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.

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.

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…MORGAN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO
INSTALL A WIND TURBINE ON A 112′ TOWER

Knoxville, Tenn (April 29, 2010) – Morgan County Career and Technical Center (MCCTC) is excited to announce the installation of a 2.4 kW Skystream wind turbine on a 112′ tower designed and built by the welding students at MCCTC in Wartburg, TN. The tower will be lifted on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 1:00pm EDT at the MCCTC campus located at 132 Flat Fork Rd in Wartburg, TN.

The tower for the wind turbine has been planned, designed, and built by high school students at MCCTC, led by instructor Ronnie Trout. MCCTC will use this wind turbine to continue to train and educate students, and the Upper Cumberland community, on the use of renewable energy resources in the area. “One of the fastest growing fields is green power. We’re providing hands-on training on fabrication, erection, and installation of wind and solar systems,” says Trout.

In 2009, Trout and his high school students, with some help from the community and local utilities, installed a 3kW Kestrel wind turbine on a 118’ guy-wired tower and constructed a tower to hold a 0.8kW display of solar panels in the shape of a poinsettia.

Both systems are currently operational at MCCTC. The project started when Trout and his school were awarded 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.

The students build towers over one hundred feet tall in order to reach the most consistent wind resource. “The tall tower is an example of one of the key best practices when installing a small wind turbine on the Cumberland Plateau,” according to Katie Stokes, coordinator for the Tennessee Valley and Eastern Kentucky Wind Working Group.

The school has applied to sell the energy generated from the new wind turbine and the previously installed solar PV system and wind turbine to Tennessee Valley Authority’s Generation Partners program. Generation Partners buys wind power generated at $0.03 above the retail price of electricity and solar power at $0.12 above retail. The money generated from the renewable systems will go back to the school to further advance the renewable energy education program.

More information about the renewable energy system program at MCCTC can be found at the program’s website, http://www.tennesseewind.org/mcctc.html maintained by the Tennessee Valley and Eastern Kentucky Wind Working Group. The Tennessee Wind Working Group is a Department of Energy funded program that is facilitated by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

SACE provides outreach on behalf of the project through a partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission, Tennessee Technical University, and Morgan County Career and Technical Center. If you’d like more information contact Ronnie Trout at (423) 346-6285 and (423) 539-3463 or Katie Stokes, TN and KY Wind Working Group Coordinator, at: (865) 637-6055 x22 or (901) 849-4116 or email at katie@cleanenergy.org.

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Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible energy choices that create global warming solutions and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. www.cleanenergy.org

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

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.

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:TVA has begun a comprehensive study of alternatives for meeting the future electrical energy needs of the Tennessee Valley over the next 20 years, the Integrated Resource Plan. I’ve attached the energy efficiency portion of that plan, as well as an energy efficiency/demand response fact sheet which you might find helpful.

Regarding TVA funding for energy efficiency initiatives, in FY 2009, TVA budgeted approximately $99 million for energy efficiency and demand response programming. In FY 2010, TVA budgeted approximately $103 million for same area.

We are conducting ongoing research specific to energy efficiency through projects such as the Campbell Creek research test facility that is helping TVA and its partners, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and EPRI, to evaluate the effectiveness of residential construction and efficiency technologies in a controlled environment. TVA is working to reduce peak demand and improve energy efficiency through a number of programs such as TVA’s In-Home Energy Evaulation, which is available in 73 markets and will be expanding Valley-wide this year. TVA is also expanding its Commercial Efficiency Advice and Incentives program to help commercial customers reduce their energy use.

Working closely with distributors across our seven state service area is another way we are exploring technological options, such as smart metering and zero energy homes, to conserve power and  improve energy efficiency, and also exploring incentives such as time-of-use pricing and their potential impacts on power consumption and to help trim peak demand.

While we’ve not all had a chance to read over the study, in general, Tennessee is a low cost electricity state, and there are potential opportunities to reduce power consumption, but many factors to consider, such as the weather, economic growth, customer preferences, and other variables. TVA is looking at new programs, potential demand response solutions, and new technologies, and also working with distributors, industry, researchers and other partners to find the best ways to conserve power.

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.