mistaken for a science fiction movie set, proved more than a decade ago that power can be produced by using molten salt.

Now California-based Solar Reserve, a renewable energy firm and Rocket dyne, a rocket maker are planning to build a larger version at an undisclosed desert site by 2013. The plant would generate enough electricity for 100,000 homes. Original story at www.latimes.com

Greetings to Energy Users’ Association Supporters

This is EUA’s forth letter of 2009.

We have more prospective schools and other non profits to call on than ever. Much of this is the result of the work of some of you in sending in leads. Thanks Again.

Much of the interest in improving the footprint of the schools comes from students and their parents.

Feel free to send the names of school officials that might want to learn more about the EUA program.

OUR WEBSITE

We have moved our website and have a new domain name. It is www.energyuser.net

Contact us at sunuser@comcast.net with questions, comments or to unsubscribe.

EUA ESTABLISHES RELATIONSHIP WITH RREAL

Rural Renewable Energy Alliance’s Solar Hot Air System provides space heat by re-circulating conditioned building air through one or more solar collectors. With few moving parts, these systems require minimal maintenance and last for years without repairs.

RREAL solar heating systems can operate independently or integrated with existing HVAC systems. They are an additional heating source ensuring a diverse and robust heating infrastructure. While solar air heating systems typically have no thermal storage, by providing nearly the entire heat load when solar resource is at peak, a system can be sized to offset up to 30% of a building’s heat load.

• Details about the Solar Powered Furnace:
• Durable construction designed for a 50-year life span
• All glass and aluminum construction; no fiber glass or plastic
• SPF systems produce 115,000 BTUs per square foot of collector aperture in a Minnesota heating season
• Can be installed in new construction projects and in retrofit applications.

RENEWABLE ENERGY COURSE IN DEVELOPMENT

Bill Butler and Jeffrey O’Brien are developing a 2-hour course on Renewable Energy Systems. They have been assisted by a talented group of volunteers from all over the world. 

This course is aimed at people who are considering the purchase of a system and need to know what questions to ask and what hazards to look out for.

The first class will be given at Century College in White Bear Lake, MN. Later, it will be offered in other community education settings.

Jeffrey C. O’Brien, AIA LEED AP President is upgrading his website at www.archigenesis.com

You may use this Blog to ask questions and make suggestions.  This is new for EUA.  It needs all the help it can get.           Bill Butler - Secretary