About This Series
Barack Obama's first term as president begins two Tuesdays from today. On every Tuesday between now and his inauguration, this series will look at a particular issue and expectations for Obama's first term.
Jan. 13: The economy
MONROE - President-elect Barack Obama placed energy independence second on his list of priorities during the campaign.
"We have to seize this moment because it is not just an energy independence issue, it is also a national security issue and it is a jobs issue. We can create 5 million new green energy jobs with a serious program," Obama said Oct. 31.
Under Obama's plan, the Energy Department most likely will focus on developing alternative energy; increased support of research in ethanol production, wind turbines, solar technology and fuel efficient cars; and higher efficiency standards for appliances and buildings.
Obama proposes spending $150 billion over 10 years on alternative energy production, conservation and efficiency, thereby reducing oil consumption by 35 to 40 percent and creating up to 5 million jobs over the next two decades. Economic and budgetary problems may alter those levels.
Obama wants 10 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources derived from solar, wind and geothermal by 2010, and electricity demand reduced by 15 percent from the Department of Energy's projected levels by 2020. The DOE projects the demand for electricity will increase by 1.1 percent per year over the next few decades.
Part of this goal would be met by setting usage reduction targets for utilities and raising energy efficiency standards for building and appliances. Energy conservation targets for the country would come in part by weatherizing 1 million homes annually, and by fully funding the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
By making investments in upgrading a home furnace, sealing leaks and adding insulation, Obama's plan estimates 20 to 40 percent savings in energy savings. Including energy efficient appliances and lighting saves even more.
But a major remodeling is "quite a project," according to Ron Starmer of D-H Building, Monroe.
Replacing an old furnace with an energy efficient one can save money, but the payback period can be considerable. Geothermal or radiant heat can take as many as six to eight years before energy savings equals the cost of the installation.
"You can easily put $30,000 to 40,000 into an old home, but you still have an old home," Starmer said.
That's why many people opted to purchase a new home.
"Owners see an immediate savings of about 40 to 50 percent in their energy bills right off the bat," when they move from an old home into a new home, Starmer said.
That's because new homes are built tighter, he said.
D-H Builder, an Energy Star company for 20 years, uses a variety of products in new homes to reduce and save energy, including thicker exterior walls with more insulation, tankless water heaters, proper ventilation fans with stronger motors, energy efficient windows, low-volume toilet tanks and shower heads, and geothermal and radiant heat.
As part of its Energy Star certification, Starmer said the company uses energy conservative building methods at the sites, such as recycling cardboard and metals.
For Green County's immediate future, finding ways to conserve energy may be more practical than increasing energy production, especially if one is thinking of wind as the energy source.
"Monroe is not a very windy place," said Tom Purdy, a community planner with Fehr-Graham.
As part of a new tax credit Congress put into place in October, owning your own wind turbine could become a new trend in green home building. As part of the bailout bill this fall, Congress included a 30 percent tax credit for small-wind projects.
U.S. firms control about 98 percent of the small-wind market, while foreign manufacturers control large-scale wind and solar.
But residential wind turbines require about a half-acre of open land. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), about 15 million homes have that requirement.
"Generally speaking, larger turbines are more efficient," Purdy said. The larger the turbine, the faster it will pay off the investment.
Usually the cost of erecting a wind turbine in Green County does not justify the investment.
"Unless you can get a grant," Purdy said. "You can hide a lot when you have a grant."
"With a grant, you might get your payback in five to ten years, but that doesn't make it efficient," he said. "Who's paying for the grant? You and I are."
Purdy said engineers consider many aspects of a wind turbine when determining its payback value. Besides the turbine and equipment costs, manpower and energy to erect the turbine must be taken into consideration. Wind generators need regular maintenance, as well, and the cost of that goes into engineering costs determinations.
Engineers also consider the cost of what is not recyclable and of removing the old turbine at the end of its life.
"What ends up being put in a landfill is a loss to the environment," Purdy said.
New technology in research right now at universities, dealing with multiple-bladed generators which can pick up more wind than current designs, looks promising, Purdy said. And new and better materials are on the horizon that will increase efficiency of producing and transferring energy.
Purdy also said companies like Precision Drive and Control are "rewinding" generators and motors, replacing the copper wire and magnets.
"It sounds funny, I know," Purdy said.
Purdy said the used materials are recycled. Copper is remelted and purified or used in alloys for other purposes.
The next step in energy sources probably is a combination of wind, solar and biomass, Purdy said.
"What's up and coming is a very efficient wind generator. It's becoming more and more feasible. Technology has to catch up," he said.
Picking up water waves to generate electricity without damaging the shore is being refined. And pulling off methane gas from wastewater and dump sites is becoming more efficient.
Congress still is not considering taxing the methane gas given off by cows, but Obama wants to reduce carbon emissions by 10 percent by 2020.
"We have to seize this moment because it is not just an energy independence issue, it is also a national security issue and it is a jobs issue. We can create 5 million new green energy jobs with a serious program," Obama said Oct. 31.
Under Obama's plan, the Energy Department most likely will focus on developing alternative energy; increased support of research in ethanol production, wind turbines, solar technology and fuel efficient cars; and higher efficiency standards for appliances and buildings.
Obama proposes spending $150 billion over 10 years on alternative energy production, conservation and efficiency, thereby reducing oil consumption by 35 to 40 percent and creating up to 5 million jobs over the next two decades. Economic and budgetary problems may alter those levels.
Obama wants 10 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources derived from solar, wind and geothermal by 2010, and electricity demand reduced by 15 percent from the Department of Energy's projected levels by 2020. The DOE projects the demand for electricity will increase by 1.1 percent per year over the next few decades.
Part of this goal would be met by setting usage reduction targets for utilities and raising energy efficiency standards for building and appliances. Energy conservation targets for the country would come in part by weatherizing 1 million homes annually, and by fully funding the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
By making investments in upgrading a home furnace, sealing leaks and adding insulation, Obama's plan estimates 20 to 40 percent savings in energy savings. Including energy efficient appliances and lighting saves even more.
But a major remodeling is "quite a project," according to Ron Starmer of D-H Building, Monroe.
Replacing an old furnace with an energy efficient one can save money, but the payback period can be considerable. Geothermal or radiant heat can take as many as six to eight years before energy savings equals the cost of the installation.
"You can easily put $30,000 to 40,000 into an old home, but you still have an old home," Starmer said.
That's why many people opted to purchase a new home.
"Owners see an immediate savings of about 40 to 50 percent in their energy bills right off the bat," when they move from an old home into a new home, Starmer said.
That's because new homes are built tighter, he said.
D-H Builder, an Energy Star company for 20 years, uses a variety of products in new homes to reduce and save energy, including thicker exterior walls with more insulation, tankless water heaters, proper ventilation fans with stronger motors, energy efficient windows, low-volume toilet tanks and shower heads, and geothermal and radiant heat.
As part of its Energy Star certification, Starmer said the company uses energy conservative building methods at the sites, such as recycling cardboard and metals.
For Green County's immediate future, finding ways to conserve energy may be more practical than increasing energy production, especially if one is thinking of wind as the energy source.
"Monroe is not a very windy place," said Tom Purdy, a community planner with Fehr-Graham.
As part of a new tax credit Congress put into place in October, owning your own wind turbine could become a new trend in green home building. As part of the bailout bill this fall, Congress included a 30 percent tax credit for small-wind projects.
U.S. firms control about 98 percent of the small-wind market, while foreign manufacturers control large-scale wind and solar.
But residential wind turbines require about a half-acre of open land. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), about 15 million homes have that requirement.
"Generally speaking, larger turbines are more efficient," Purdy said. The larger the turbine, the faster it will pay off the investment.
Usually the cost of erecting a wind turbine in Green County does not justify the investment.
"Unless you can get a grant," Purdy said. "You can hide a lot when you have a grant."
"With a grant, you might get your payback in five to ten years, but that doesn't make it efficient," he said. "Who's paying for the grant? You and I are."
Purdy said engineers consider many aspects of a wind turbine when determining its payback value. Besides the turbine and equipment costs, manpower and energy to erect the turbine must be taken into consideration. Wind generators need regular maintenance, as well, and the cost of that goes into engineering costs determinations.
Engineers also consider the cost of what is not recyclable and of removing the old turbine at the end of its life.
"What ends up being put in a landfill is a loss to the environment," Purdy said.
New technology in research right now at universities, dealing with multiple-bladed generators which can pick up more wind than current designs, looks promising, Purdy said. And new and better materials are on the horizon that will increase efficiency of producing and transferring energy.
Purdy also said companies like Precision Drive and Control are "rewinding" generators and motors, replacing the copper wire and magnets.
"It sounds funny, I know," Purdy said.
Purdy said the used materials are recycled. Copper is remelted and purified or used in alloys for other purposes.
The next step in energy sources probably is a combination of wind, solar and biomass, Purdy said.
"What's up and coming is a very efficient wind generator. It's becoming more and more feasible. Technology has to catch up," he said.
Picking up water waves to generate electricity without damaging the shore is being refined. And pulling off methane gas from wastewater and dump sites is becoming more efficient.
Congress still is not considering taxing the methane gas given off by cows, but Obama wants to reduce carbon emissions by 10 percent by 2020.