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Quote/Unquote:

"Each of us has the ability to act powerfully for change; together we can restore that ancient and sustaining harmony."
- David Suzuki

Issue 2      October 2004
Editor: Andrea Wilmot
( Download PDF - 1.6MB)

A Publication of Sustainable Solutions for all of BC’s Energy Needs

Solar Tripping on Salt Spring

On Saturday, October 2nd, forty two participants hailing from Victoria, Duncan, Salt Spring and Vancouver joined an action packed alternative energy tour of Salt Spring Island. The BC SEA tour was organized by Mike Boyd of Wise Energy and Kevin Pegg of Victoria-based Energy Alternatives.

One packed school bus, a 15-passenger van, and the Energy Alternatives crew-cab truck transported the enthusiastic group to three locations on Salt Spring.

The first stop was a couple’s "dream home", perched on a mountain-top setting with a stunning view of lakes, ocean and forest below.

Originally from California, they purchased the plot of land ten years ago and are now fulfilling their dream of a fully off-grid home, not only to supply their own energy needs but also to provide all of the power requirements for the construction: drills, saws, compressors, and all other building equipment. Although the building contractor was skeptical at first, it quickly became clear that solar powered construction would not pose a problem. For the most part, building activity requires power in short spurts, making the ability of the solar setup to provide adequate power a non-issue.

The owner told us a great story: last winter, when the island was in a 3 day power outage caused by a fierce storm, one of their neighbours, a computer programmer, showed up on their doorstep with the end of a very long extension cord, asking if he could borrow some power to get his project done on time! They obliged and yet another believer in renewable energy was born.

Their system consists of a 1.5 kiloWatt solar array, made up of eight photovoltaic (PV) modules, manufactured by Sharp. The panels, rated at 18% efficiency (a substantial jump from the previous model’s 15%), came in at approximately $1,400 each, with a 25-year warranty.

The electricity is transmitted 600 feet and stored in a 48 Volt battery bank. While the electricity is DC (direct current), most household electrical appliances run on AC (alternating current). For this reason, part of the DC power runs through an inverter, which converts it to 120 volts AC with about 95% efficiency.

The solar array provides an average of 7.5 kilowatt hours per day - the more sunshine, the more power. The inverter provides up to 4 kilowatts of continuous and 12 kiloWatts of intermittent power. All installed, with panels, inverters, batteries, and other paraphernalia, the system cost $40,000. The owners consider it a prepayment of their electricity bill for the next 25 years. It would have cost them at least that much to have brought power to the house, even though the power poles are located just a short distance down the road.

The second stop (after a picnic lunch by the water) was a microhydro installation on the west side of the island. After a bumpy 10km ride into the property (it seemed longer!), with Kevin skillfully navigating the school bus around some interesting hairpin turns and switchbacks, we arrived relatively unscathed (but with some of us regretting that this stop was right after lunch) at the owners’ property, a huge ocean front acreage.

A stream running down through the woods was the source of the micro-hydro energy, essentially defined as energy provided by falling water. Although the stream was but a trickle at this time of year, the system was fully operational.

A portion of the stream’s water is collected upstream, and routed downhill through a 2 inch pipe where it develops pressure as the water falls. A high tech system comprised of a flour sieve ensured that the water intake was kept clean and free of debris.

A micro-hydro turbine uses a jet of water to turn an impeller. This particular turbine uses a turbo-style wheel attached to a shaft which spins a powerful permanent magnet alternator. The rotation induces an alternating electric current, which is rectified to DC power and transmitted by wire to the battery bank located in the house, some 600 feet away from the stream. The DC power is stored in the battery bank. A charge controller with a "dump load" prevents the batteries from overcharging. An inverter provides AC current to the house, garage and outbuildings. They also have a propane generator that used to be the primary source of energy before the microhydro system, which is called on occasionally to charge the batteries when the stream is dry.

At its lowest flow, the water runs at around 5 to 10 gallons per minute, producing around 50 Watts. When there is lots of water in the stream, it generates about 400 Watts. The full system, all installed, cost in the order of $21,000, and won’t need any major maintenance for 7 or 8 years.

The final trip was to an award-winning rammed earth house on the south end of the Island, where the owners were also off the grid, running everything off a small 240 Watt solar system, angled to maximize the sun. They have a 6.5 kW backup diesel generator that is called on from time to time when a bit of extra power is needed. With walls two feet thick, red roof tiles, a beautiful interior decor and a gravity-fed rainwater harvesting system, the house both looked and felt really comfortable. The house is also designed to minimize EMF pollution by using a 24 Volt DC power system for most loads. There are no toxic materials used in the construction of the home; this eliminated plywood, drywall and conventional paints. All woodwork is solid wood. Finishes were all natural, non-toxic. The home recently won two CHBA gold awards for the Best Single Family Home under 2,000 sq.ft. and the Environmental Achievement Award. For photos, see www.sirewall.com/ultra-healthyrammedearthhome.html

And then we were homeward bound, via a supper break at Fulford’s cafés, followed by star-gazing into the huge dark night sky from the deck of the ferry. All said a great trip, much enjoyed by everyone!

Monika Marcovici
www.greendreams.com

Solar Hot Water
Net Financing

Solar hot water works. The sun shines, the water heats up, and it’s a natural for every home. So what’s the snag? Is it the cost?

No, it’s not the cost. It’s the financing. There are plenty of ways to finance a new home, but for a solar hot water system costing $5,000 or so to put on its roof, there’s nothing available. So let’s solve the problem once and for all, with "net financing". Here’s what we in the BC SEA believe is the answer, in four-part solar harmony.

Soprano voice ( Provincial Government): "We’ll waive the provincial sales tax (PST), reducing the price by 7.5%." This is the current B.C. policy, but without any other supports, the soprano is singing a solo.

Alto voice (Banks and Credit Unions): "We’ll offer you a prime + zero loan, to make your loan be more manageable." This is what we’d like the banks and credit unions to offer, to show their support for a technology that can reduce heating bills and greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.

Tenor voice (BC Hydro and Terasen Gas): "We’ll set up a ‘net financing’ loan arrangement, or a partnership with your bank or credit union so that you can make your loan repayments with your hydro or gas bill." By designing the loan so that your payments are the same as the savings on your fuel bills, your net cost will be zero. All you have to do is choose your solar system and installer, sign on the dotted line, and the system will be yours for no financial outlay at all. We call this ‘net financing’, and it is the key to the solar hot water revolution because it neutralizes your costs against your gains, making your solar hot water heating system effectively free.

Bass voice (Federal Government): "We will give you a 100% tax credit on the cost of your system, because we see what a great contribution solar hot water will make to Canada’s Kyoto commitment." If every house in Canada was to install one, and each system saved 60% of your hot water costs, it would reduce your household greenhouse gas emissions by around a tonne, cracking the One Tonne Challenge in one simple step. For Canada as a whole, that would result in a 5 to 10 million tonnes a year reduction. With this system of net financing, the market for solar hot water would really take off, putting Canadian companies in a great position to carve out a global role for themselves. Way to go, feds! Nice bass.

As global problems go, this one should be easy to solve. Over the next year, the BC SEA will be working with various partners in B.C. and federally to try to make this happen.

We also need a chorus, however, to help the soloists. This is where YOU come in! For our BC SEA Action of the Month, we are asking everyone to write to the federal government, asking for 100% tax relief on solar hot water systems (and ground-source heat systems, while we’re at it.) If we all sing together, and the players get their harmonies right, we’ll be able to celebrate by singing our song in solar heated showers all over B.C.!

Guy Dauncey

Applying Solar Innovation

The Solar Energy Society of Canada (SESCI) held its 29th annual conference Application and Innovation in Waterloo, Ontario, over five days in August. The opening plenary featured an inspirational talk by Teun Bokhoven, President of the Dutch Renewable Energy Foundation

The European Union as a whole is pushing the boundaries and proving what can be done when public awareness, skilled and motivated installers, quality products, and stable and pragmatic government incentives all come together to forge a sustainable energy future. We Canadians were impressed and humbled to find out that one region of Austria currently sources 30% of its total energy (including transportation) from renewables.

The conference featured technical presentations on solar thermal and PV theory and applications, and also on broader renewable and conservation themes, such as biodiesel mixing processes and energy demand management with passive solar designs. There was a qualitative review of green buildings in Canada and a theoretical study quantifying the upper limit of useful energy that can be produced by a solar collector.

The conference featured guest speakers and solar experts from around the world, setting the stage for many good discussions and new friendships. British Columbia was well represented, with mention of the 300 m2 solar water heating system at the Vancouver International Airport and the many green and LEED® certified buildings throughout the province.

Ross McCluney, from the Florida Solar Energy Centre, reminded us that we cannot simply wait for market forces to guide us into a sustainable energy future - the market reacts too slowly to resource scarcity and environmental impacts. Also, that we must break free from our ‘least initial cost’ purchasing behaviour and move toward full life-cycle thinking and decision making.

After the closing plenary I was inspired to return to the challenge. Next year the conference is coming to Vancouver and we’re expecting to make it a big event, certainly worthy of SESCI’s 30th anniversary. By that time we will have had a provincial election; the 2010 Olympics will be on many people’s radar; Cool Vancouver and other municipal energy task forces will be underway; and the BC SEA will have active members across the province keeping sustainable energy on everyone’s agenda. What can we achieve in one year? It’s up to us to decide and to make it happen.

Morgan McDonald
Director, BC SEA

Plan ahead with Solar-Ready

"I want to build a sustainable home, but where do I start?" This is a common plea in today’s ecologically sensitive marketplace, and the answer is not always straightforward. Sustainability starts with fitness. For a building, we should ask ourselves: does it fit the needs of the user? Their lifestyle, aesthetic and health needs? Their budget? Does it fit in its environment? Does it work in harmony with the local solar conditions and geographical features? Do its material and energy requirements match the availability of local resources, now and into the future? Every location and homeowner is unique, so their sustainable homes will be unique as well. Builders, architects, and developers are faced with a similar challenge: "How do we build sustainable houses (often more than one at a time) to meet everyone’s needs?" Fortunately there are some solutions that work for everybody. Solar-Ready is one such solution.

Keeping in mind that the biggest constraints when building a home are usually time and money, there is never enough of either to do all the research or buy all the goodies on your list. If you are designing for someone else, you won’t necessarily even know what that list looks like. Solar-Ready is a feature that allows you to build without having all the answers.

Solar-ready homes are built with the plumbing and sensor wire in place for a solar water heating system. In much the same way that a new home can be pre-plumbed for a laundry room or additional bathroom, it can also be pre-plumbed for a future solar water heating system to reduce conventional energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and other social and environmental impacts associated with unsustainable energy resources.

Solar water heating is widely recognized as one of the most practical and cost-effective applications of renewable energy in buildings. It is a well-established technology that pays for itself in energy savings several times over its long, low maintenance service life. Fellow northern countries such as Germany and Austria have abundant installations already in place. We’re starting to see more of it here in Canada and, as natural gas prices continue to rise, its popularity is also rising.

A new system for a single-family home costs upwards of $5,000 installed. If you’re not ready to install solar right away, you can plan for a future retrofit with a few materials and a little effort. With the plumbing in place a retrofit will be quicker, less expensive, and more aesthetically pleasing.

In the building community this is an example of "flex-housing" or "future-proofing" because the house comes with built-in energy options. Building Solar-Ready is an easy, progressive strategy for developers to offer homebuyers a great opportunity at little cost. It brings us one step closer to solving the sustainable design challenge: if solar doesn’t fit your budget, Solar-Ready will.

Koo’s Corner is a six-unit development in Vancouver with many green features, such as reclaimed construction materials, low-toxic paints and press boards, rain barrels, and high-efficiency appliances. Instead of installing solar water heating systems, the developer chose to make the units Solar-Ready and let the homeowners choose to make the investment themselves. One unit had a solar water heater installed right away. Less than two years later, a second unit has made the switch, proving that Solar-Ready is a worthwhile and effective design feature to encourage renewable energy use. Both systems are SunCoil solar water heaters, a drainback design using glazed flat-plate collectors and an indoor storage tank.

For more information on building Solar-Ready contact Taylor Munro Energy Systems at info@taylormunro.com

By Morgan McDonald

Ocean Water Heat Pump
College School,
Mill Bay, BC

On August, 12 BC SEA members from Victoria went up in the rain to Brentwood College, at Mill Bay, just north of Victoria, to get a first hand look at their new ocean-based geo-exchange system. Here’s a report by Gunther Honold, who organized the trip.

The ocean water source heat pump system at the T. Gill Bunch Performing Arts Centre consists of 12 heat pump assemblies that serve the heating and air conditioning needs of the theatre, stage, studios, entry hall, lounge, and classrooms, supplying the heating and cooling to the various zones through a system of ducts.

The assemblies extract heat from (or reject heat into) a closed ocean water loop that sits on the bottom of the sea, just offshore from the college, plaited together into six tube bundles of 12 loops each.

The temperature is controlled by two parallel, volume controlled water pumps, a mixing valve and a standby electric reheat boiler, which is used as back-up for the more severe winter temperatures.

In addition to the heat pump system, the theatre ventilation air is preheated by two enthalpy wheel heat recovery units. Everything is tied together by state of the art direct digital controls, which provide automatic operation and control.

For every dollar spent on electricity to operate the system, three dollars worth of heat are produced, making this a really vital component of a sustainable energy system.

Gunther Honold

Milli-Joules

Them Beans Can Fly
Will flying become a thing of the past when we can no longer find fossil fuels, or choose to stop using them? What about biofuels? The trouble has always been that they freeze at 0 degrees C, whereas aviation fuel stays liquid down to -40 C. But now two US chemists based in Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, have developed a blend of soya oil, which, when blended with regular aviation fuel, stays liquid down to -40 C. They convert the fatty acids in the soya oil into volatile combustible esters, some of which freeze at higher temperatures, and some at lower. After chilling the oil, they remove the crystallized solids which freeze at higher temperatures, and are left with a fuel that can be used as part of a 40:60 blend with aviation fuel. It’s not a full answer, but it’s getting there. That just leaves two questions: will there be enough soya oil in the world to use for flying, when all other needs are included, and should we be using good agricultural land to fly around the world in the first place?

Solaronto
Toronto Hydro has just launched the city’s largest solar generation station, on the side of Toronto Hydro’s service centre. The 189 solar panels generate 36 kW, enough to power four or five homes, at a cost of $290,000 (CAN $8 a watt). It’s very small beer, but get this: the Ontario government’s goal is to convert 100,000 homes to solar power within five years. If each home had a 2kW system on its roof, that’s 200 MW of solar energy, and in global terms, that’s a LOT. A 100% federal tax credit, plus a 50% cost subsidy, plus a guaranteed 8 cents/kWh would see that goal realized quite easily.

The Solarnator
He had a plan. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican governor of California, him of the Hummers, had a plan to back a ten-year, $1 billion solar energy bill which would have seen 50% of all new homes built in California including solar PV technology by 2008. The program would have set up a rebate of US $2.80 per watt, falling over ten years to zero, allowing the economics of mass production to take off. Alas, the California Legislature turned it down. They did approve $60 million to continue the current rebates for small solar systems up to 30kW, and the bigger bill will probably be back next year.

Now we’re talking!
Germany, meanwhile, has opened the world’s largest solar plant in Espenhain, near Leipzig. With 33,500 PV panels, it can generate 5 MW of power, enough for 1800 energy efficient German households, on a reclaimed contaminated site that used to be used for brown coal storage. The cost was US$32 million ($6.35 per watt). It’s not just commercial courage that is leading the German PV revolution. Under Germany’s pioneering Renewable Energy Law, PV energy producers receive a guaranteed 45.7 Eurocents/kWh ($0.55 cents US) for electricity they put into the grid, plus an extra 11.7 Eurocents for installations on roofs up to 30 kW, 9.3 Eurocents for installations over 30 kW, and 5 Eurocents/kWh for PV facades.

CO2 La La
Peugot, the French car-makers, have unveiled a simple "Stop and Start" system that allows a driver to cut the engine when a vehicle is stationary by switching to a standby mode at red lights, or when caught in traffic. The device could cut fuel consumption by 10% in urban areas, and 15% in heavy traffic, reducing CO2 emissions accordingly. It will be in the new Citroen C3 this November. Meanwhile, the US auto companies keep insisting that they can’t find a way to make their cars more fuel efficient. France? Where’s that? Somewhere near Iraq?

Vancouver LEED is the Way
Yea! Vancouver City Council has approved a Green Building Strategy that will require all new civic buildings greater than 500 sq. meters to achieve LEED Gold, the second highest standard in the fast-spreading green building certification programme, guaranteeing a 30% improvement in energy consumption. The Council also adopted LEED Silver for eco-development at Southeast False Creek. This is on par with the Federal Government’s commitment to Gold for all buildings over $10 million. For information on LEED, see www.cagbc.org

Waving at the Future
GreenWave Rhode Island is a new non-profit society that is planning to install a 500 kW wave energy project off the southern coast of Rhode Island, Connecticut, USA. They’ve been granted $1 million by the Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut state governments, and they are going to install an Energetech device that uses an oscillating water column to capture the up and down movement of waves to drive a turbine. The legs of the structure sit on the ocean floor, stabilized by cables to the seabed, and the power is taken ashore by a submerged cable. The structure will be 15 metres above the water surface. Installation will take a week, and if all goes well, the power will start running in 2006. A similar device is being installed in Port Kembla, Australia, this October, for completion by December. Let me see… waves. Anyone seen any waves anywhere off the BC coast recently? We’ve got to think big. Could we (the BC SEA) do that? See www.energetech.com.au .

Guy Dauncey

Review of:
Running On Empty
Shifting to a Sustainable Energy Plan for BC

Running on Empty, sponsored by the David Suzuki Foundation and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, gives a timely overview of BC’s oil and gas sector and electricity sector and exposes critical shortcomings in the government’s basic policy direction.

Published in November 2002, the government’s Energy for Our Future: A Plan for BC details two broad policy objectives: (1) to maximize fossil fuel development; and (2) to promote private generation and access to the BC Hydro grid, for domestic sales and export.

On the first issue, Running on Empty details how BC’s oil and gas production have increased, while employment, economic spin-offs and environmental standards have declined. Coal, coalbed-methane and offshore oil and gas are being actively promoted, with subsidies and reduced environmental standards, but there is no planning to address resource depletion and the eventual collapse of the industry. The solution proposed in Running on Empty is blatantly obvious, but - apparently - it still needs to be said: non-renewable resources should be managed so that there will be more than just pollution and destroyed landscapes when they are gone.

On the second issue - BC’s electricity sector - Running on Empty details the recent government-enforced reorientation of BC Hydro. Hydro’s service functions have been privatized outright, and electricity distribution, generation and transmission have been re-oriented to serve for-profit interests. Transmission is now run by the newly created BC Transmission Corporation, with a mandate to increase integration with the US grid, while BC Hydro is arbitrarily barred from building new generation (except, possibly, the Site C dam).

The government’s stated objectives are a secure, low-priced electricity supply and increased for-profit participation - though no reasons have been given to expect the former to be achieved. Running on Empty lists the inherent problems with privatization and a for-profit orientation: lack of accountability; reduced ability to undertake long-term, integrated planning; higher prices and reduced security; reduced ability to promote public interests, such as energy conservation and environmental protection; reduced public access to the profits of electricity production.

Once again, the solution seems blatantly obvious. Running on Empty proposes a complete reversal of policy, including an emphatic reinstatement of BC Hydro as a vertically integrated monopoly and the primary developer of new electricity (though with some allowance for private participation).

Negating bad government policy is a necessary first step, but more is needed. Running on Empty gets the basic values right: the electricity supply should be run on a broad public-interest basis, not for profit; and there is a fundamental connection between climate change and energy use that must be addressed (i.e. stop fossil fuel subsidies). But reinstating BC Hydro is not sufficient, as witness its negligible track record on renewables. PowerSmart was allowed to decline during the ‘nineties into a public relations facade; and BC Hydro is notorious for starting wind, wave or other renewable energy pilot initiatives and not carrying them though.

This points to a need for a broader initiative: government, regulators, service providers and society itself will all need to be engaged in bringing forward renewable energy. Also, the technical part of public policy will need to address the requirements of each specific energy type - wind, wave, tidal, geothermal, earth mass, solar (PV, water and passive) and so on - and proactive measures will need to be devised to integrate them all into BC’s electricity system. This would not be achieved under a for-profit electricity regime; but neither would it be achieved by even the most enlightened public utility, without strong, pro-active political and societal encouragement.

by Tom Hackney

Harnessing the Winds of Change: Kamloops Chapter

"I’m interested in sustainable energy because we have no other choice."

This is one of many apt observation made at the first BC SEA - Kamloops Chapter meeting on August 11, 2004. Educators, engineers, activists, conservationists, students and others gathered to discuss why sustainable energy matters and how the community can help BC secure a sustainable energy future.

The energy and commitment of the Kamloops Chapter members is contagious. The Chapter is growing in leaps and bounds. Approximately 20 people attended the third meeting on September 8 and up to 50 attended the September 29 meeting.

Meetings have provided an opportunity for members to discuss local sustainable energy strategies. There is a strong role for the community of Kamloops to play in charting a sustainable course for the future. Kamloops members feel there are several components to a healthy local chapter, including:

- A strong education component, including a forum for learning;

- An active hands-on component, including demonstration projects, field trips and regular visiting speakers;

- A well-structured club that is open to new ideas.

Efforts will be made to partner with a wide range of community agencies and citizens’ groups. The Kamloops chapter recognizes the importance of being accessible, so sustainable energy choices for less advantaged citizens will also be a focus.

Projects

To help focus the enthusiasm and energy, the group identified projects within three program areas: Education and Outreach; Demonstration Projects; and Policy and Advocacy.

Education and Outreach

Through Education and Outreach we will inform and raise awareness in the community on sustainable energy use and issues. Projects planned include presentations, educational tools for kids, and a resource library.

Demonstration Projects

Demonstration Projects will illustrate the value of sustainable energy applications. This committee is considering hosting a sustainable energy fair for various applications (i.e. wind turbine).

Policy and Advocacy

Lastly, for the wonks in the Chapter, there is the Policy and Advocacy program area. The goal for this committee is to work collaboratively with decision-makers at all levels of government to implement sustainable energy policy for the betterment of all aspects of society (people and habitat), with an emphasis on local and regional government and local MLAs and MPs.

Next, the Kamloops Chapter will formalize its status as an official BC SEA chapter. This will involve signing a Chapters agreement with the provincial organization and electing a Steering Committee of chair, vice-chair, treasurer, secretary, and member-at-large.

Other communities and individuals who are interested in sustainability are urged to get involved. Your input is needed, and your voice is essential. Join the provincial organization! Start your own community chapter today! The Chapters component of the BC SEA website (www.bcsea.org/chapters/) provides all the necessary information to help fledgling chapters on their way to full chapterhood

Kamloops Chapter Projects

On November 10th, in partnership with the University College of the Cariboo and sponsorship from Valhalla Pure Outfitters, BC SEA Kamloops is hosting a Melting Mountains presentation from the David Suzuki Foundation. The presentation explores the negative effects of GHG on our alpine environment. BC SEA Kamloops is supporting a Kamloops Health and Income Options initiative to do a study that will result in policy recommendations for improving sustainable energy options for less advantage citizens. The results of the study will be presented to BC Hydro, provincial government agencies and other energy-related organizations.

At the September 29th meeting, the Chapter hosted a geothermal specialist who spoke to the club about the benefits and details of geothermal heating/cooling for homes in the Kamloops area. This was our first guest speaker, but we expected to have a guest at each monthly meeting.

The Kamloops chapter is engaged!

For information about BC SEA Kamloops contact Taylor Zeeg at t.zeeg@telus.net or (250) 377-8533.

Taylor Zeeg

Greater Vancouver Chapter

Who We Are

There are over 50 motivated, excited, bright members of BC SEA in the Greater Vancouver area. Our group has met twice so far. Our third meeting will be on October 20, 2004 at the SPEC offices with a brief discussion to start the meeting on the cool, sustainable energy that building uses. Everyone who is a member is welcome to attend the meetings. We’ve had over 20 people to each of our meetings so far! We’ve also got good representation from other NGO’s, sustainable energy independent power producers, large energy companies, consultants, and a banker to name just a few.

What We’re Doing

We’re making progress on understanding what sustainable energy is currently deployed in BC and what potential exists. According to a draft report from the Canadian Industrial Energy End-Use Data and Analysis Centre at SFU, there is very little deployed sustainable energy in BC. The study did not review natural-gas thermal generation.

Of the sources it did review:

• 94% electricity generation capacity in BC is from traditional large-scale hydro - not what BC SEA would classify as sustainable.
• 5% is from bio-mass (largely wood-waste) which is sustainable, but only under certain circumstances
• That leaves just 1% for run-of-river, solar, and wind combined.

We’re also making good progress on understanding what other organizations are out there that have similar interests to us that we should have some way of communicating with. So far, the initial list includes 20 organizations.

Where We’re Going

We are just starting up, but so far we’ve been able to generate good momentum and expect that this will only increase going forward...and we’re having fun!

Dale Littlejohn

Events - please visit our Events section for the most up-to-date listings!