Green Energy

Increasing worldwide demand for energy, dwindling availability of easily accessible petroleum and natural gas, geopolitics, and market speculation, contribute to rising costs for energy and decreasing stability of supply. Petroleum has doubled in the past two years and natural gas risen by 30 percent. Before these price increases, Pennsylvanians were already spending $30 billion a year to import energy.

One of the Administration's major initiatives has been development of a strategy to help the Commonwealth import jobs, not energy, by developing indigenous energy sources and the related infrastructure to provide supply stability, affordable pricing, and create an economic driver for a 21st century economy. The overall strategy addresses both electricity and liquid fuels.

• The foundation of an electricity generation strategy, marrying efficiency and conservation with development of an indigenous generation infrastructure, was laid late in 2004 with passage of the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard.
  • The standard requires that 18 percent of the electricity sold at retail in the Commonwealth come from alternative energy sources, including approximately 8 percent from renewable sources by 2021. Its Tier 1 sources include coalmine methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, as well as the conventional renewables and a 0.5 percent solar set aside, projected at 650 MW. Among the Tier 2 resources are waste coal, distributed energy systems and energy efficiency and conservation measures. A study funded by the Heinz Endowments and the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies in 2004 projects that the portfolio standard will generate an increase of $10.1 billion in gross state product and 3,500 more jobs over 20 years. 
    • Draft regulations, developed jointly by the Public Utility Commission and the Department of Environment Protection, are presently out for public comment. Also out for comment are final rules on net metering. Final rules governing credits for energy efficiency and conservation are complete. Those governing interconnection are expected shortly. The Pennsylvania Jersey Maryland Interconnection's Generation Attributes Tracking System is being adopted to provide consistency across the regional power pool and a program administrator is expected to be working by February of 2007.
  • To promote wind generation the Commonwealth has taken a number of steps.
    • The Garrett wind farm in Somerset County, which went on-line in 2002, was the first wind generation facility in the eastern US. Now Pennsylvania has 153 MW of wind capacity installed and more than 1,000MW are planned.

      43 - 1.5 Megawatt Wind Turbines at the Waymart Wind Farm produce enough energy to power 20,000 homes annually

    • In 2000, to set a leadership example, Pennsylvania made a voluntary purchase of five percent of its electric load from green generation sources, the first state in the nation to do so. The Rendell Administration doubled this purchase to 10 percent in 2004 and in 2006 doubled it again to buy renewable energy credits equal to 20 percent of its load , 200,000 MWH, making it the only state on the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partners Top 25 list. A full 40 percent of the purchase is from wind power.
    • Besides becoming a major wind generator, the state is interested in the manufacturing and installation jobs associated with wind power. A joint effort by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Governor's Action Team attracted the Spanish wind giant, Gamesa, to locate its US headquarters in Philadelphia and invest $84 million in four Pennsylvania manufacturing plants, creating nearly 1,000 new jobs.
    • The recently reactivated Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority awarded a $193,000 grant to Southwest Windpower to place 15 small, advanced technology wind turbines in highly visible locations across the state, such as schools and public buildings to raise public interest in alternative energy. Each of the turbines will generate enough electricity to power a typical residence.
    • Under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental Policy, 56 Pennsylvania's colleges and universities are together buying a total of 150,000 MWh of wind-generated electricity each year.
    • The Department of Environmental Protection has drafted a model ordinance to help jurisdictions make decisions on siting wind turbines and was a founder of the Pennsylvania Wind and Wildlife Collaborative, developing best practices for wildlife protection. 

Governor Rendell fills up a state vehicle with an alternative fuel blend made from 85% ethanol

• In parallel with its alternative electricity strategy, the Rendell Administration, in collaboration with the Departments of Environmental Protection, Community and Economic Development, and Agriculture as well as the Governor's Action Team, has developed a Penn Security Fuels Initiative, again focusing on indigenous energy sources and designed to provide supply stability, jobs and affordability. Between its agricultural sector and its liquefied coal production, the state expects to add 900 million gallons of domestically produced bio-based and liquefied coal fuels to the nation's gasoline, diesel and home heating supplies over the next decade. The foundation of the program is the proposed clean fuels standard which will:

• • Mandate delivery of 900 million gallons annually of alternative fuel to Pennsylvania consumers within the next 10 years.
  • Invest $30 million in funds from the state's Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant program over the next five years to build re-fueling and production infrastructure.
  • Create incentives to open new markets to Pennsylvania farmers who grow the feedstock to produce ethanol and biodiesel, and encourage clean technology that puts to use the state's vast coal reserves. Extra credits will be provided for fuels derived from Pennsylvania feedstock.
  • Establish a credit trading system to further enhance the suite of compliance options.
• The state's first public biodiesel fueling station opened in Lancaster County in 2004, followed in 2005 by the state's first biodiesel blending facility and in May of 2006 by the first public ethanol pumps in the Northeast, dispensing E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. To support this nascent industry, the Commonwealth let its first contract for bio-based heating fuel in May for use in state buildings in Lebanon County. This pilot contract is to be followed in late summer by expanding the statewide contracts for traditional heating and transportation fuels to include bio-based fuels for both purposes.
• Pennsylvania has an abundance of both new and waste coal which has value beyond conventional combustion.
  • One option is conversion to liquid fuels. The first US coal liquefaction plant is planned for Schuylkill County, using waste coal to produce 40 million gallons of zero sulfur diesel and generate 41 megawatts of low-cost electric power, enough to power more than 40,000 homes. Construction of the Mahanoy plant will create as many as 1,000 jobs and its operation will produce another 600 permanent high-paying positions. The Commonwealth is supporting the Schuylkill County initiative with $47 million in tax credits and has spearheaded a buying consortium to guarantee the sale of virtually all the fuel output. The state itself is entering into a 29-year contract for 15 million gallons/year.
  • Another option is being explored under the EDGE (Energy Deployment for a Growing Economy) initiative. It would move to replacing conventional electricity generation from coal combustion with cleaner coal polygeneration which would supply not only electricity but a range of possible co-products, including liquid fuels, synthetic natural gas, additional chemical feedstocks, and process heat. 

Boiler replacement project at the Department of Labor and Industry's Hiram G. Andrews Center

• The Department of General Services has been working with all agencies to reduce building energy usage in both owned and leased facilities, as mandated under the December 2004 executive order requiring:
  • Each executive agency to have a long-range energy use and conservation plan and write enforcement responsibilities into appropriate job descriptions.
  • All new state construction and building renovation projects to address energy conservation and use life cycle cost analysis in the selection of all energy sources for construction and renovation projects.
  • During the first quarter of 2006, facilities operated by the Department of General Services reduced usage of electricity, natural gas and steam by 6.5 percentage simply through low/cost no cost measures such as establishing new building temperature set points and eliminating personal appliances like fans and coffee pots. 
  • As noted in the High Performance Building section, there are now 29 projects enrolled in the Commonwealth's guaranteed energy savings program. Seven of the early projects are now in repayment status and will avoid use of 899 MMBtus of energy.

• Solar panels on the south roof of the Governor's residence guarantees emergency backup power for homeland security

  The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is committed to educating the public on renewable energy. It is:
  • Deploying 10 kW wind turbines and public education displays at seven state parks.
  • Placing 2kW solar voltaic cells at six state parks.
  • Working with the Governor's Office, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Fish and Boat and Game Commissions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the wind power industry to establish a Pennsylvania Wind and Wildlife Collaborative to develop a consistent policy for avoiding ecosystem impacts from wind turbines.
  • Developing a process for evaluating potential wind development sites, including a Geographic Information System-based screening tool.
  • Preparing an Energy Conservation and Conversion Plan which will establish procurement policy as well as goals for energy efficiency and policy on the use of sustainable design principles for all construction and parameters for seeking LEED® certification for large buildings as well as. It will also establish policy for procurement and establish.
  • Field-testing a control device for reducing energy usage by heating and cooling systems.

    Energy efficient lighting upgrade at the Department of Education's Scranton School for the Deaf

• The State System of Higher Education promotes energy efficiency throughout its constituent universities.
  • California University's ongoing, aggressive, commitment to energy efficiency has made it the State System's leader in reducing energy usage for the past twelve years. Its current consumption of 66,493Btus/ sq.ft./year is nearly 57 percent lower than the average for the System's universities as a whole. This very low energy consumption is attributed to strong senior management support which allows employment of a full-time energy manager, the freedom to experiment, and staff who assiduously monitor and adjust operations. Major initiatives include:
    • Adoption of a master plan mapping out the energy sources that will be used for the next 20 to 25 years.
    • Use of energy efficient technologies in new construction, including ground source heating and cooling. Three new residence halls which opened in 2004 are performing in the range of 56,000 to 60,000 Btus/sq.ft./year, a major improvement over the previous buildings. Three more replacement residences, scheduled to open oven the next two years, will further lower the University's energy footprint.
    • The new Duda World Culture classroom incorporates state-of-the-art HVAC controls and energy-efficient lighting, including occupancy sensors in all areas. The Manderino Library's centrifugal chillers will supply cooling for the Duda building, not only lowering the initial construction cost but also increasing overall efficiency by increasing the load on the chiller which had been significantly reduced through a prior lighting retrofit.   

      A solar photovoltaic tracker at the DEP Cambria District Mining Office

  • Clarion University's high performance Peirce Science Center will include a 30kW building-integrated photovoltaic roof system and a solar tracker will also be installed on campus under the Solar Scholars program. The University realized an overall five percent reduction in energy use, attributable to a range of load shedding actions, including an expansion of the holiday period shut down of vending machines, water coolers, corridor lights and computers.
  • Lock Haven University is researching the possibility of using methane from a local landfill. So far results indicate that the project would be economically feasible.
  • Slippery Rock University's Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems ducation has several demonstration PV systems including a 1.4 kW grid inter-tied PV array, a 225 W building mounted array with battery storage, a 150W cart-mounted array with battery storage for remote power applications and a 60W portable PV-charged battery system for fence energizing.
• The Department of Public Welfare expects the Danville State Hospital to save $500,000 in the first year of its guaranteed energy savings contract. Reductions from lighting retrofits, HVAC upgrades, repair of underground steam condensate leaks, automated management systems, and window replacements have provided savings at the Clarks Summit State Hospital and Hamburg and White Haven Centers.
• The Department of Transportation used ground source heating and cooling for its new Tioga, Delaware Water Gap and Erie Welcome Centers.
• The Public Utility Commission:
  • In collaboration with the Department of Environmental Protection, has been working on rules for implementing the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, covering uniform net metering and interconnection, the 15-year reporting timeline and compliance exemption periods, demand side management and energy efficiency measures, alternative energy systems, and alternative energy credits.
  • Issued an order to begin a process that may lead to the development of policies, including conservation and demand side response , which could mitigate significant rises in electricity prices as the generation price caps, established under the Commonwealth's electricity deregulation statute , expire between 2007 and 2010. The first step was a special public hearing to gather input from interested parties. The Commission identified some options, including educating consumers well in advance of the expiration of rate caps, helping customers to conserve energy and use electricity more efficiently; and adopting policies that reduce demand for electricity during peak usage periods, in turn reducing price spikes in the wholesale energy market.
  • Building on the its prior work on demand side response programs that reward consumers for reducing electricity use during peak demand periods, introduced new energy-saving programs for residential and small commercial customers and expanded other programs to include more customers.
  • Led an effort to update the Pennsylvania Sustainable Energy Board's bylaws, to reflect the passage of Act 213 of 2004, the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, as well as best practices demonstrated by the regional funds. Various restructuring and merger settlements from electric competition allocated Over a 10-year period beginning in 998, nearly $80 million in ratepayer funds will have been allocated to regional sustainable energy funds for renewable and clean energy technology projects. The Commission is responsible for oversight of the regional boards which have funded projects including wind farms, photovoltaic applications, and renewable energy education.
• The Department of State experienced increased energy usage in its One Penn Center Plaza Office. The culprit was determined to be the continuous operation of the air handlers which are now being adjusted according to weather conditions and number of employees in the building. Two thirds of the roof has received additional insulation as has the ductwork. 
• The Turnpike Commission is replacing old fluorescent fixtures and lamps in its Allegheny, Blue Mountain and Kittatinny Tunnels with high-pressure sodium fixtures. The net effect will be reduced energy usage in the Allegheny tunnel and an increase of 50 percent in light levels at the Blue Mountain and Kittatinny tunnels with no increase in energy usage.
• The Department of Corrections' State Correctional Facilities at Fayette and Greensburg use waste coal fired boilers to generate a portion of their electricity. Plans are underway to increase the amount of electricity generated to meet the full facility loads and also sell power back to the grid.
• The Pennsylvania State Police are expected an appreciable energy savings with the installation of high efficiency cooling system chillers. 28-year-old antiquated chillers accounted for close to 50% of the agencies building energy consumption. With a 27% boost in efficiency, the agency expects to save $42,304 per year, resulting in a 7- year project payment period. Another energy efficient program is the replacement of magnetic light ballasts with more energy efficient electronic ballasts and T-8 fluorescent tubes for an annual savings of $36,158 and a 4-year payback period.