Illinois Renewable Energy Association

World Wildlife, partnering with HP, is sponsoring this awareness raiser. On Saturday, March 29, from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m., people throughout the world will turn off lights and electrical appliances to experience an hour of night. Families will sit near the fireplace, light candles, read books, stargaze and just talk with each other. In addition to being a consciousness raiser the hour will allow individuals to reconnect without modern electronic distractions.

Earth Hour provides an opportunity for people to recognize that we all contribute to global warming but that each of us can have a positive impact. Turning off the lights for only one of the 8,760 hours of the year will show us that it’s possible to readjust our lifestyles. Small sacrifices such as this could have an important effect on controlling the adverse effects of climate change.

Evidence of global warming is everywhere, from melting arctic and antarctic ice through changing ecosystems to species extinction. Reducing CO2 emissions is the most immediate step needed. Reducing excess lighting is a good start.

In March, 2007, Sydney, Australia, went dark for an hour and saved twice the electricity expected. So far, fourteen cities have pledged to go dark. Chicago is considered the “flagship” of four in the U.S. Mayor Richard M. Daley claims that “An important part of Chicago’s efforts to be the most environmentally friendly city in the world is understanding the effects of climate change in our city.” Earth Hour should help bring about that understanding.

In their service area, ComEd is co-sponsoring Earth Hour. They invite all of their customers to participate. They also urge them “to replace incandescent light bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and pledge to reduce their energy consumption in 2008.” They assure their customers that those lights necessary for public safety will remain on and remind them to be careful with candles, especially if children are present. ComEd is one the the Illinois Renewable Energy and Sustainable Lifestyle Fair’s major sponsors.

A related organization, the International Dark Sky Society, also supports Earth Hour, calling it Lights Out America. The IDSS wants people to have the opportunity to see the night skies and the stars, celebrated by poets as the greatest glory of Creation. Their mission is “To preserve and protect the nighttime environment and our heritage of dark skies through quality outdoor lighting.” Those interested in learning more can visit the IDSS booth at the Fair August 9 and 10.

Earth Hour is symbolic. It alone will not make a difference. But the awareness it raises has the promise of changing people’s perceptions of their energy uses versus their real needs along with changes they can make in their behavior to help the Earth.

Urge your city to participate in Earth Hour. Even if it doesn’t, organize your own friends and families. Enjoy an hour together in the natural dark of night, considering and planning how you can do your part.

One-Watt-HouseTM

By Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

“It’s the house with the blue roof.” Color may be the easy way to locate Victor and Polly Zaderej’s house, but it’s not the only unusual feature of the new home nearing completion southeast of Oregon, IL.

Built on principles adapted from the German “Passivhaus,” the home is extremely energy efficient, using about 1/10 the energy for heating as a conventional house, but costing only about 1/10 more to build. It is referred to by Marko Spiegel as the “One-Watt-HouseTM,” based on its consuming only one watt of heating energy per square foot as opposed to the ten watts used in conventional buildings.

We first became aware of the Passivhaus movement at the 2006 Renewable Energy and Sustainable Lifestyle fair when Dr. Bernd Steinmuller made his keynote presentation on energy efficiency in buildings. He stressed heavy insulation to save money on heating bills and cut CO2 releases. Although Germany is a world leader in efficient housing with most of the world’s 10,000 passive houses in Europe, Steinmuller feels that German buildings could be still more efficient as could those in the U.S.

Zaderej and his friend and colleague, Spiegel, have known of extreme energy efficiency for several years, traveling to Germany frequently to be updated on new developments. After studying the principles and examining houses, the two engineers decided to put their knowledge to work in an actual home. They located materials as similar to those used in Germany as they could find in North America. Their searches were wide - the doors and windows were made in Canada.

The exterior of the home is heavily insulated with R 40 insulation in the walls and R 50 in the ceilings. Insulation is not an afterthought - it is an integral part of the walls and roof, constructed of SIPs (structurally integrated panels) formed by five inches of foam insulation sandwiched between two 5/8 inch thick panels of chip board. Posts and beams add strength to the exterior. ICFs (insulated concrete forms) provide an R rating of 20 under the foundation.

On winter days large south facing double glazed hard coat low E windows with a U rating of 33 collect the sun’s heat which is stored in the concrete floor of the lower level for release during the night. North, west and east windows are triple glazed with a U rating of 24.

One of the two 120 gallon superinsulated all plastic Marathon water heaters provides for domestic use. Between 80 and 90 percent of shower water heat is returned to the water heater. The second sends hot water to the air furnace which then circulates the heat. The water heaters are on demand metering with timers set to turn on at night.

An air to air heat exchanger with a whole house ventilator removes stale air from the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry. It also recovers over 50 percent of the heat from outgoing air. A space beneath the steel roof collects warm air which is blown into the stone wall in the office. South roof overhangs protect the interior from the summer sun’s heat.

An earth tube brings air with the ground’s steady temperature into what the engineers refer to as an “earth room” where it is stored for circulation throughout the house. In winter, the earth is warmer than the outdoor air; in summer, it is cooler, providing relief from temperature swings.

This winter, Zaderej and Spiegel invited us to a reading - of a thermometer. It read 68o at nine p.m. on a below zero night. The furnace has not run since late February. Ten 200 watt light bulbs left on overnight maintain a comfortable level even when the outdoor temperature is below freezing.

Contractor Rick McCanse explains that thermal mass provides thermal lag. Although he built the house, McCanse admits, “It’s pretty amazing.”

The Zaderejs are now planning their landscaping with an emphasis on the large lawn. They recently asked us to advise them on native dry prairie grasses and forbs which need almost no care, look beautiful, and remain a respectable short height. Their passion for passive will extend to the yard so there’s “no mowing!”

A Grand Solar Plan
by
Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

The amount of sunlight striking the earth in 40 minutes is equivalent
to the total energy consumed worldwide in 2006. Despite its abundance
and its economic and environmental benefits, only 0.2 percent of our
country’s electricity came from solar energy in 2004.

In the December 16, 2007, issue of Scientific America,  Zweibel, Mason
and Pthenakes proposed to dramatically increase the production of
electricity from the sun. They plan to obtain 69 percent of our
electrical needs and 35 percent of our total energy needs from solar
energy by 2050.

With government support, they expect to produce photovoltaic and
concentrated solar energy at a cost of $0.06/kWh by 2020. To stimulate
large scale production and improve module efficiency, they seek to
install 1.5 GW of solar electric and 1.5 GW of concentrated solar power
over the next five years. Over the following five years the goal for
each source would be 5 GW. By 2020 production would approach 84 GW. By
2050 federal funds would no longer be necessary.

The elaborate solar system would be built in the dry, sunny Southwest.
Electricity would be shipped nationwide over new DC power lines. Ten
percent of the total solar power would be placed on existing rooftops
throughout the country.

For photovoltaic production they envision using the least expensive
thin-film modules such as those made of cadmium telluride which are 10
percent efficient. They would compress air and force it into
underground storage for continuous electric production. Used in
combination with natural gas generators, compressed air can cut natural
gas consumption by 60 percent.

The concentrated solar power system would consist of long, metallic
mirrors which focus sunlight on liquid filled pipes. The heated fluid
is carried to a heat exchanger where steam is used to generate
electricity. The pipes are also linked to a large, insulated tank
filled with molten salt which retains the heat to produce electricity
when the sun is unavailable. The concentrated solar power system would
provide  20 percent of the entire system’s electricity.

The overall plan calls for $420 billion in federal subsidies at a rate
of around $10 billion per year, less than annual farm subsidies. To pay
for the program a carbon tax of $0.005/kWh would be added to our
electric bills. This is 1/2 to 1/4 the projected cost of capturing and
storing carbon from new coal facilities.

The solar plants would eliminate the need for 300 large scale coal
plants and 300 large natural gas plants. With an expected lifetime of
30 years, substantial clean energy benefits would accrue.

It is a bold plan which makes explicit the need for substantial,
sustained funding to decrease the cost of solar power. But it begs the
question of whether a decentralized approach could achieve similar
goals. If each state received $200 million a year to support solar
energy it would provide  a dramatic increase in Illinois’ rebates and
grants programs for renewables which never exceeded $5 million a year.
Solar installations on existing rooftops across the nation are
increasing dramatically; Illinois has plenty of available roofs.

CFLs - a Step in the Right Direction
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

Once again, Commonwealth Edison is offering residential customers an opportunity to buy up to one million Energy Star rated compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) at a substantial discount. The bulbs are available in 350 retail outlets across northern Illinois. They use 1/4 the energy of a comparable incandescent bulb and are expected to last 10 times longer. According to ComEd, the savings from last year’s CFL program was equivalent to the energy consumption of 8200 average northern Illinois homes at a savings of $35 over the life of each bulb.

An added twist this year is the introduction of a pilot CFL recycling program in cooperation with Ace Hardware Stores and the Illinois EPA. CFLs contain a small amount of mercury which can be captured, processed and sold. Glass and aluminum in the bulbs can also be captured, processed and sold. Used bulbs returned to some 150 Ace Hardware Stores will be collected and taken to an appropriate recycling center approved of by IEPA.

While at the recent press conference at Bob’s Ace Hardware Store, we shared the story with an owner regarding how Bob’s Ace became the first store in Rockford to stock CFLs. At the time the bulbs were very expensive and only available though catalogues. Students in an energy conservation class decided Bob’s was likely to be willing to offer the bulbs for sale. The class decided to encourage the store to carry the bulbs and purchase at least one each. Part of the strategy included students’ calling the store on successive days and asking the manager if they carried CFLs. When the third student called, the manager indicated he had been getting quite a few calls recently about the bulbs and would look into stocking them. Within a few weeks the bulbs were in the store and have been available there ever since.

The simple step of replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs is one of the fastest ways to cut carbon emissions. It is also becoming very popular. Wal-Mart intends to double its sales of CFLs during the next year. Citizens in countries around the world are calling on units of government to start using CFLs in all their buildings. As citizens and taxpayers we have the right to expect those who operate our public buildings to make effective use of energy saving options. Some public minded citizens might even consider buying an extra CFL and donating it to a needy public building.

A “ban the incandescent bulb movement” is starting to take root. Last spring Australia announced it would phase out incandescents by 2010. A few months later Canada announced it would phase out by 2012. A 2012 deadline has also been introduced in California while Russia, New Zealand and India are considering similar bans.

Lester Brown estimates that a ban on incandescent bulb sales in the United States would cut energy demand equal to the output of 80 coal fired power plants. Rather than building more coal fired power plants as envisioned by energy supply advocates, implementing energy efficiency programs can substantially reduce our consumption. According to many estimates we could cut our energy demand in half by widespread implementation of energy efficiency.

According to a U.S. government calculation, the energy saved over the lifetime of one 24 watt CFL is equivalent to energy used driving a Prius from New York to San Francisco. While the car analogy helps convey the potential of energy savings, if taken literally it suggests we can use our saved energy on another form of energy consumption.

The energy party is over. It is time to dramatically cut our consumption. Energy reformers have called for at least a 50 percent reduction by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of global warming. We have the knowledge and technology to achieve energy reductions of this magnitude, but have yet to develop the political will to make it happen.

Buy some compact fluorescent bulbs. Install them at home; give some to your friends and neighbors; donate some to a publicly owned facility. Make the switch today.

The Long Emergency - Is this It?
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

James Kuntsler has called the evolving energy situation “the long emergency.” In Kuntsler’s view, the days of plentiful, low cost energy supplies are over and we will have to redesign our communities and adjust our lifestyles to adjust to the evolving situation. Others sharing his view call for rebuilding local economies around using less energy, improving mass transit and growing more food locally. The sooner a community initiates serious efforts to reorganize their local economy around dwindling and costly energy supplies, the more successful they are likely to be.

In contrast, oil interests ran a week of ads in The Wall Street Journal proclaiming that peak oil is premature and plentiful supplies await appropriate government action. They advocate more research, adoption of new energy technologies and supportive government policies to ensure plentiful supplies. They accept higher prices and reflect a business as usual approach.

In the meantime we are left to adjust to the dramatically higher cost of electricity. We have received phone calls and emails asking for advice on what individuals who heat with electricity can do to lessen their costs. Integral to the all electric building strategy was high insulation levels. Some had as much as a foot of cellulose insulation above the top ceiling level, providing an R 40 rating. If space is available between the roof and ceiling, more insulation can be added.

Electric homes may not have high levels of insulation in the walls. If the outer wall is brick there may not be space to add insulation. It the house has standard siding an inch of foam insulation could be added and new siding placed over it. In new construction R 25 insulation performs very well.

If the home has a basement, insulation could be added either on the outside or inside of the wall. R 11 walls are common although an R 20 level should be considered.

If a vapor barrier already exists, add barrier free insulation. Care must be taken to not have water vapor condense within the insulation. It will decrease the effectiveness of the insulation and may give rise to mold problems. Before adding any insulation, discuss plans with an insulation contractor or an energy rater.

Consider having a new heating system installed. If a whole house unit is desired consider a very high efficiency natural gas furnace. Also check into a ground source heat pump. While it still relies on electricity to work pumps and motors, electricity is not used to produce heat but rather to capture and concentrate the ground’s heat.

As discussed in previous columns, rooms might be closed off in winter with only one or two heated to a more comfortable level. A propane heating unit could be installed in the wall of a room to provide supplemental heat. Corn, pellet and wood burning stoves and furnaces also provide supplemental heat. (note: Be sure to check with your insurance agent and local authorities to see what is necessary to meet safety codes in your area.)

Another choice would be to have a solar hot water system installed to provide supplemental heat. However, since the sun does not always shine, backup energy is still needed. In this case the existing electric resistance heating system would help.

The article by Roland Wolff describes how a family upgraded an old, energy guzzling, drafty farm house into a very energy efficient home. Home Power Magazine and Home Energy Magazine have articles addressing retrofitting homes or building for energy efficiency and are excellent sources for additional ideas.

If we have entered the long emergency, conservation and efficiency are the most effective ways to adjust.

A Tale of Two Farmhouses
By Roland and Birgit Wolff

Photos to be posted
The home of Roland and Birgit Wolff in the northwoods of Wisconsin, before renovations (above) and after (below).

Actually, one house, with two incarnations...

Ah, northwestern Wisconsin. Lake Superior. Pristine forests and rivers. This is the place where our hearts have always been, and to which we were happy to retire in 2002 after 28 years of job-enforced exile in Tennessee and Colorado. But we knew there was also another thing waiting for us up here: WINTER.

In planning our move to the northwoods, one of our top questions was whether to build or to move into and renovate the 110-year-old farmhouse on the property. It quickly became clear that our choice had to be the latter, hands down. For the more we thought about it, the more we realized how much we had grown to love that old house over the years when we’d come up every summer—and even a couple times in winter—to play. But our love, in this case, was not blind, for we knew we’d have some hard work ahead of us making the place both safe and four-season comfortable. Some of the old building’s character and charm we decided to leave as is, like the fact that there’s not a right angle to the place, which makes any repairs or building projects really fascinating. On the other hand, there were some things we decided to bring up to date right away, for safety’s sake, like the stairs leading to the second floor. As in all the original buildings here, those old stairs were steep as a ladder and so narrow you had to come down feet sideways. They had broken neck and lawsuit written all over them, and bringing them up to code was one of our very first jobs. With that done, our thoughts turned to the cold, dark months to come, and the need to make the place really winterproof. That would mean several major projects.

In the old days, nobody used insulation up here when they built, so the only thing between our living room couch and the frigid winter air was a layer of half-inch clapboard over some intermittent pine sheathing on the outside. Plus some ancient Swedish newspapers that the original owners had stuffed into the walls to keep the wind out—which, of course, didn’t work. In fact, sitting on that couch in winter, you’d swear that those original walls (and newspapers) actually somehow managed to intensify the outside cold before transmitting it into the
house. Something had to be done about the walls.

Another problem was the original windows. When you walk around your living room with a candle, and it blows out as you go past a closed window, something needs to be done. And not just with a view to comfort, for those old single-panes would get so frosted up on the inside during cold weather, you couldn’t see out. This made you feel locked in, as well as cut off from what you knew was a beautiful winter landscape out there very much worth viewing.

For the walls, we A) blew in fiberglass insulation from the outside; B) put 1-inch insulation board, well taped at the seams, on top of the old clapboard siding—which we decided to leave on for an additional air space; and C) put a rough-cut 1 by 8 pine siding, well caulked, over the insulation board. All this, plus pine paneling inside over the original lathe-and-plaster, gives us outside walls that average 9 inches of raw insulating, wind-defying power.

The old windows we replaced with thermopane, and made sure the new ones were well sealed and caulked. No more blown-out candle syndrome for us.

There was also the old asphalt roof, on top of which we put 1-inch-thick nailers, with insulation board between them, and steel roofing on top of everything.

The result of all this is a house as cozy and warm as any we’ve ever lived in anywhere. We heat for the most part with a small but potent Quadrafire 2100 Millennium wood-burning stove (hard maple firewood only), with room-by-room electric baseboard backups, which we use only in the very coldest weather, and then rarely. With its insulation and tightness, the house is also as good as air-conditioned: One day during last July’s heat wave, we recorded 98 degrees outside and 72 in the living room. And the insulation and windows, combined with an inside finishing job, have transformed the grim old attic from a wintertime freezer and a summertime bat-infested hellhole into a living space fully as comfortable as the rest of the house. Not to mention the fact (which we were happy to discover by accident, afterward) that a well-insulated second floor/attic makes the first floor, where we do most of our living, ever so much easier to keep warm in winter and cool in summer.

We’re happy to say that life up here is fulfilling all our fondest expectations. And even when things get a bit chilly in winter, or hot in summer, we have our cozy, friendly old house to be happy and comfortable in. Plus, there’s the equally heartwarming impact on the energy budget: Our electric bill averages $100 a month, which includes the house, barn, outbuildings, chickens, sheep, and several freezers; and we spend $200 a year on firewood—cut, split and delivered. Plus, one more bonus: the wood stove even has a nice glass door to view the flickering, energy-efficient flames through on a gold winter’s night!

Roland and Birgit Wolff live on their old farmstead just south of Lake Superior in Bayfield County, Wis., and are loving every minute and every season of it.

From the March 7-13, 2007, issue

Growing a Sustainable Energy Future
by Drs. Robert & Sonia Vogl

As global energy supplies dwindle and prices rise, increased competition for resources increases the likelihood of armed conflicts. The need to address climate change increases the importance of efficiency and renewable energy.

Much more is happening with renewable energy in Illinois than when we started writing on the topic five years ago. Support from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, ComEd, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and The Rock River Times has helped nurture an energy transition.

Ethanol and biodiesel plants, methane digesters and wind farms are large, highly visible and well publicized. Individuals and small businesses are engaged in smaller, often overlooked projects that enhance personal and community energy security. These include energy efficient homes, ground source heat pumps, outdoor wood furnaces, corn and wood pellet stoves, solar electric systems, small wind generators, solar hot water systems, water pumping windmills and an increasing number of organic farms. Hybrid electric cars are no longer a novelty item.

Solar electric projects are gaining in size and scope. A 50 kW system in Sublette is the largest one in this area. However, some substantially larger systems are appearing in other parts of the world. Germany’s largest solar electric installation is 12 megawatts - bout 240 times as large as the Sublette installation. A new solar park in Spain will feature a 23 MW system. China recently announced plans to install a 100 MW system only to be outdone by an Australian project of 154 MW. In this case size does matter as it provides the opportunity to capture economies of scale which help reduce overall costs.

The current cost of a 2 kW household system in Illinois is around $8 per watt. With state rebates and federal tax credits, costs are reduced by 50 percent.

California’s program to have 3000 MW of solar electricity by 2016 should also help lower costs. Solar electric systems built into rubberized roofing demonstrate the benefits of integrating solar electricity into buildings with large flat roofs such as schools, box stores, factories and warehouses. In San Diego 25 schools already have solar electric roofs. As the price of electricity increases in Illinois, such systems are likely to begin appearing here.

Other exciting ideas are emerging as well. Conserval Engineering Inc. has a new solar product which generates both electricity and heat. The top of the unit converts solar energy into electricity while a larger thermal panel below captures heat for building use.

These projects fit well with the concept of developing a sustainable energy future. As fossil fuels and uranium deposits are depleted, Dr. Ulf Bossel of Switzerland claims that only hydro, solar, wind, ocean and geothermal installations can harvest renewable energy in a sustainable way. With the addition of managed biomass and organic wastes, he believes mankind’s energy needs can be met sustainably.

Dr. Hermann Scheer, a member of the German Parliament instrumental in designing their renewable energy policies, is a solar advocate. He is concerned about fossil fuel depletion and the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use. Scheer advocates shortening the energy chains characteristic of our energy system. A 100 car train moving coal from Wyoming to Illinois for use at power plants is one example. Shipping liquified natural gas nearly 9000 miles from Qatar to Mexico is another. In contrast the energy chain from a solar panel on the roof of a building to the point of use only involves traveling a few feet.

Whether a renewable energy economy of sufficient scope will emerge in a timely manner to power a modern society is open to debate. With the seriousness of the global energy situation, it is crucial to continue implementing sustainable solutions.

Climate Change - The World’s Greatest Market Failure
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

Sir Nicholas Stern, former World Bank Chief Economist commissioned by
the UK Chancellor in 2005 to review the economics of climate change,
has declared that climate change ”is the greatest and widest-ranging
market failure ever seen.”

If we continue failing to adequately invest in controlling climate
changing gases, economic growth will be undermined, causing a loss of 5
percent to 20 percent of global GDP, similarly reducing per capita
consumption. If we start investing one percent of global GDP now we can
avoid the worst impacts. Stern views taking strong actions to limit
carbon emissions as a wise investment which will send the appropriate
market signals to overcome the prevailing market failure.

When industrialization began in the 1800s the atmosphere contained 280
ppm of CO2 equivalents. Current concentrations of 430 ppm are rising at
a rate of 2 ppm/year. To stop the increase, annual emissions must be
lowered to 80 percent below current levels. If used, existing reserves
of fossil fuels could raise greenhouse gases above 750 ppm.

If we fail to act, we will experience more extreme weather events
including major storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, coastal damage, floods,
droughts and increased brush and forest fires. These in turn cause
damage to physical infrastructures increasing the amount of money
required for their repair and replacement.

Increased storm damage causes higher insurance costs; some storm prone
areas will loose insurance protection.

The Stern review calls attention to the key role local government
officials and planners will play in responding to climate change. Four
major options relying on local conditions for reducing greenhouse gas
emissions include reducing demand for emissions-intensive goods and
services; increasing efficiency; protecting local carbon storage
capacity by preserving forests and grasslands; and switching to low
carbon technologies for power, heat and transportation.

Neither the call for action nor the recommended actions are new. What
is new is increasing scientific and public fervor to act on climate
change now. Investment banker Morgan Stanley recently announced a $3
billion plan to invest in carbon trading. Seven states in the northeast
have joined together to cap regional emissions. California has set
limits on carbon emissions. Some cities have agreed to do the same.

These actions are likely to increase pressure on Congress to enact
limits on carbon emissions, if only to resolve differences in local,
regional and state efforts.

Additional pressure to act is likely to come from the International
Panel on Climate Change’s report due in January. Judging by press
releases and scientific reports published in professional journals,
signs of global climate change are increasing at a rapid rate. Since
the IPCC report summarizes scientific data gathered over the last five
years, the level of alarm is expected to rise.

While the call for action will have adverse consequences on some
interests, overall investment opportunities in energy efficiency and
renewable energy will increase. If fossil fuel use is reduced and
climate changing gases are captured, the world’s greatest market
failure will have been corrected.

A Community Approach to Energy Efficiency
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

When John Root accepted the position of running the energy rebate
program for the Muscatine, Iowa, municipal Power and Water Company, he
faced the challenge of gaining community acceptance of the need for
energy efficiency.

His strategy was to create a partnership between the utility, city, and
county and local institutions. He appealed to them to cut overhead by
implementing energy efficiency strategies and technologies in their
operations. A common response was one of disbelief as conservation was
falsely seen as virtuous but not profitable.

Even with high energy prices he finds people’s mental barriers stop
them from taking money saving actions. Some include faulty information
such as the belief that lowering the temperature at which a furnace
cuts in when no one is home causes more energy use later when raising
the setting to a comfortable level. Others include reluctance to spend
extra money today to implement efficiency measures although savings
will return the investment within two or three years and continue to
provide profit for years to come. In such cases, people tend to grasp
existing myths to justify not taking action. A plea of not having
enough money helps avoid thinking about changing behavior and spending
priorities to make the investment in efficiency.

Others barriers include a lack of current knowledge about available
energy efficient choices and the unwillingness or uncertainty of how to
obtain information. When facing a new energy efficient technology
people may be suspicious that it may not work as well as claimed. A
fear of making the wrong choice can immobilize people who then continue
with existing products or patterns.

In order to overcome these barriers, Root offers energy audits to
businesses and home owners with suggested actions and estimates of the
time it will take to recapture investments.

Replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents bulbs is
one of the best investments home owners can make. Many small
businesses benefit from upgrading their lighting systems as well. Root
believes that energy savings should be an integral part of every
community’s economic development plan as it lowers the cost of doing
business and keeps more dollars local.

In 2005 customers in the city of 25,000 reduced their electrical
consumption by over 10 million kilowatts and saved nearly $1.5 million
with efficiency upgrades which will pay for themselves in four years.
The energy savings are equivalent to installing thirty-three 750 kW
wind generators and 1,035 five kW solar electric arrays. The investment
in efficiency was the most effective way to save money and cut
pollution.

In addition to offering a technical advisory service to customers of
the Municipal Utility, Root created an efficiency and renewable energy
program for the Muscatine Schools. He began with an energy efficiency
and renewable energy poster contest for fourth and fifth graders to
raise community awareness. He followed that with a take-home energy
audit for students which required parental assistance. This helped
alert the adults to energy savings opportunities within their homes.

Later seventh and eighth graders were encouraged to join the Solar
Sprint contest. They purchased and assembled model solar cars with
batteries and entered them in competitions to determine which vehicles
performed best. Of course, parents and grandparents became interested
in the activities.

As interest grew a high school program know as the electrathron was
added. In this program students build and race electric cars 12 feet
long and four feet wide which carry 64 pounds of batteries. Students
raise up to $4000 to secure materials needed to build each car, which
is a team activity.

Another high school program is a student organized community energy
fair. Each year the senior who submits the best 1000 word paper on
energy efficiency and renewable energy is awarded a $500 college
scholarship.

While each community is unique, there are many elements in Energize
Muscatine which could be replicated in other communities. Considering
the long term nature of our energy and climate change challenges, it is
something every community should be working on now.

This column is based on a presentation by John Root, August 13, 2006,
at the Ogle Co. Fairgrounds and on information from the Muscatine Power
and Water website.

Trusting the Science on Global Warming
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

Our life experiences have given us faith in the scientific process to identify health problems and develop solutions. During our childhoods, the scourge of polio was removed from our lives thanks to the discovery of a vaccine to prevent it. Our daughter survived meningitis as a young child thanks to the discovery of sulfa drugs. Friends are alive today leading productive lives because lithium manages their bipolar condition to keep them from sinking into self destructive depression.

So when some of the world’s leading scientific organizations reach consensus that burning fossil fuels and cutting down the world’s forests are undermining the health of our planet and human welfare, we give serious consideration to their findings and recommended solutions.

Climate change models for Illinois suggest an increase in the frequency of intense storms coupled with an increase in droughts are likely to reduce agricultural output and adversely affect existing ecosystems. Experience indicates our oaks will be at risk as they are shallow rooted and severely stressed by drought.

Recently the owner of a local tree trimming and removal service asked us why he is seeing so many dead oaks. On one property he removed 30 dead trees from a stand of 100; all but one was an oak. Another client reported he has lost an average of 15 oaks a year for the past few years. A recent editorial in the Dixon paper sounded an alarm about the presence of oak wilt in the community and called for an assessment of its extent and consideration of appropriate action.

We called a local certified arborist, Lant Huntley, to examine a cluster of three oaks on our property showing signs of stress. He did not think they were suffering from oak wilt, but for an accurate diagnosis he suggested we take samples and send them to a lab for analysis. Aware of an increase in tree deaths, Huntley hopes to develop innoculants and experiment to determine whether it is possible to immunize trees to selected diseases.

The new documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, featuring Al Gore, is an attempt to raise public awareness regarding the planetary threat of global warming, its implications for human welfare and the need for appropriate action now. Sir David King, the Chief Scientific Advisor for the UK, considers global warming the world’s biggest threat requiring immediate, sustained action.

Several reports suggest we have about 15 years to take action to avoid the more serious consequences of global warming. The fastest, surest, least costly response is to conserve energy and use it efficiently. This response makes sense on its own merits even if the human contribution to global warming proves less significant than now projected.

Unfortunately the public continues to consume energy at an unsustainable rate and our economic and political elite place far too little emphasis on conservation and efficiency. We need a rapid, permanent change in our use of energy. A few years ago, California citizens quickly cut their energy consumption nearly 15 percent in weeks in response to an energy crisis and government leadership. Conservation and efficiency should be the backbone of our energy reforms.

This year’s energy fair will have many workshops focused on conservation and efficiency. Here are examples: Bob Lieberman of the Illinois Commerce Commission and Hans Detweiler of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will address the future of efficiency and renewables in Illinois. Joe Schacter of the Environmental Law and policy Center will explain how Illinois can derive health and economic benefits by cleaning up our cars. Dan Persky, Advisor to Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, will Describe how the Green Government Coordinating Council is “greening” Illinois.

An exciting new approach to using the German “Passive-Haus” model will be the subject of two presentations. Vic Zaderej, Marko Spiegel and Rick McCanse, who are building such a house near Oregon, will explain how a person can heat a home with a hair dryer. Keynoter Bernd Steinmuller of Germany will detail how Europeans are saving energy through housing construction and why these techniques are appropriate for the Midwest.

Major sponsors for this year’s fair include The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and ComEd, An Exelon Company.

first appeared June 29 in the Rock River Times

Wind Energy Projects: Stalled but still Viable
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

Wind energy projects in the Midwest have been flying the past few years thanks to federal incentives which make it possible to recapture the costs of a wind farm within six years and profit well into the future. Technological progress improved the performance and efficiency of wind generators. High prices for oil and natural gas along with tax payments to stressed county governments and revenues for landowners added to the appeal of wind farms. As a clean energy source wind seems an ideal technology to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and imported energy.

Illinois has two operating wind farms: one in Lee County and another in Bureau County with a third under construction in Lee County. However, the Boone County Heritage Wind Farm was just delayed by another vote at the County Board level. The Ogle County wind farm has been delayed due to a lawsuit.

Despite the virtues of being a carbon free source of energy which strengthens our quest for energy independence, resistance to wind farms is growing. Most projects are opposed in terms of their potential adverse impacts on scenic views, land values, tourism, migratory birds, bats, and annoyances such as flickering, interference with tv reception and noise.

The fundamental issue is conflicting land and water resource use. While people want clean energy sources and a halt to global warming, they also want the areas in which they live and play to be relatively free of human intrusions. Since wind farms impact large tracts of land and towers can stand nearly 500 feet tall including 300 foot long blades, their presence dominates a landscape.

Resistance to wind farms in the land-scarce UK is so strong that nearly 70 percent of its projects have been rejected. In Denmark and Germany, however, wind installations have flourished. Roughly 20 percent of their electricity comes from renewable energy sources.

In the United States wind generator capacity reached 9000 MW by 2006 and was expected to grow by 40 percent this year with another 3400 MW slated for installation. However a long list of challenges is likely to delay some installations. In Nebraska the impact on prairie chickens is an issue. In Wisconsin the impact on sandhill cranes and bats is a concern. In the Texas Gulf the concern is impacts on migratory birds. Possible hazards to shipping and ferry lanes have also been points of contention. Wind farm developers are eager to install turbines in the Great Lakes; critics have already voiced their complaints.

The latest front page challenge to wind farms is their potential interference with radar for both military and civilian air travel. An amendment to federal legislation inserted by Senator John Warner of Virginia requires the Department of Defense to study and report on the effects of wind projects on military readiness. Projects in North and South Dakota, Illinois and Wisconsin received letters from the Federal Aviation Administration informing them projects must be halted while the Defense Department study is being conducted. So far the projects are only being delayed until risks to military operations are assessed and resolved.

In Illinois, a project in LaSalle County and another covering parts of Bureau and Lee County are stalled. A letter objecting to the delays has been signed by six Midwest senators, including Durbin and Obama, and sent to the Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Wind energy has always been an integral part of the renewable energy movement. Wind advocates in South Dakota fear their immense resource will remain underutilized because it is costly to ship the power to growing urban centers of demand. With contentious siting battles underway in more populated areas, this distant resource may become viewed more favorably than it now is.

Wind energy will be an integral part of this year’s energy fair. The wind farm project under development in Lee County will be presented by Bruce and Joyce Papiech.

Another approach to capturing wind energy involves small home or farm installations which should involve less controversy. Dave Merrill will cover the basics of homeowner installed systems.

A third approach to capturing wind energy involves placing smaller wind generators on existing structures in urban and rural settings, avoiding additional intrusions on the landscape. Bil Becker will report on his progress in placing wind generators on building roofs in Chicago.

Jim Starry will discuss his concept of placing smaller wind generators on existing power poles wherever they occur. This approach can compensate for energy losses inherent in shipping electricity long distances. Similar generators are already being used in some western locations. Starry feels his design is unique and would be another effective way to make use of clean wind energy.

Major sponsors for this year’s fair include The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and ComEd, An Exelon Company.

first appeared June 21 in the Rock River Times

Solar Hot Water Heats Buildings at Rockford Airport
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

Any major change in the world’s energy consumption must start with how we, the world’s largest energy user, produce and use energy. Leading energy experts calculate that we have about a decade to make a serious dent in our fossil fuel consumption to avoid the worst impacts of global climate change and dwindling supplies of low cost energy.

According to a study by Lenius, Klein and Beckman at the Solar Energy Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison three quarters of U.S. residential and commercial buildings could meet half of their hot water and space heating needs with solar energy. With installation done on only 7.5 percent of suitable buildings per year, the program would be completed in a decade.

Such a program would lessen vulnerability to volatile energy prices and our pollution load on the environment, cut our risk of energy shortages and provide many jobs installing systems. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that water heating alone accounts for 15 percent of a household’s energy use.

A solar hot water system can pay for itself within four to 10 years. Annual fuel costs savings average around 70 percent. A good quality system can provide over 20 years of maintenance free service. It can also be connected to an existing hot air system or radiant heating system to provide supplementary heat to a room or an entire house.

All solar water heating systems rely on the sun’s energy to heat air or a liquid which circulates through a solar collector.

The most common types of solar heating and hot water applications are for homes, multifamily buildings, commercial buildings, and swimming pools.

A new solar hot water space heating system has just been built at the Rockford Airport. Little did we realize when we discussed this project with Bob Moreland prior to its development the eventual magnitude of it.

Moreland, a recently retired American Airlines pilot, noted that there were no available airplane hangars at Rockford Airport, so he decided to build some. They’re top quality big commercial buildings, 16,500 square feet for the first building with 10 1500 twin engine aircraft size units and 13,750 square feet for the second building which will contain 12 units for single engine aircraft. The first building also has a modern, well equipped pilots’ lounge. Each pilot has his own condominium-like space for himself and his plane. One building is up and operating. The second one is being worked on now.

The buildings are extremely efficient. They’re super insulated, with R-38 in the walls and R-50 in the ceilings. Lighting is also very efficient.

But the most important feature for Moreland was the heating system. A pilot can “gain immeasurable utility from a plane” if it’s kept warm in winter. Using gas to heat one of the huge buildings “costs a fortune,” but the sun provides free energy. Moreland decided to use that free energy and hired Solar Service of Niles to install a solar hot water system. A 400 square foot flat plate collector on the on the south facing roof heats water which is then piped under the floors, providing radiant heating. Rundle-Spence supplied much of the radiant heating design and materials and worked with McClellan and Blakemore Architects of Rockford and Moreland to put the innovative design together. Moreland and his tenants are pleased with the system which “makes winter heating drop from very expensive to not very expensive at all. It’s fun to watch it work.” His son, also a pilot just home from Iraq, is helping him with construction. Even though construction will not be complete until later this summer, more than half the units have been sold or have deposits on them.

Bob O’Brien, airport manager, wants to bring general aviation back to Rockford. He has been very supportive of the project, offering an attractive 60 year land lease.

Solar Service will again be exhibiting at the Fifth Annual Illinois Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair August 12 and 13, 2006. Brandon Leavitt, owner, will again be making a presentation. Last year, his practical workshop had an overflow crowd. Backward to the Future, installer of evacuated tube hot water systems, will also exhibit and make a presentation. Evacuated tubes operate at higher temperatures than flat plates.

Major sponsors for this year’s fair include The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and ComEd, An Exelon Company.

first appeared June 14 in the Rock River Times

The Breath of the Planet - Are We Destroying our Oxygen Supply?
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

Carbon buried under the crust of the earth allows us to breathe free oxygen. As we burn increasing amounts of fossil fuels we combine carbon with that free oxygen releasing CO2 into the atmosphere. Our use of fuels is gradually reducing our oxygen supplies.

Little attention has been given to atmospheric oxygen levels as climate change is a more immediate threat. A slight drop in atmospheric oxygen over the past twenty years was recently reported by the Commonwealth Scientific Research Organization in Australia. Pristine air was measured at the remote Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station. The decrease found by this initial study is far less than typical fluctuations indoors or in city air and will not interfere with human breathing.

We all realize we can only survive a few minutes without oxygen. The presence of people tethered to oxygen tanks has made us aware of the medical need for supplemental oxygen. But most people seldom think about their own blood oxygen levels. Airline pilots are tested to ensure their blood oxygen levels are high enough so they remain alert in flight. Vehicle drivers are not tested even though low oxygen levels can contribute to their falling asleep at the wheel. Victims of sleep apnea often have low blood oxygen levels which increases the likelihood of inattentive driving.

Intersections with high traffic levels and cars idling in traffic are the most common sites of reduced oxygen levels in urban areas. High carbon monoxide emissions from vehicles reduce oxygen levels in the blood adversely affecting human performance.

All combustion regardless of the fuel used consumes oxygen and releases heat and pollutants. The miles we travel and the fuel efficiency of our vehicles determines how much our transportation choices pollute the air and consume oxygen. We assume the pollutants simply disappear but many of them circle the globe and return within a week.

With China and India emulating our transportation choices, pollution levels will rise dramatically. Air travel is our fastest growing mode of transportation. By 2050 it is expected to increase 900 percent as will the multiple adverse environmental impacts of its growth.

Anyone who phones environmental designer Jim Starry hears his message that with each gallon of gasoline burned in a car, 10,000 gallons of air pollution are released. His dramatic numbers are an attempt to get others to think about the impact their lifestyles have on the air we breathe.

One of his most eye catching pollution solutions is the Starrport, a new airport design which will decrease pollution from plane departures, arrivals and taxiing. He has other ideas and inventions to limit sources of pollution in our communities. Like any inventor, he thinks some of these ideas could be turned into commercial products and manufactured in this area.

He will be making a presentation at the Fifth Annual Illinois Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair to be held August 12 and 13, 2006 (Google Jim Starry). Other workshops, displays and vehicles will highlight alternative ways to reduce our oil addiction and lessen the adverse impacts of our transportation choices.

Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor or having a booth at the Fair email sonia@essex1.com or phone 815-732-7332. If you wish to volunteer at the Fair email rspiros@inwave.com or phone 815-732-7020.

Major sponsors for this year’s fair include The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and ComEd, An Exelon Company.

first appeared May 31 in the Rock River Times

Home Grown Wind Power
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

Last night at dusk (June 16, 2005) our newly installed one kilowatt Bergey wind generator sat waiting for a seven mph wind to turn the rotor to generate electricity. A morning breeze produced five amps of power. As wind speeds pick up more power is produced.

Installing the system was like an old fashioned barn raising as ten people, including Frank Schier, were involved in the process. Dave Merrill of Byron, who installs both wind and solar electric systems, directed the project.

The system is known as the BWCXL.1-24. The one kilowatt 24 volt current system is designed to charge batteries and supply electric loads as D.C. power which must be converted to A.C. to match the power provided by Commonwealth Edison.

The electrical generating turbine weighs 75 pounds and has three fiberglass blades that sweep an 8.2’ diameter. It is mounted on a 64 foot collapsable tower. Steel cables attached to the tower at twenty foot intervals connected to ground mounts hold the tower in place.

The turbine is free to pivot around the top of the tower so the rotor will always face into the wind. A tail boom and fin keep the unit facing the wind up to speeds of 28 mph. Above that speed the rotor turns away from the wind to prevent it from turning too fast and being damaged. Most of the production occurs at wind speeds between 12 and 20 miles per hour.

The electricity generated by the rotor is carried down the hollow center of the tube and underground to a controller. The controller limits the amount of voltage sent to the battery pack to prevent overcharging and damaging it. The D.C. electricity is sent to the inverter which converts it to A.C. to match the power supplied by the grid. Excess electricity is sent back to ComEd which buys it for roughly the same price as they charge us. With our 3.2 kW solar system and our 1 kW wind system, we should be close to meeting most of our electrical needs with renewable energy.

With the new system we will be able to provide both solar electric and small wind system workshops for citizens interested in sustainable, renewable energy. It is the new global energy paradigm.

Originally published in the June 29–July 5, 2005, issue
of the Rock River Times

Think Before You Switch
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

The best energy investment we can make is energy conservation and efficiency. We could cut our excessive consumption between 30 and 75 percent and still live comfortable lives. As consumers our purchases decide our direction.

As children when we whined about the inconvenience of walking to school in cold weather, our parents topped our complaints with stories of the rigors of their youth. While it never seemed relevant to us, they conveyed the message that we could deal with it by adopting a can-do attitude and dressing appropriately for the weather - cold, wet or hot. As teenagers we walked in -30o temperatures dressed in woolen clothing and awkward galoshes never giving style a second thought.

We adjusted then and we can adjust now. If peak oil is a reality in the near future, we will learn to. While we may not like the changes, they will be less severe if we start making them now.

Another factor should also be a reason for adjusting. We are often reminded of the economic costs of consuming fuel in a car, home or appliance, but we seldom make a connection between our behavior and the environmental destruction it causes.

When authors of books such as The Limits to Growth warn of environmental destruction caused by too many people consuming too many resources on a finite planet, few of us take the conclusions to heart and consciously alter our lifestyles. We live in the moment with few cares for tomorrow or those who follow us.

We can make simple, effective changes today. If every family only used compact fluorescent bulbs, our electrical consumption would drop by five percent, our air would be cleaner, less climate altering carbon dioxide would be released and we would maintain the same level of lighting we now enjoy. Think of them as a holiday gift to the planet. This simple act would have a far greater positive impact on the state than the goal of two percent of electrical production from wind farms by 2006.

If instead we buy energy consuming electronic gadgets environmental consequences will intensify. Such devices consumed five percent of household electricity in 1980 and consume 20 percent today. Sales of these products, including big screen televisions, digital cameras, laptops and portable music players continue to grow. Televisions and accessories alone can account for 10 percent of a household’s electric bill. Huge plasma TVs use twice the electricity of standard TVs. Some use as much electricity as a refrigerator. Those who buy these gadgets are also buying more nuclear power plants, more coal fired plants and more wind farms.

The latest gadget and the switch which turns it on has a direct connection to fuel consumption, climate change, environmental destruction and increased sources of power generation. Powering an appliance anywhere has environmental consequences somewhere - in our back yard or a distant place. Whether the Rocky Mountains or a seaside resort is your favorite vacation retreat, how you and your neighbors use energy today could make your favorite place of refuge far less inviting.

Originally published in the December 14-20, 2005, issue
of the Rock River Times

Lovins: Climate Change, Efficiency and Profits
by Drs. Robert and Sonia Vogl

In her recent address, Hunter Lovins indicated that what was happening at the Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair was far more significant for national security than taking shoes off at an airport. She reminded us of the boom and bust cycle of oil prices and the potential of an oil glut bringing prices down once again. At the time of her presentation demand for oil from China and India was driving prices higher. She felt that our troops were in harm’s way in Iraq for oil and that we are without a sensible national energy policy.

She reminded participants that every ecosystem in the world is in decline and our ability to survive as a species is at stake. We treat our ecosystems as though they have no value, yet they provide $30 trillion annually in services. Global warming is real and contributes to climate instability placing human welfare at risk.

The recent hurricane, Katrina, which caused so much damage, illustrates her point.

The general scientific consensus on climate change and hurricanes predicts an increase in their intensity. Higher ocean surface temperatures and air temperatures are key factors producing more powerful, destructive hurricanes. While political pressures to rebuild areas will be intense, economy, environment and human welfare would be better served by reducing vulnerable coastal developments.

In response to climate change concerns an increasing number of firms are directing efforts at reducing their carbon footprint, or the amount of carbon dioxide they release producing goods and services. As scientists call for a global reduction of up to 80 percent in the amount of carbon released by 2050, some firms are finding carbon reduction a profitable venture. Lovins cited the financial gains that British Petroleum, DuPont and STM have experienced while cutting carbon releases. Additional financial opportunities selling green tags, trading carbon rights and sequestering carbon in farm fields were pointed out.

She reminded participants of the economic successes in the 1970’s and early 80’s when we cut energy consumption 15 percent in six years while growing the economy 15 percent. Since we waste up to $300 billion annually on fossil fuels, an amount equal to the annual energy consumption of Japan, we are only scratching the surface of possible savings.