Elizabethon bank gets solar

Security Federal Bank in Northeast Tennessee’s Elizabethton is putting the final touches on a 10 kilowatt solar system—the first in Carter County. The 42-panel photovoltaic system is expected to be up and generating electricity by next week.

The bank decided to install a solar system in 2009, according to a release, as part of an improvement project to replace the roof and make other energy efficient measures at its Main Branch location.  Asheville-based FLS Energy, which installed the system, worked with the customer to obtain a state grant award, which, combined with federal incentives and a small revenue stream from TVA, brought the payback period to five years compared to a 10-year payback without the incentives.

Big breeze blowing TVA’s way

TVA’s announcement that it has plugged into its first of seven contracts for wind power could be a pretty big deal. TVA is trying to confirm what appears to be the largest single wind power purchase agreement in the country. Through the 20-year contract, TVA is buying 300 megawatts of power from Iberdrola Renewables, which is piping the power from its Streator Cayuga Ridge wind park in Livingston County, Ill. The facility has been built exclusively for TVA’s needs, according to a company fact sheet.

The contract is the largest of TVA’s agreements with outside providers of wind-generated power, which add up to 1,380 megwatts. And the Iberdola installation is the largest wind park in Illinois, according to the company.

TVA “turned the switch on” Tuesday, Bradley said, with no problems so far in delivery of the renewable power. TVA, along with other electricity providers, is learning how to incorporate the energy source into a portfolio that is made up of more traditional sources including coal and nuclear plants.

The next tranche of wind power to come online will be 115 megawatts scheduled to arrive this fall from Horizon Wind Energy LLC’s Pioneer Prairie wind farm in Howard and Mitchell counties in Iowa.

ET high school project produces wind towers

The Morgan County Career and Technical Center is installing a 2.4 kilowatt wind turbine mounted to a 112-foot tall tower designed and built by high school students at the center. The installation will be used to train students at the center, which last year put up a 3 kilowatt turbine on an 118-foot tower built by students as well as a solar panel display.

The first project was funded by a grant from Heraeus Metals to install the wind turbine and solar panels at the school. Shortly afterward, they were awarded a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to continue their work and expand to other schools nearby.

For full release…

Franklin proposes mandating LEED

Tennessee hasn’t exactly been on the cutting edge when it comes to green building code, but the Tennessean reports the city of Franklin is looking to require municipal construction to conform, at a minimum, to silver LEED standards. The green construction guidelines and certification process are managed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Nashville and Georgetown have similar requirements, according to the story.

Sharp getting (more) serious about solar

Yesterday, Sharp Electronics, which makes photovoltaics at its Memphis manufacturing plant, unveiled an 800-panel, 150 kilowatt array—the largest in the state. Here’s the story in the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Gen-Xers not so green?

So much for the younger generation leading the way. Here’s an interesting blog post by Knoxville advertising firm the Shelton Group about how, and why, 30-and-40-somethings aren’t necessarily as green as their baby boomer parents.

(In the interest of full disclosure, my husband works for Shelton.)

UT Solar Decathalon bound

For the first time, a University of Tennessee team will be competing in the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathalon. The event brings together teams of college students from across the country to design and build a solar-powered abode. Here’s more about UT’s effort, the beginnings of which I wrote about last year in an article covering, among other green university initiatives, the UT Zero Energy House project. The effort, led by UT’s School of Architecture, was designed to evolve into a decatholon entry. The house is on display in the Humanities Plaza on the Knoxville campus. Good luck, guys!

Spring brings green events galore

As Earth Day draws near, a collection of events focused on living and working more sustainably will be held around and about East Tennessee.

This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pellissippi State Community College will host EarthFest, featuring exhibits, speakers and activities focused on living sustainably. There will be food, a farmers market, plastic bag and bottle exchange (for reusable shopping bag) and a light bulb exchange, courtesy of KUB. Child-oriented fare will include arts and crafts, a storytelling stage, games, a Bicycle Safety presentation complete with helmet fittings, and a healthy snacks seminar.

On Friday, April 23 from 2:30 p.m.-6 p.m., the Gatlinburg Chamber Foundation is sponsoring a Greener Living Expo as part of the town’s annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage. The expo, held at the at W.L. Mills Conference Center in Ballrooms C and D, will feature a series of speakers including Tom Leonard, General Manager for Sevier Solid Waste; Dr. Richard Buggeln, Environmental Consultant from the University of Tennessee and Elizabeth Reed, Executive Director for Keep Sevier Beautiful. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. To RSVP, call the Gatlinburg Chamber at 865.436.4178, or chamber members can register online.

And on Wednesday, April 28, from 7pm to 8:30pm, the University of Tennessee will be holding a “Poverty, Energy, and the Environment” mini-summit. The meeting will be held at Hodges Library Auditorium and feature panelists Kim Jensen, UT professor of agricultural economics, and Gil Hough and J. P. Plumlee of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. The summit is being sponsored by Ready for the World, the Global Studies Interdisciplinary Program, UT Libraries and the Departments of Philosophy, Anthropology and Agricultural Economics.

Energy diet for the South?

In today’s column in the Knoxville News Sentinel, I report on an energy efficiency study authored by researchers at Georgia Tech and Duke, analyzing the potential for energy savings in the South. Co-lead researcher for the report was Marilyn Brown, professor at Georgia Tech, former Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher and recent Obama TVA board nominee. I asked Brown a few follow-up questions that didn’t make the column for space reasons, so here are her replies:

BizPlanet: To what extent do public sector policies need to be driven by federal regulation and funding—the low-income weatherization program and energy star rebates, for instance, are backed by federal dollars—and which policies do you foresee being implemented by the state, TVA and local utilities?

Brown: Some policies are well suited to federal assistance, such as weatherization and retrofit programs as well as appliance standards. On the other hand, states can pass appliance standards that exceed the federal minimum performance requirements. California has often done this. Other policies are in the regulatory purview of state legislatures–such as building codes; but code enforcement is done locally. On the other hand, the federal government has required a commitment from states to strengthen building code enforcement as a prerequisite for accepting some of the stimulus funds. The bottom line is that every level of government needs to be engages, and they need to partner with the private sector as well.

BizPlanet: Have you had any conversations with TVA regarding the findings of this report or previous reports?

Brown: I have not briefed TVA on “Energy Efficiency in the South,” but I look forward to doing so sometime soon. I’m working on defining the business case for a stronger efficiency initiative at TVA. I’ll keep you posted on this, particularly if confirmed!

BizPlanet: Any word on your nomination process or an expected time when they’ll hold the hearing?

Brown: We (the four TVA nominees) had our hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee about a month ago and it went well. We are now among approximately 75 nominees awaiting full Senate confirmation. I’m hoping that will take place in the next month, but I’m also an optimist!

Speaking of TVA … I asked TVA for a response to the efficiency report. TVA has begun investing in energy efficiency and, according to officials there, it will become a bigger part of the agency’s portfolio in future—although critics think the power provider should be putting a lot more dollars into efficiency efforts. Here was the response from TVA spokesman Mike Bradley:

Report points to efficiency potential in TN

TVA board nominee Marilyn Brown is the co-lead research of “Energy Efficiency in the South,” a report released today by the Georgia Institute of Technology and Duke University.

Brown is awaiting confirmation as a nominee for the TVA board—which gives the report a particularly interesting twist and offers some strong clues as to the positions she’ll likely take once she takes her seat. On a conference call this morning, Brown deferred when asked for a specific antidote to Tennessee’s notoriously high energy consumption. (With a population of 6.2 million people, the State represents about 2.1% of the U.S. population, 1.8% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product and 2.3% of U.S. energy consumption, according to the report.)

“I am just getting up to speed and I’m hoping to be able to play a role, but until the confirmation hearing I’m going to be silent on my initiatives,” she said.

This morning’s call was focused on the Tennessee findings, but here’s the full report.