An Ignoble Experiment

2. Xcel completes largest pipeline project in 20 years

Abengoa recently celebrated the grand opening of a new biomass-to-ethanol facility -- a "first of a kind" commercial scale biorefinery that will allow Abengoa to produce renewable liquid fuel from one of the most abundant organic feedstock sources, plant fiber or cellulosic biomass. The Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass of Kansas (ABBK) facility, located about 90 miles southwest of Dodge City in Hugoton, Kansas, will be sold into the ethanol commodity market and used to fuel light duty vehicles.

Artist rendering of the Abengoa Bioenergy Biomass facility in Hugoton, Kansas. Credit: Abengoa

"Every gallon of cellulosic ethanol produced and used to fuel our vehicles reduces the impact of harmful greenhouse gas emissions by greater than 60 percent as compared to conventional gasoline," said Secretary Moniz at the grand opening. "The Department is committed to supporting innovative technologies, from an early idea in the lab to a full, commercial-scale source of clean energy. As part of the Administration's all-of-the-above approach to homegrown American energy, the production of cellulosic ethanol creates economic opportunities for rural communities, helps diversify our energy portfolio, and moves us closer to a low-carbon energy future."

The facility uses a proprietary enzymatic hydrolysis process, which turns cellulosic biomass, including non-edible corn stalks, stems and leaves, into fermentable sugars that are then converted into transportation fuels. The plant will utilize approximately 1,100 dry tons of biomass per day in the ethanol production process, the residue from which will be combusted along with 300 tons a day of feedstock to produce electricity. The plant's electricity cogeneration component will generate up to 21 MW of electricity -- enough to power itself and provide excess clean, renewable power to the local community.

Once operating at full commercial-scale, the biorefinery will produce up to 25 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year -- enough to avoid 132,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and the equivalent of removing 28,000 vehicles from the road.

Developed with the help of a $132 million DOE loan guarantee in 2011, Abengoa's Hugoton facility will be the third commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol biorefinery to come on line in the United States. Prior to the loan guarantee, the project received a $97 million cost-shared grant investment from the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

For more:
- visit this website

Read more about: Biomass
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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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3. Green building rule promotes energy, water management

Xcel Energy has begun operation of the Cherokee Natural Gas Pipeline -- a 34-mile natural gas pipeline that will provide a new, cleaner fuel source for its Cherokee Generating Station in north Denver under Colorado's historic Clean Air Clean Jobs Act.

Cherokee Generating Station. Credit: Xcel

The utility spent more than three years and $110 million designing, planning, constructing and testing the natural gas pipeline, which will eventually provide fuel for a new, state-of-the-art, 569 MW natural gas facility set to go into service in spring 2015. The pipeline will also provide fuel for an existing 352 MW unit when it switches to natural gas from coal in 2017. Xcel Energy has retired two generating units at the Cherokee plant, with a third unit to be retired next year. Upon conversion of the fourth unit in 2017, the plant will be entirely powered by natural gas.

"The start of operations for this pipeline is an important milestone in our company's significant efforts to improve air quality in Colorado under Clean Air Clean Jobs, and to meet new federal standards for greenhouse gas emissions, as it relates to our generation fleet," said David Eves, president and CEO of Public Service Co. of Colorado, an Xcel Energy company. "The Cherokee Generating Station is one of several efforts in our Colorado service territory to reduce our power plant emissions, while improving our ability to provide safe and reliable service for our customers in the state."

The pipeline stretches from a new metering facility near Fort Lupton into the Denver metropolitan area's northeast side at the plant near Commerce City, and will be the largest pipeline project completed by the company in 20 years.

The total economic impact of Clean Air Clean Jobs will be approximately $590 million for Colorado, through 2026, according to estimates from the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business.

For more:
- visit this website

Read more about: Xcel Energy
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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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4. NERA predicts severe economic impacts from EPA Clean Power Plan

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a final rule establishing criteria for federal agencies that choose to employ green building rating systems. The rule, identified as RIN 1904 -- AC13, covers new construction and major renovations of federal buildings, including certain residential construction, of $2.5 million or more beginning on October 14, 2015.

DOE's green building rule will change the face of efficiency in federal buildings. Credit: Thinkstock

The rule does not specify use of any particular certification system, but rather establishes criteria that promote energy-efficient building designs and that focus on energy and water management.

Although it is often goes overlooked, active energy management is critical to ensuring that the energy savings realized in the design and construction of a building are sustained over time. The new rule sets a precedent for active energy and water management by requiring post-occupancy verification of the savings at least every four years. By mandating post-occupancy verification of energy and water savings on a regular basis, the government can be sure that its facilities are performing optimally.

The new rule will have a significant impact on federal energy use, as one-third of the energy used by the federal government is in its buildings. The rule supports DOE's goal of reducing building energy use in the United States by 50 percent, as well as the Accelerate Energy Productivity 2030 partnership between DOE, the Alliance to Save Energy, and the Council on Competiveness to double U.S. energy productivity by 2030.

"The Department of Energy's new rule not only continues the sharp trajectory of progress in reducing federal energy waste in buildings, but also cements the government's role as a key market influencer helping to pave the way to better building design and practices for state and local governments and the private sector," said Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan.

The rule becomes effective on November 13, 2014.

For more:
- see the final rule

Read more about: Alliance to Save Energy
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By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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5. Capitalizing on clean energy climate potential in NC

Significant negative economic impacts could result from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed plan to regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing fossil-fuel power plants under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act, according to a new analysis from NERA Economic Consulting.

Credit: Thinkstock

EPA's Clean Power Plan proposal sets state CO2 emission rate targets for 49 states based on four EPA "building blocks;" The analysis is based on combinations of building blocks that states might use to comply with the EPA targets.

Specifically, NERA projects that the costs to comply with EPA's proposed Clean Power Plan could total more than $366 billion. Further, 43 states will have double-digit electricity price increases, with 14 states potentially facing peak year electricity price increases that exceed 20 percent, NERA predicts.

NERA also predicts that EPA's proposal could cost consumers and businesses $41 billion or more per year -- outpacing the costs of all Clean Air Act rules for power plants in 2010 ($7 billion) and the annual cost of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule ($10 billion).

Most concerning to organizations like the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), who was one of several groups to commission the report, NERA says the proposal could force the closure of over 45,000 MW of coal-based electricity, which is more than New England's entire electricity supply.

For more:
- see the report

By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

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