Energy Exchange

Energy Efficiency Standards Save Texas Schools Money

By Kate Zerrenner / Published: March 22, 2011

Alder Creek Middle School in Truckee California: A Demonstration project for Collaborative for High Performance Schools

On March 16 the Texas House Energy Resources Committee heard testimony on HB 775 from Rep. Rafael Anchia. HB 775 would further enable school districts to reduce energy and water consumption, which saves money and improves the air quality of Texas schools. As public schools are facing grim budget decisions saving money on energy means more teachers in classrooms and a better education for Texas children.

Investing in energy efficiency measures saves school districts and taxpayers money in the long run because energy efficiency lowers electricity bills. Stated differently, failing to improve efficiency means school districts are wasting energy and needlessly straining tight budgets. Also, energy efficiency is one of the few measures that will reduce air pollution at the same time that it saves money. Many energy efficiency measures will require some upfront costs. However, school districts have several options for offsetting or avoiding those costs all together, including Texas LoanSTAR, performance contracts, and utility incentive programs. (You can read further explanations of these options/programs in my full testimony to the committee)

Specific School District Examples

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an energy-efficient school district with 4,000 students could save as much as $160,000 a year in energy costs, with savings reaching $1.6 million over ten years. Texas schools that have initiated energy conservation programs have already begun to realize savings with some relatively easy investments. The table below shows Texas school districts that have received funds from the LoanSTAR program for energy efficient measures and the estimated costs and savings.

School District	Energy Conservation Measures (ECM)	Total Estimated ECM costs	Annual Energy Cost Savings	Payback (years)
Arlington	Replace lighting, correct power factor, upgrade mechanical system	$4,655,086	$649, 880	7.2
Holliday	Replace lighting and HVAC systems	$188,169	$20,120	9.4
Red Oak	Replace lighting, install occupancy sensors and EMS, institute payment and performance bonds	$2,214,305	$311,887	7.1

Also posted in Energy Efficiency / Read 1 Response

Transparency Is Key To The Future Of Natural Gas

By Jim Marston / Published: March 11, 2011

A bill was filed in the Texas House of Representatives today that will require natural gas service companies and operators to publicly disclose the chemical composition of hydraulic fracturing fluids used in Texas. After the public beating the natural gas industry has been taking, we think participating in legislation to bring transparency to the industry would be a pretty good idea.

Basic regulations, like disclosure, provide insulation for responsible companies from the actions of those who may not have best of interest of the broader industry or public in mind.

From our Scott Anderson:

“Disclosure of the fluids used in hydraulic fracturing is key to gaining an understanding of the impact this process has on the environment and human health.”

Interim Report on Fort Worth Natural Gas Air Quality Study Leaves Biggest Questions Unanswered

By Ramon Alvarez, Ph.D. / Published: February 22, 2011

Last week, the Fort Worth City Council received an interim report on its Natural Gas Air Quality Study initiated last August. Unfortunately, this interim report was short on details about the most unique aspect of the project – the direct measurement of emissions at the point of release.

The interim report only presented high-level summaries of results of sampling at 66 sites out of 170 sites where emissions were detected in Phase I (no emissions were detected at another 31 sites). Stated differently, the interim report provided no information about nearly two-thirds of the sites with detectable emissions. Read More »

Also posted in Natural Gas / Read 4 Responses

Texas Energy Independence Week 2011

By / Published: February 18, 2011

Next week renewable energy advocates and policy makers will come together for Texas Energy Independence Week at the Texas Capitol. The event, put together by the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TREIA) will allow industry, advocacy groups and academics to connect with policy makers and staff on how Texas can better realize their opportunities in developing the renewable energy market and reaping the economic rewards.

I will be moderating a panel on Wednesday, February 23 from 3:45pm-5:00pm. I will be speaking with representatives from Applied Materials, American Electric Technologies and SolarCityabout making the business case for renewables in Texas.

I’d like your help in leading the discussion. What questions would you ask of these business leaders? Comment below or tweet your questions to @EDFtx before the panel on February 23, 2011 and I’ll select a few of the best to ask our panelist.

Even if you can’t make it to the panel, this is a great opportunity to expand the discussion of promoting renewable energy development in Texas and maybe you will spark an idea no one has thought of before.

I’ll update my blog after the panel with highlights from the discussion and answers to some of your questions.

Below is information about the panelists and a link to more information on Texas Energy Independence Week.

The Business Case for A Robust Role for Renewable Energy in Texas’ Energy Mix

Moderator: Colin Meehan, Environmental Defense Fund

Panelists:
Cathy Boone, Senior Director, Energy Policy and Market Development, Applied Materials, Inc.

Charles Dauber, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Electric Technologies, Inc.

Colin Murchie, Director, Federal Government Affairs, SolarCity

Click here for more information on Texas Energy Independence Week and TREIA.

Also posted in Renewable Energy / Read 1 Response

(Update) TCEQ Buckles On Oil & Gas Rules Under Pressure From Industry

By Ramon Alvarez, Ph.D. / Published: February 8, 2011

Last week we lamented about the TCEQ’s capitulation to industry pressure on proposed rules dealing with emissions from oil and gas facilities.

State Representative Lon Burnam provided us with a sampling of documents showing the influence exerted by industry during the tail end of the process. These are just a smattering of the roughly five reams of paper his office received in response to a public information request.

In hopes that it might serve as a resource to others, we are also posting several other documents pertaining to the rulemaking:

Also posted in Natural Gas / Comments are closed

Who or What is to Blame for Last Week’s Rolling Blackouts in Texas?

By / Published: February 7, 2011

Last week’s rolling blackouts have left a lot of people wondering what (or who) exactly is to blame. While it’s clear that incredibly cold weather played a significant role, details have only now begun to trickle out about the root causes of the rolling blackouts – and what helped save Texas from a system wide blackout that would have taken hours, if not days, from which to recover. That didn’t stop a lot of people from throwing out bizarre conspiracy theories, unfounded assertions, or claims about the need to build more fossil fuel plants in Texas, all before the facts were even known.

Just the Facts, Please

We’ll get to that soon enough, but first let’s hear from someone who really knows what happened – Trip Doggett, head of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages the state’s electric grid and ordered utilities to begin rolling blackouts to avert a more serious crisis. In a Texas Tribune interview last week Doggett said: “Our problem was more around the 50 generating units who had issues with their lack of winterization or insufficient winterization efforts that caused the major problem.” 50 generating units. About 7,000 MW of fossil fuel plants, or more than 10% of the supply on the grid, went down last week because of ‘insufficient weatherization.’ Read More »

Also posted in Energy Efficiency, Grid Modernization / Read 1 Response