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The Climate From HereWelcome to the second issue of Climate Challenge, the quarterly newsletter of the Climate Challenge Program. The program continues to grow -- new utilities are completing and signing Participation Accords. And the program continues to bring in results from existing members -- mid-term reviews of existing accords show that members are keeping their greenhouse gas reduction commitments, even in the face of deregulation and competition. As I write this column, preparations are underway for the next round of international climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany, in March. The negotiations are expected to lead to a new international climate accord at the Conference of the Parties III in December in Kyoto, Japan. If a new agreement (termed a "protocol") is announced in Kyoto, it would expand commitments for the post-2000 period under the existing 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change treaty. The 1992 convention calls on nations to stabilize year 2000 greenhouse emissions at 1990 levels. The Climate Challenge program is part of the voluntary arm of the Climate Change Action Plan--our nation's response to the 1992 convention. For the current negotiations, the U.S. government recently made a proposal now under international consideration -- a protocol for a binding international regime of greenhouse gas emissions reductions to be undertaken in a medium-term time frame. This raises the question of the role of voluntary programs, like Climate Challenge. Voluntary programs have been, and will continue to be, an important part of our national strategy to control greenhouse gas emissions. As the administration continues to refine its proposal on a binding protocol, voluntary programs, modeled on successful efforts such as Climate Challenge, are being considered to help the United States bridge the period between the present and whenever a binding regime comes into effect. The key to retaining the current emphasis on voluntary programs is their continuing success in producing greenhouse gas emission reductions. This has not been, and should not be, a problem for Climate Challenge, as utilities continue to join and participants continue to meet their commitments. Climate Challenge utilities know their proactive behavior is getting them the best opportunities in the emerging market for greenhouse gas emission reductions. Their involvement in Climate Challenge is not only enhancing their stature in the climate change debate, it is creating a competitive advantage. This issue of Climate Challenge showcases many of the projects that give Climate Challenge utilities this advantage. Enjoy this issue. We look forward to hearing from you. Larry Mansueti
Tampa Electric Reduces CO2 Emissions Using Clean Coal Technology An advanced coal-burning power plant has gone on line in Florida, providing reductions in carbon dioxide of 35%-40% over conventional coal technology. The new 250-megawatt (MW) plant at Tampa Electric Company's Polk Station near Lakeland, Florida, uses an "integrated gasification combined cycle" technology that first turns the coal into a gas, and then cleans it of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. The coal is turned into gas with a pressurized, oxygen blown, entrained flow gasifier supplied by Texaco.
Approximately 10% of the gas produced will be used to test a new hot-gas cleanup system developed by General Electric, and the remaining gas will be cleaned using more conventional methods. The new cleanup system removes more than 94% of the sulfur pollutants and particulates with an intermittently moving bed of metal oxide-based sorbent. Because the new system is designed to operate at the elevated temperatures of the gases exiting the coal gasifier, it is more efficient than conventional cleanup systems, which must cool the gas before removing pollutants. The clean gas is then used to fire a highly-efficient combined cycle generating unit, providing operating efficiencies of approximately 40%. Conventional coal-fired generating equipment obtains only 35% efficiency. The plant was dedicated by outgoing Secretary of Energy, Hazel O'Leary, in January. "With the technology, we can show the world how to use its wealth of coal to power economic growth without endangering the environment. It will herald a new era for clean energy from coal," O'Leary said. The U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Coal Technology Program provided $143 million of the $600 million project. The remainder was supplied by Tampa Electric and the project's industrial partners: General Electric Company and Texaco. The new generating plant is the centerpiece of Tampa Electric's 1150-MW Polk station, to be built on land previously mined for phosphates. A third of the 4400-acre site will be converted to a wetlands habitat for wildlife.
Solar Power Plant Generates Electricity Without Greenhouse Gases< The world's most technically sophisticated solar power plant, Solar Two, is at work in the California desert, producing 10 megawatts of electricity without producing harmful emissions, including greenhouse gases. Solar Two uses molten salt to capture and store heat from the sun, allowing practical use of solar energy for up to 3 hours after sunset. The salt used in the project is an environmentally benign mixture of sodium and potassium nitrate. Storage of heat in the salt allows the power tower to operate at annual capacity factors of up to 60% in the summer. The solar power plant uses 1926 heliostat mirrors to track and reflect the sun's energy to a single receiver atop a 300-foot tower. The enormous amount of energy focused on the receiver generates temperatures greater than 1000° Fahrenheit. This thermal energy is captured by the receiver, transferred to and stored by the molten salt, and used when needed to create steam, which drives a conventional electricity-generating turbine. During the day, the tower can collect enough energy from the field of concentrating heliostats to operate the steam turbine and put extra heat into the salt storage tanks. Solar Two was built for $48.5 million on the site of its predecessor, Solar One, which operated from 1982 to1988, turning sunlight directly into steam to generate power. Engineers used much of the hardware from Solar One in constructing Solar Two, saving an estimated $140 million in construction costs. Solar Two is an industry, utility, and government partnership. The Solar Two consortium, formed in 1991, includes Arizona Public Service Co., Bechtel Corp., California Energy Commission, Electric Power Research Institute, Idaho Power Co., Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, PacifiCorp, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Salt River Project, and Southern California Edison, which manages and operates the plant and operated Solar One. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is a government partner in the project. At the Solar Two dedication in June 1996, then Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary said, "By working with our industry partners and sharing the risk, we get a cleaner environment, we enhance our nation's energy security, and we bring greater opportunity for high-paying manufacturing jobs to American workers." The project will operate until 1998, demonstrating the use of molten salt thermal storage and the commercial viability of the technology. Solar Two is expected to be a prototype for larger, utility-scale commercial plants that will be capable of generating up to 200 megawatts of power early in the next century with essentially no fuel costs, and no emissions of any kind, including greenhouse gases. Energy costs should be in the range of $0.05-$0.10 per kilowatt hour. However, the solar power towers may be difficult to place. In addition to plentiful sun, the solar plants require a substantial amount of land. DOE estimates that the plants may require as many as 8 to 17 acres per megawatt.
APPA Remodels Tree Power The American Public Power Associ-ation (APPA), a trade group for municipal utilities, has made it easier for municipal utilities to participate in its Tree Power Program. The long-running program aims at offsetting carbon emissions. In the past, to be an official part of Tree Power, a municipal utility had to pledge to plant one tree per electric customer. Under the new rules, a utility need only pledge to mount an ongoing, sustainable tree planting program. "Well-placed trees can enhance energy efficiency with shade in the summer or as a windbreak in the winter, helping reduce the load on your utility," says APPA Executive Director Alan Richardson in a letter to APPA's members. When a municipal utility plants trees, says Richardson, "it demonstrates its commitment to the community and the environment. Trees beautify city streets and reduce greenhouse gas levels." APPA will continue to award its Golden Tree Award only to Tree Power participants that reach the threshold of planting one tree per customer. The trade group also holds a drawing at its annual conference that gives $2,500 to a Tree Power participant to further its tree-planting program. Tree Power is one way a municipal utility can participate in the U.S. Department of Energy's Climate Challenge Program. Green Builder Program Building Success The city of Austin, Texas, which prides itself on its progressive environmental policies, has implemented a resource-efficient building program that has far exceeded its goals. The city's Green Builder Program was first promoted at the 1992 Earth Summit. Since then, the program "has far surpassed" his wildest expectations, says Doug Seiter of the city utility, a Climate Challenge partner. The Green Builder Program's roots are in Austin's Energy Star Program, an early home energy rating program. Homes built under the Energy Star Program were rated for their energy efficiency on a scale of one to four. The more energy efficient the home, the more stars it earned, and the easier it was for the builder to sell. Encouraged by the success in energy savings, the city broadened the program's focus to include water efficiency, the use of healthy and sustainable building materials, and waste management. According to The Results Center at IRT Environment, the program design change had surprising results: Green Builder quickly gained prominence in the United States and around the world. According to IRT Environment, the program's market-push, market-pull mechanism, used by the city to foster an integrated resource management approach to new residential construction, has not only begun to transform Austin's shelter industry but has been internationally acclaimed as a model for sustainable development. Part of the program's success can be attributed to its detailed assessment of building materials, cataloged in the Sustainable Building Sourcebook. This book provides builders, architects, developers, and others with comprehensive information on building materials and practices, a monumental task. According to Ted Flanigan, director of The Results Center, "This arduous work not only benefits Austin but serves as a solid foundation for green-building efforts around the world." According to Flanigan, collaboration with local groups has raised the profile of Green Builder. The city program has worked with Habitat for Humanity and the American Institute for Learning (AIL). With the help of Green Builder, AIL and Austin developed a green-building, job-training program for at-risk youth.
JCP&L Pushes Geothermal Heat Pumps Jersey Central Power & Light Company, based in Morristown, New Jersey, is promoting geothermal, or ground-source, heat pumps as a recycling activity. The utility says some 2000 homeowners in its service territory are using the high-efficiency devices to recycle the Earth's natural energy to heat and cool their homes. The electric utility is promoting the high-efficiency heat pumps under the banner of System:GT. "This state- of-the-art home comfort system is an energy-efficient, environmentally sensitive alternative to combustion-based fuel systems such as fuel oil or propane," says Bob Archer, the utility's project manager. "It reduces energy consumption and air pollution significantly while reducing homeowners' utility bills." According to the Environmental Protection Agency, geothermal heating systems produce less environmental harm than any other heating and cooling system currently available. Compared to fossil-based systems, the System:GT produces very little in the way of nitrogen oxide emissions that contribute to ozone depletion or carbon dioxide that may contribute to climate change.
Additional benefits the utility stresses to its customers: Home energy costs are reduced by as much as 50% compared with conventional heating and cooling systems, and the technology offers the convenience of a single piece of equipment for space and water heating and air conditioning. Jersey Central Power & Light also promotes geothermal heat pumps through its membership in the Climate Challenge industry-wide initiative, the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium.
Southern Company Puts $4.5 Million into Trees The Atlanta-based Southern Company has launched a $4.5 million tree program to sequester carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. The company will plant trees on the property of its five utility subsidiaries and on other land. "Trees act as natural filters," said W. Robert Woodall, the company's vice president of environmental policy. "They absorb carbon dioxide, converting it to oxygen and storing the remaining carbon as wood fiber. We think planting more trees is a cost-effective way to deal with carbon dioxide emissions. "The science behind global warming predictions is uncertain and the impact of such warming is unclear," said Woodall. "Effects could be both positive and negative. The Southern Company wants to pursue precautionary measures that will provide insurance against any undesirable climate change but won't affect the price of electricity, a key driver of our economy." Southern's tree planting program will continue through 2000. The company will plant mostly pines that grow well in the Southeast and can be used for lumber when they mature, extending the value of their carbon sequestration. In two to three decades, the owners of the trees could see some revenue from the sale of the trees. If trees are left to die and rot, some of the carbon will be released to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Methane, another powerful greenhouse gas, will also result. About $800,000 of the $4.5 million will pay for planting trees on company land. The rest will fund tree planting on non-company land throughout the utilities' service territories. The company supplies electricity to a 120,000-square-mile territory spanning most of Georgia, Alabama, southeastern Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle. The company is putting $200,000 into the Edison Electric Institute's UtiliTree Carbon Company, and is spending $300,000 to fund a carbon sequestration study by the Smith-sonian Tropical Research Institute, based in the rain forests of Panama. The Smithsonian study will help determine the exact amount of carbon stored by trees and attempt to put a dollar value on carbon sequestration.
NRECA Develops Reporting Software The National Rural Electric Cooper-ative Association's (NRECA's) Cooperative Research Committee has developed a computer software program that will allow users to report greenhouse gas mitigations in the Section 1605(b) reporting format. Section 1605(b) reporting format refers to the Greenhouse Gas Voluntary Reporting System set up by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Energy Information Admin-istration (EIA) under Section 1605(b)of the Energy Policy Act. Climate Challenge utilities are required to annually report to DOE on their activities, and they are strongly encouraged to use the EIA's Section 1605(b) reporting format. According to Rae Cronmiller at NRECA, the program is currently in the beta testing phase and should be finished by midsummer. The program will include more than 50 pre-pro- grammed reporting options. For each option, Section 1605(b) data default values will be available where actual values are unknown or cannot be obtained. The software will be Windows-based, usable on IBM PCs and compatibles.
Cooperative Power Pushes to Produce Green Power Cooperative Power (CP), a Minnesota generation and transmission cooperative, is moving beyond compliance with government regulations to produce clean power or "green power" at its Coal Creek Station in North Dakota. According to Mary Jo Roth, manager of environmental services at CP, in conjunction with the North Dakota plant the cooperative has created wetlands that are used as wildlife habitats, has planted thousands of trees to help absorb CO2 emissions, and has exceeded government mandates for restoration of mined land. On the efficiency improvement side, the heat rate process improvement team at the Coal Creek Station recently took on the challenge of reducing the heat rate by 1% per year, which means using less fuel for the same output. Significant water conservation measures are being achieved at the plant by recycling water through the cooling towers as many times as possible, then using it as scrubber makeup water. According to Roth, the CP "Green Team" plans to continue its environmental stewardship through resource conservation, waste minimization, pollution prevention, risk reduction, research, education, and participation in public policy making.
News Briefs EPA Awards Energy Star Contract The Environmental Protection Agency has picked Aspen Systems Corporation of Silver Spring, Maryland, for a $14.7 million contract to support the agency's Energy Star buildings program to reduce greenhouse gases and other pollutants. The program focuses on identifying and creating incentives to invest in cost-effective energy efficiency technologies. The 1-year contract has options for 4 additional years. "Linking investment in energy efficient technology with a proactive strategy to prevent future pollution will be a key to industry's future business success and the sustainable development of our natural resources," said Benjamin Rawls, chairman of Versar Inc., part of the Aspen Systems' contract team. Honeywell Signs Historic $45 Million Energy Retrofit Agreement Honeywell Home and Building Control has signed the largest energy retrofit agreement in history with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. The 15-year contract, worth nearly $45 million, will provide for updating and retrofitting heating, cooling, and lighting systems, as well as upgrading existing building management systems at the Meadowlands sports complex in New Jersey. The 750-acre Meadowlands site, operated by the authority, includes three major sports facilities; the Giants Stadium, the Meadowlands Racetrack, and the Continental Airlines Arena. According to Dennis Robinson, executive vice president of the authority, their agreement with Honeywell "should serve as a national model for a cost-saving public/private partnership providing maximum bang for the energy dollar."
American Electric Power to Plant 15 Million Trees by 2001 American Electric Power (AEP), a Climate Challenge participant, has planted more than 41 million trees since 1945 to combat CO2 and is planning to plant 15 million more throughout America's heartland by the year 2001. In the past, many of the trees were planted on reclaimed land. This year, the giant utility holding company, based in Columbus, Ohio, will plant about 2 million seedlings on a variety of sites comprising 1582 acres in Ohio, 240,000 trees on 1800 acres in Indiana, and 245,000 seedlings on 250 acres in Kentucky. DOE Publishes Climate Challenge Report The Department of Energy (DOE) has recently completed the Climate Challenge Program Report. The 45-page report includes an overview of the program and numerous success stories from Climate Challenge utilities. The report, one of the commitments DOE made to the industry in the original Climate Challenge Memorandum of Understanding, is being sent to all utility members of the program. Copies are also available from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (800-363-3732). Solar Two's 300-foot tower captures the sun's energy as it is reflected by 1926 focused heliostat mirrors below. The Giants Stadium in New Jersey will be one of three major sports facilities at Meadowlands to receive energy-efficient retrofits under Honeywell's $45 million agreement. Tampa Electric Company's new 250-MW plant near Lakeland, Florida, is one of the world's cleanest, most advanced coal power plants. Produced for the by the DOE/GO-10097-372
For more information on the Climate Challenge Program U.S. Department of Energy Edison Electric Institute American Public Power Association National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Large Public Power Council Tennessee Valley Authority Climate Challenge, a quarterly publication for the Climate Challenge Program, is produced by the U.S. Department of Energy. It is written by Kennedy Maize, under contract to DOE, and designed and formatted by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Reproduction and distribution are provided through the courtesies of the Edison Electric Institute, the American Public Power Association, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and the Large Public Power Council. Please direct comments and story ideas to Kennedy Maize, 301-834-8098, or via Internet at: kmaize@IX.netcom.com.
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