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01/30/09
Committee working to refine recommendations for alternative energy
A little more than a year after its appointment, the town's ad hoc Alternative Energy Committee has submitted a report identifying opportunities for providing alternative energy resources for school and municipal buildings and vehicles.
Their recommendations? That work continue.
"Now that we've done sort of an overview of all the different energy alternatives, our committee is planning to continue on to refine those alternatives," said Bill Slack, committee chairman, to members of the Town Council at their meeting Jan. 12, 2009.
An energy audit of school and larger municipal buildings, performed by CM3 Building Solutions, is underway; and, members of the committee are meeting with a consultant to get a better idea of the wind energy potential at various elevations at town-owned locations. The energy audit, funded by an appropriation from the town's budget overlay and authorized by the Town Council last September, will provide a list of recommended conservation measures, as well as the cost of implementing them. Their report will also serve to validate the findings of the committee, Slack said.
"It's a pretty extensive report. We ask that you read it. We would come back in another several months after the audit for confirmation of what we have in the report," Slack said.
The committee's study focused primarily on the schools. "They are the biggest energy users," Slack said, consuming 2.2 million KWH of electricity and 150,000 of oil per year.
According to the committee's report, energy conservation should be the first step toward reducing the town's dependence on traditional oil and electrical energy. "Energy conservation should be implemented first and will provide the best return on investment," Slack said.
Beyond energy conservation, the committee searched for alternative energy sources whose benefits outweigh the cost of implementation. The most economically feasible possibilities include biomass boilers, wind turbines, geothermal systems and natural gas. The wind and geothermal possibilities assume there is interest-free capital available; and, the feasibility of natural gas would depend on the cost of extending a pipe from South Portland.
Focus on wind
For the shorter term, the committee is focusing on wind.
"Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy in the country as well as New England," said Wyman Briggs, another member of the Alternative Energy Committee.
Last July, the Town Council approved a set of zoning ordinance amendments that would allow windmills of up to 100 feet on municipal property. The council extended that provision to qualifying residential properties in September of last year.
While the estimated 4.5-5.5 meters per second velocity at that height makes wind a viable alternative-energy source, Briggs said the potential increases exponentially at higher elevations. "Doubling the wind speed brings eight times the impact," he said.
The committee's second recommendation, after completion of the energy audit, is to conduct a site survey of wind speeds at varying heights, at various town-owned locations. "We very much look forward to, in the next few months, refining that portion of our analysis, getting some professional estimates and measurements, and developing a more refined proposal," Briggs said.
The Town Council, at their meeting Jan. 12, accepted the report and plans to discuss it at a future workshop. Jim Rowe, Town Council chairman, asked members of the committee to let the council know when results of the energy audit and wind consultations are completed.
Councilors lauded the committee for their work, particularly the thoroughness of the 111-page report. "We have seen a lot of impressive reports over the years," said Councilor David Backer. "This one sets a new standard by which reports of committees will be measured likely forever," he said.
The report is based on a study written by Chris Ramezanpour, a master's degree candidate at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. "The committee report leverages the work from the Ramezanpour Report by refining the recommendations and providing additional analysis," the committee's report says.
Further recommendations of the report include:
- Building community awareness and support for installing alternative conservation and energy technologies
- Actively pursuing funding for alternative energy projects
- Conducting a full-cost appraisal for recommended technology options
- Cape Elizabeth's participation in the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement
- Participating with the Greater Portland Council of Governments in completing the ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) regional assessment. The assessment will provide an inventory of the region's greenhouse gases, quantify the benefits of reduction measures, and formulate local climate action plans.
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