• Electric co-ops partner with universities
• Texas Approves Massive Wind Power Project
• Free Energy-Saving Software For PCs
• Future of Solar Energy
• Peak Alert

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• Mtn Grove, Mo VFW
• Holistic Management
• Se-Ma-No Electric Co-op
• AECI Electric Co-op
• Intercounty Electic Co-op
• Show Me Electric Co-op
• Webster County Electric Co-op
• Southwest Power Administration
• Hillbilly Holler

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Electric co-ops partner with universities to research carbon capture technology for power plants

Contact : Nancy Southworth 417.885.9246

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. – Missouri’s electric cooperatives and two of the state’s top universities are leading the way to find solutions that may help address global climate change concerns facing the nation.

Associated Electric Cooperative and Central Electric Power Cooperative are sponsoring research to be conducted by Lincoln University of Missouri and the Missouri University of Science and Technology that will use flue gas from power plants to grow algae to reduce carbon dioxide gas emissions. The carbon capture project could produce an effective approach to reduce CO2 emissions and mitigate climate change concerns.

The cooperatives and the universities will hold a news conference Friday, Sept. 5, at 1 p.m. at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Conference Center in Jefferson City to announce the project and sign the research agreement. U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Dr. Gale Buchanan will join the sponsors and university officials speaking at the signing ceremony.

The research is being funded by the cooperatives and will be performed in conjunction with two algae-related research projects currently being conducted by both universities and funded by USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service and the Missouri Life Sciences Research Board.

Principal researchers are Dr. Keesoo Lee, associate professor of biology, Lincoln University; and Dr. Paul Nam, assistant professor of chemistry, Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Using photosynthesis, algae in four large pools of water will use energy from sunlight to feed on CO2 from the power plant’s flue gas, thus capturing the CO2. An additional benefit is that the oil found in algae can be processed into a biodiesel.

The research project will be based at Central Electric’s Chamois Power Plant, located east of Jefferson City on the Missouri River, where staff has been producing green power using biomass materials for more than five years. Central Electric’s staff at Chamois Power Plant has researched using a variety of biomass materials, including corn cobs, walnut shells and old railroad ties, to produce green power for cooperatives. Plant staff is currently experimenting with burning turkey processing sludge with coal to produce electricity.

In addition to green biomass power, Associated Electric Cooperative’s diverse resources include renewable hydropower and wind power, energy efficiency, coal and gas-based resources. AECI partnered in the state’s first utility-scale wind farms located in northwest Missouri. AECI’s commitment to buy all the power from three wind farms in northwest Missouri for 20 years and the co-ops’ vast transmission system made the wind farms possible.

Central Electric Power Cooperative, based in Jefferson City, is a generation and transmission cooperative serving eight local distribution cooperatives in central Missouri.

Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional (included Central Electric Power Cooperative) and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma that serve more than 850,000 customers. AECI’s mission is to provide an economical and reliable power supply and support services to its members, including the new “Take Control & Save” energy efficiency program, www.TakeControlAndSave.coop. AECI is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V

Missouri University of Science and Technology, founded in 1870 in Rolla as the University of Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, is one of the four campuses in the University of Missouri System. Known for its engineering programs, Missouri S&T enrolls more than 6,000 students and also offers degrees in the sciences, liberal arts, humanities and business. Throughout its history, Missouri S&T has prepared bright, hard-working students to meet society’s challenges and today is committed to addressing some of the nation’s most pressing energy and environmental issues.

Lincoln University was founded in 1866 by the men of the 62nd and 65th United States Colored Infantries and their white officers for the special benefit of freed African Americans. Today, Lincoln University’s role in the education of Missourians and others and its service to stakeholders throughout the state, the nation and across the globe is well recognized. Lincoln University continues to serve the needs of its diverse student body through a tradition of offering innovative programs that makes the college experience special.                                        

Source: http://www.aeci.org/NR20080904.aspx

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  Texas officials gave preliminary approval Thursday to the nation's largest wind-power project, a plan to build billions of dollars worth of new transmission lines to bring wind energy from gusty West Texas to urban areas.

Texas is already the national leader in wind power, and supporters say Thursday's move by the Public Utility Commission will make the Lone Star State a leader in moving energy to the urban areas that consume it.

"We will add more wind than the 14 states following Texas combined," said PUC Commissioner Paul Hudson. "I think that's a very extraordinary achievement. Some think we haven't gone far enough, some think we've pushed too far."

The rest of the story is available at the SOURCE

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Although power management software has been around for years, there's clearly room for improvement, particularly with rising energy prices and environmental awareness.

Start-up Verdiem on Wednesday released software called Edison that makes it easy for people to schedule when a PC goes into a low power consumption mode at home or at work.

Verdiem's CEO, Kevin Klustner, is scheduled to highlight Edison and PC energy consumption during a conference call with Microsoft's chief environmental strategist, Robert Benard, and Intel's Lorie Wigle, president of the Climate Savers computing industry consortium.

The full exciting story can be found at the SOURCE

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If found this and thought it would fit. This would be great. Let's hope it gets going. I really like the price and fuel bill not to mention how great it would be for the environment. Too bad it would hurt the oil companies and the Arabs and Venezuela, NOT.

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    I ran across an interesting article in the Rural Missouri monthly magazine that comes once a month courtesy of my local electric co-op, Se-Ma-No.  I read the article and followed the link it provided and it led me to this link to a business that installs systems that provide electricity for private homes and even allows one to sell the excess back to the utility.  Go read the interesting story at: PATH.
    If you come across things that might fit with the spirit of this blog please send them to me and I will try to include them.  This blog is all about "Energy Conservation".  That includes alternative forms of energy, ways to cut energy use (gas, diesel, and electricity), building green, and other methods.
    Remember as with all blogs, this is a work in progress not just a website that a person builds and then never adds anything to.  Come back often as you never know when something new will be added or how it may affect our lives.
Cheerily
IJ

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We have been discussing changing our hot water heater at the local VFW  with two tankless units. One up by the kitchen to supply the kitchen and two of our bathrooms and another in the back to supply the two bathrooms there. Now we are running hot water a long ways to get hot water to the back two bathrooms and this should create a savings in energy there plus we are only in the building needing hot water one evening a week during bingo. Why are we keeping a standard hot water heater full of hot water all week long? Because we just thought of this idea. I found this video explaining about tankless water heaters and thought maybe I should share it here.

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    My veterinarian, Dr David Gourley, came on a herd health visit today and was telling me about a website devoted to conserving the soil, using less fertilizer, less tractor work (thus conserving fuel - oil - energy) and actually improving the land.  While it may be just a little off base here I think it really ties together with the main theme of this blog.
Cheerily
IJ

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You have the power to affect your energy consumption (in kilowatt-hours and in money) by managing use wisely—reducing the amount spent on the inefficient use of energy.

This energy-efficiency initiative is built on two core ideas:

• 1) Take control of electricity use, and thereby
• 2) save energy.

As cooperative members, we all carry the responsibility to make the best use of our energy resources. While the costs of providing reliable electricity have been rising, your cooperative system has been working with our power supplier, Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., to find the best ways to ease the burden of those costs—for our individual members and for our entire cooperative network.

One of the most important things we can do is slow the growth in energy use. By using electricity wisely, we can optimize our generating capacity in order to postpone building costly new power plants. The good news is that everything you do to reduce your use not only helps
us manage growth, it also helps you manage your energy budget.

To learn more about this exciting new program go to Take Control and Save

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Source:
OneWorld.net, February 5, 2006
Title: “Bottled Water: Nectar of the Frauds?”
Author: Abid Aslam

Faculty Evaluator: Liz Close
Student Researchers: Heidi Miller and Sean Hurley

Consumers spend a collective $100 billion every year on bottled water in the belief—often mistaken—that it is better for us than what flows from our taps. Worldwide, bottled water consumption surged to 41 billion gallons in 2004, up 57 percent since 1999.

“Even in areas where tap water is safe to drink, demand for bottled water is increasing—producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy,” reports Earth Policy Institute researcher Emily Arnold. Although in much of the world, including Europe and the U.S., more regulations govern the quality of tap water than bottled water, bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more. At up to $10 per gallon, bottled water costs more than gasoline in the United States.

“There is no question that clean, affordable drinking water is essential to the health of our global community,” Arnold asserts, “But bottled water is not the answer in the developed world, nor does it solve problems for the 1.1 billion people who lack a secure water supply. Improving and expanding existing water treatment and sanitation systems is more likely to provide safe and sustainable sources of water over the long term.” Members of the United Nations have agreed to halve the proportion of people who lack reliable and lasting access to safe drinking water by the year 2015. To meet this goal, they would have to double the $15 billion spent every year on water supply and sanitation. While this amount may seem large, it pales in comparison to the estimated $100 billion spent each year on bottled water.

Tap water comes to us through an energy-efficient infrastructure whereas bottled water is transported long distances—often across national borders—by boat, train, airplane, and truck. This involves burning massive quantities of fossil fuels.

For example, in 2004 alone a Helsinki company shipped 1.4 million bottles of Finnish tap water 2,700 miles to Saudi Arabia. And although 94 percent of the bottled water sold in the U.S. is produced domestically, many Americans import water shipped some 9,000 kilometers from Fiji and other faraway places to satisfy demand for what Arnold terms “chic and exotic bottled water.”

More fossil fuels are used in packaging the water. Most water bottles are made with polyethylene terephthalate, a plastic derived from crude oil. “Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand alone requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year,” Arnold notes.

Once it has been emptied, the bottle must be dumped. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter. Incinerating used bottles produces toxic byproducts such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals tied to a host of human and animal health problems. Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

Worldwide, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year. Of the bottles deposited for recycling in 2004, the U.S. exported roughly 40 percent to destinations as far away as China, requiring yet more fossil fuel.
Meanwhile, communities where the water originates risk their sources running dry. More than fifty Indian villages have complained of water shortages after bottlers began extracting water for sale under the Coca-Cola Corporation’s Dasani label. Similar problems have been reported in Texas and in the Great Lakes region of North America, where farmers, fishers, and others who depend on water for their livelihoods are suffering from concentrated water extraction as water tables drop quickly.

While Americans consume the most bottled water per capita, some of the fastest collective growth in consumption is in the giant populations of Mexico, India, and China. As a whole, India’s consumption of bottled water increased threefold from 1999 to 2004, while China’s more than doubled.

While private companies’ profits rise from selling bottled water of questionable quality at more than $100 billion per year—more efficiently regulated, waste-free municipal systems could be implemented for distribution of safe drinking water for all the peoples of the world—at a small fraction of the price.

UPDATE BY ABID ASLAM

Consumer stories are a staple of the media diet. This article spawned coverage by numerous public broadcasters and appeared to do the rounds in cyberspace. Perhaps what seized imaginations was our affinity for the subject: apparently we and our planet’s surface are made up mostly of water and without it, we would perish. In any case, most of the discussion of the issues raised by the source—a research paper from a Washington, D.C.–based environmental think tank—focused mainly on consumer elements (the price, taste, and consequences for human health of bottled and tap water), as I had anticipated when I decided to storify the Environmental Policy Institute (EPI) paper (in honesty, that is pretty much all I did, adding minimal context and background). However, a good deal of reader attention also focused on the environmental and regulatory aspects.

Further information on these can be obtained from the EPI, a host of environmental and consumer groups, and from the relevant government agencies: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for tap water and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for bottled water.

Differences in the ways these regulators (indeed, regulators in general) operate and are structured and funded deserve a great deal more attention, as does the unequal protection of citizens that results.

Numerous other questions raised in the article deserve further examination. Would improved waste disposal and recycling address the researcher’s concerns about resources being consumed to get rid of empty water bottles? If public water systems can deliver a more reliable product to more people at a lower cost, as the EPI paper says, then what are the obstacles to the necessary investment in the U.S. and in poor countries, and how can citizens here and there overcome those obstacles?

Some of these questions may strike general readers or certain media gatekeepers as esoteric. Then again, we all drink the stuff.

Find more stories like this one at

Top 25 Censored Stories for 2007

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Even in good years America's family farmers continue to shrink in number and with energy now making up one of the largest costs of farming as well as one of the largest costs consumers face each month and there seems to be very little interest in Washington, Democratic or Republican, to make positive changes.

Before I became a writer I spent 28 years in the trucking industry and throughout most of those 3 million miles I hauled food products with the current food distribution network never making sense to me. For years I hauled frozen Israeli corn from the seaport in Baltimore, Maryland to repackaging plants in Cincinnati, Ohio. And for those who may not know Cincinnati pretty much sits in the middle of a giant corn field.

Then my trailer would be reloaded at the opposite end of the same building with frozen corn placed in smaller packages so that I could haul it to New York City and Baltimore grocery warehouses. On a few occasions I had to wait for the very same corn I hauled in to be repackaged and loaded back onto my trailer.

Now there are some things that make slightly more sense. Take peanuts for example: With the exception of the Southeast, very few places in this country can grow peanuts so if you live in the Northeast or Northwest and want a peanut butter sandwich you're probably going to get it by truck. That said, I have hauled imported peanuts and imported peanut butter to Portsmith, Virginia, the peanut butter capitol of the world.

That's why it's a good thing to seek out local farmers and farmers' markets whenever possible. Not only will you help reduce America's dependence on imported energy and help support your local farmers but you'll also find local products to be safer, fresher and taste better than months old "fresh produce" at the big box grocery store.

I know you'll find it difficult to shop 100% local and while I try I can't always do so myself but the more locally grown food you eat the less fuel you'll be responsible for burning and the better off your area farmers will become.

By the way, I recently got 3 laying hens that I'm allowing to run throughout my fenced-in backyard and after eating fresh eggs laid this morning I may never eat a grocery store egg again.

-Billy

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PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- A Spanish company is planning to take 3 square miles of desert southwest of Phoenix and turn them into one of the largest solar power plants in the world.

Abengoa Solar, which has plants in Spain, northern Africa and other parts of the U.S., could begin construction as early as next year on the 280-megawatt plant in Gila Bend -- a small, dusty town 50 miles southeast of Phoenix.

The company said Thursday it could be producing solar energy by 2011.

Abengoa would build, own and operate the $1 billion plant, named the Solana Generating Station.

Solana will be enough to supply up to 70,000 homes at full capacity.

Read the full story at the   SOURCE

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KING CITY, Mo. -- Some people hate wind farms for chopping up birds. Others claim their vibrations can make you crazy or sick. But they’re cheaper and faster to build than conventional power plants.

Missouri is one of 30 states with companies harnessing breezes and blasts. Some government leaders in southwest Missouri are eying the benefits that they see accruing here in northwest Missouri.

On sites in three counties, 100 turbines with 140-foot fans crank out enough megawatts to power tens of thousands of homes. They’re 80 miles north of Kansas City, towering above the countryside where the wind is always blowing over what people jokingly call “the tundra” in winter.

To read the rest of this story go to the

SOURCE

Cheerily

IJK

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Rogersville — The pick-up truck growled as it tugged the windmill off the ground and into its concrete bed.

Chad and Brooke Monteith watched from below under a cloudless sky as their boxer darted after shadows created by the blades.

Like a growing number of people, the Monteiths installed a wind generator on their property to reduce their energy consumption.

Of the 7,000 small wind systems sold in 2006, the vast majority (70 percent) were installed on farms, rural areas and in the suburbs. While it's not for everyone, wind energy may be more attainable than you think.
 
"We're being more ecologically aware and trying to reduce our carbon footprint," Chad Monteith said.

The wind generator, a Skystream 3.7, is made by Southwest Power in Arizona and was designed for residential use.

It begins producing power in 8 mph winds but is recommended in areas that average 12 mph winds.

Monteith expects it will reduce his family's energy consumption by 25 to 33 percent, although the company's Web site said it can lower electricity bills from 30 to 80 percent.

The installation was "fairly easy," Monteith said.

To read more about home based windmills with photos go to the Source

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JEFFERSON CITY, MO, FEB. 1, 2008 -- With St. Valentine's Day fast approaching, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources offers a few tips for having an environmentally friendly day.  The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day are notorious for creating huge amounts of trash, so now is a good time to watch our "waste-line."  Here are some ideas to keep landfills a little less full.

The most traditional gift on Valentine's Day is a bouquet of flowers.  After these flowers dry up, they are usually thrown away and end up in a landfill.  A compost bin provides a better location for the flowers to keep them out of the trash.  For those looking for a different gift idea, call a local florist and ask if they have organic flowers or fresh flowers, trees or shrubs that can be replanted in the spring.

For a more creative gift, consider tickets to a movie, concert or sporting event.  It will provide an opportunity to spend more time with your loved ones and creates less trash.  Look for gifts made from recycled materials such as fleece jackets and scarves made from water and soda bottles and kitchen tools and house décor made from recycled plastic and glass.  Also consider gift certificates to a spa or a favorite store.  When taking a trip to the mall or your favorite shopping store, take some friends and carpool and bring your own shopping bags.

For a homemade gift, make dinner at home and eat by candlelight.  Not only is it romantic, but it can save a little electricity with the lights turned off.  If considering a favorite restaurant instead, walk if it's a short distance away or take mass transit.  For friends and family, bake cookies or make homemade candy and package them in a decorated reusable or recycled container.  And when giving greeting cards, purchase those that have high recycled paper content or that can be easily recycled.  If the gift giver is feeling very creative, there are plenty of great projects for reuse of kids Valentine's cards either on the internet. 

With a little imagination and thoughtful planning, everyone can celebrate a "Green" Valentine's Day.  

For more information on recycling, reuse and composting, contact the Department of Natural Resources' Solid Waste Management Program at 1-800-361-4827 or (573) 751-5401 or by e-mail to swmp@dnr.mo.gov or visit the department's Web site at www.dnr.mo.gov/env/swmp. 

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel.  For a complete listing of the department's upcoming events, meetings and hearings, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/oac/calendar.htm.

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By BRIAN SKOLOFF
Associated Press Writer

PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) -- Free hybrid-car parking. Cash rebates for installing solar panels. Low-interest loans for energy-saving home renovations. Money to tear up desert lawns and replace them with drought-resistant landscaping.

Frustrated by what they see as insufficient action by state and federal government, municipalities around the country are offering financial incentives to get people to go green.

To read the full story go to The Source

Cheerily
IJK

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 I ran across this interesting story about a new water saving toilet that actually works, unlike the first few attempts and thought that I should share.

Kohler, Wis. — For clients of Scott Kelly's architecture firm, seeing — and going — are believing.

His Philadelphia company urges its customers to install high-efficiency toilets, which use 20 percent less water than the previous generation of low-flow toilets. So the firm installed one such toilet in its own restroom, and customers who try it out are impressed.

"Literally after one use, they love it: the seat, the look, the fact that it saves water," said Kelly, of Re:Vision Architecture. "Sometimes it's like a hybrid car — you have to drive one first to appreciate it."

To read the full story go to the

SOURCE

Cheerily

IJK

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St. Joseph — The residents of King City and Rock Port take pride in the wind turbines that have sprouted on their rolling hills in the past year.

Citizens of Conception and the next-hill-over communities of Conception Junction and Clyde have watched supplies accumulate for their own wind farm, eager for the day when a gigantic crane will lift them into the future of renewable energy.

There is quite a lengthy story on the benefits of "Wind Farms" to the community and

if you go to the

SOURCE

you can read the entire story.

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Reality is there isn't enough used french fry grease in the world to power all of our cars and as people continue to eat healthier there may well be less of it but for those who can running their cars off of alternative fuels is a good idea.

Used vegetable oils can be converted to biodiesel but animal renderings can also be converted.

Here in Greensboro, North Carolina we have an established rendering plant that started selling bio-diesel several years ago. While DOT and police officers doing safety inspections prefer not to crawl under trucks belonging to Carolina Byproducts it is encouraging to know those trucks are fueled with biodiesel processed right here in Greensboro. The largest customer for biofuels in North Carolina is the NC Department of Transportation.

About an hour east of Greensboro in Durham you can find Carolina Biodiesel, one of several North Carolina startups that have partnered in taking what was once dumped in landfills and turning it into fuel.

Unlike E-85 and other alcohol based fuels made from corn that could be better used to feed animals and people, biodiesel is made from waste. Farmers would be wise to look into coops built for the express purpose of rendering and production of biodiesel. After all, it's farmers who raise the cattle, hogs and chicken that goes into biodiesel.

-Billy

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