Energy Commission 4/24

Emerging Energy Technologies & The Pool

The usual stuff was on the agenda, but the big topic of the evening was The Pool and its energy costs. The main concern is finding ways to reduce the energy bills. And there were many ways mentioned, including fundamental changes to the pool facility. However, the discussion focused on saving money without making any fundamental changes to the facility.

So what are the variety of options available to the town to reduce costs? Photovoltaic arrays (solar panels), microturbines, fuel cells... and the list could continue. But one way to describe all of these options would be as "emerging technologies."

So what's the difference between an emerging technology, such as a "fuel cell" or a "microturbine" and, old technology, such as a boiler? Well... I think this is one way to put it (but please correct me, if I'm wrong... I'm not an expert on this stuff... I just try to listen at the meetings and then give a recap here)...

- boilers generate excess heat and lose it to the air;
- microturbines generate excess heat, but capture it and could use that heat to warm the pool water; and
- fuel cells not only generate excess heat, but also generate electricity and can capture both... and use both.

So how can the Town move forward on such projects? Well, with the new technologies on the market and with grant funding available for some of these technologies, a discussion should happen... not only with the Energy Commission, but with the Council and the voters.

We could probably all stand to learn a bit more about these emerging technologies... the field is vast. Just today, I heard this story about "clean coal" on NPR. And I think NPR said it'll be having a story everyday for a few weeks on a new type of emerging technology in clean energy. (Again... that's only clean energy... not new technologies that make old, dirty energy more efficient.) So my point is simple... if you're concerned about $3 gas, there are people actively engaged in finding alternatives. And if you have the time, then you may want to research this stuff a bit. Tell a friend. Heck... I bet that at least a few people are going to make a LOT of money off these new technologies. I'm sure that alone could get some people interested enough to begin researching this stuff... Anyway... enough commentary from me.

Energy Star

The Energy Commission discussed and recommended that the Council participate in a nationwide program called "Energy Star." And if you've bought appliances lately, you probably know something of this program already. The idea is basically to get people conserving energy.

When all was said and done, the EC recommended the Town join this nationwide program which is intended to get the Town to be more energy-conscious and conserve when possible. However, before voting, I pointed out an article that was in a recent edition of SmartMoney magazine. The article highlighted significant flaws with the Energy Star rating program. Nonetheless, I do think this program is worthwhile and hope that the Council gets involved with it.

Here is the main webpage describing government involvement with Energy Star.

20% by 2010

Clean Energy signup form ... 'nuff said. Sign up! OR

perhaps you'd like to save some money on your electric bill by clicking here.

If you're curious about the cost differential... one way to look at this is by comparing each rate against the "TSO" rate that you'll find on your CL&P bill. The Levco rate should be below the TSO rate and the clean energy rate will be a premium ($0.011/kWh) on top of the TSO rate. Add up the difference, then multiply by the typical number of kWh that you use.

Tim White
Town Council, Energy Commission Liaison
TimWhite98@yahoo.com